Automation Test Architect - Financial Services- Contract

GCS Recruitment; England; On-site; GBP 96,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment is seeking an Automation Test Architect on a contract basis in London, operating in a hybrid model. You will define end-to-end integration testing strategies for a complex microservices landscape and lead the adoption of consumer-driven contract testing using Pact.

The ideal candidate has senior architecture experience, hands-on testing across APIs and distributed systems, and strong collaboration with senior stakeholders. AWS and microservices exposure are a plus.

Qualifications

• Senior level architectural experience in complex testing environments.
• Hands-on experience delivering test automation for distributed systems.
• Strong background in contract testing and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency with Pact and API testing across microservices.
• Proficient in Java, Python or C++ with API-centric testing.
• Ability to influence senior architects and engineering leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the end-to-end integration testing strategy.
• Design and implement scalable automated test frameworks.
• Lead adoption of consumer-driven contract testing using Pact.
• Collaborate with architects, developers and platform teams to elevate quality.
• Establish testing standards, governance and best practices across delivery teams.
• Identify integration risks and ensure robust coverage across services and APIs.
• Mentor engineers and foster a quality-first culture.

Skills

Architect level

Integration Testing

Contract Testing

Pact

Java

Python

C++

APIs

CI/CD

Stakeholder Influence

Tools

Pact

Job description

Automation Test Architect (Contract)

Hybrid

London

We're supporting a major technology transformation programme and are seeking an experienced Integration Test Architect to define and lead testing strategy across a complex microservices and distributed systems landscape.

This is a senior, hands-on architecture role requiring deep expertise in contract testing, integration testing and quality engineering across multiple technology stacks.

What You'll Be Doing

• Define and own the end-to-end integration testing strategy
• Design and implement scalable automated test frameworks
• Lead adoption of consumer-driven contract testing using Pact
• Work closely with architects, developers and platform teams to improve quality across distributed systems
• Establish testing standards, governance and best practice across multiple delivery teams
• Identify integration risks and ensure robust coverage across services and APIs
• Mentor engineers and drive a quality-first engineering culture

Essential Skills

• Proven experience operating at Architect or Principal Test Architect level
• Extensive experience in Integration Testing and Contract Testing
• Strong hands-on experience with Pact
• Development background in Java, Python and/or C++
• Experience testing microservices, APIs and distributed systems
• Strong understanding of CI/CD and automated testing practices
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and engineering leadership teams

Nice to Have

• AWS cloud experience
• Event-driven architecture experience
• Performance and non-functional testing expertise
• Experience within large-scale enterprise environments

The Candidate

You'll be a highly experienced consultant who can operate strategically at architecture level whilst remaining technically credible and hands-on when required. You'll have a track record of delivering testing strategies for complex integration-heavy environments and be recognised as a subject matter expert in modern quality engineering practices.

Automation Architect | Test Architect | Contract Testing | Pact | Java | Python | C++ | AWS | Microservices | QA Architect | Quality Engineering

GCS is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.