Principal Test Engineer

Vitality; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Pension up to 12%

Vitality health insurance

Life Assurance 4x salary

Job summary

Vitality in the UK is seeking a Principal Test Engineer to shape the quality, reliability and scalability of technology solutions. You will act as a recognised authority on testing, guiding strategy and delivery across large programmes, and drive modern automation, CI/CD and engineering practices with senior stakeholders.

You will lead testing across microservices, APIs and multi-system integrations, mentor teams and influence product readiness while advancing Vitality’s test engineering

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading testing and quality engineering across large-scale technology programmes.
• Expertise in test automation, modern testing practices and CI/CD.
• Strong programming capability and experience testing APIs, microservices, and distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end software test lifecycle across large-scale programmes with robust planning and defect management.
• Own testing strategy, governance and delivery across multiple projects.
• Design scalable test automation frameworks and promote CI/CD practices.
• Provide technical leadership and establish testing standards and best practices.
• Drive quality across complex distributed systems including microservices and APIs.
• Influence stakeholders to ensure testability and readiness for product launches.
• Define enterprise-wide testing standards and continuous quality improvement.
• Guide non-functional testing (performance, accessibility, security).
• Research new testing technologies and AI-enabled testing opportunities.
• Mentor and develop test engineering talent across teams.

Skills

Recognised Test Engineering Authority

Expert Automation Framework Design

Advanced Quality Strategy Leadership

Job description

Team - UK Prospect, Direct & Life Adviser Engineer

Team - UK Prospect, Direct & Life Adviser Engineer

Working Pattern - Hybrid - 2 days per week in the Vitality London, Bournemouth or Stockport Office. Full time hours per week.

We are happy to discuss flexible working!

Top 3 skills needed for this role:

• Recognised Test Engineering Authority
• Expert Automation Framework Design
• Advanced Quality Strategy Leadership

What this role is all about:

We're looking for an experienced Principal Test Engineer to play a critical role in shaping the quality, reliability and scalability of technology solutions across multiple business journeys. Operating as a recognised technical authority within test engineering, this role leads testing strategy and delivery across large, complex programmes. You will drive engineering excellence through automation and modern testing practices, and influences quality standards across both internal teams and third-party partners. Working closely with senior stakeholders, architects, developers and product teams, the Principal Test Engineer helps ensure high-quality customer outcomes while advancing Vitality’s test engineering capabilities.

Key Actions

• Lead the end-to-end software test lifecycle across large-scale programmes, ensuring robust planning, estimation, execution, defect management and outcome reporting
• Own testing strategy, governance and delivery across multiple projects, providing expert oversight of quality assurance activities and testing outcomes
• Design and evolve scalable test automation frameworks, championing automation standards, continuous integration and modern engineering practices
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise across test engineering disciplines, acting as a recognised authority on testing standards and best practice
• Drive quality across complex distributed systems, including microservices, APIs and multi-system integrations, ensuring solutions are fit for purpose and resilient
• Influence technical and business stakeholders at all levels, shaping requirements, design decisions, testability considerations and product launch readiness
• Define and promote enterprise-wide testing standards, ensuring alignment with industry best practice and continuous improvement of quality frameworks
• Guide non-functional testing strategies covering performance, accessibility and security, embedding quality throughout the software development lifecycle
• Research emerging technologies and AI-powered testing solutions, identifying opportunities to modernise capabilities and improve delivery effectiveness
• Coach, mentor and develop test engineering talent, strengthening capability across teams and contributing to communities of practice and technical leadership initiatives

What do you need to thrive?

• Proven experience leading testing and quality engineering across large-scale, complex technology programmes, with the ability to shape quality outcomes from strategy through to delivery.
• Deep expertise in test automation, modern testing practices and CI/CD approaches, with a passion for embedding quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Strong technical capability in a modern programming language, combined with experience testing APIs, microservices and distributed systems within cloud-based environments.
• Experience defining and implementing testing strategies, frameworks, governance and quality standards that drive consistency, efficiency and engineering excellence at scale.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders, collaborate across technology teams and build effective relationships with third-party partners.
• A track record of coaching and developing high-performing test engineers, coupled with a passion for innovation, emerging technologies and the adoption of AI-enabled testing practices.

So, what’s in it for you?

• Bonus Schemes - A bonus that regularly rewards you for your performance
• A pension of up to 12% - We will match your contributions up to 6% of your salary
• Our award-winning Vitality health insurance - With its own set of rewards and benefits
• Life Assurance - Four times annual salary

These are just some of the many perks that we offer! To view the extensive range of benefits we offer, please visit our careers page. Fantastic Benefits. Exciting rewards. Great career opportunities!

If you are successful in your application and join us at Vitality, this is our promise to you, we will:

• Help you to be the healthiest you’ve ever been
• Create an environment that embraces you as you are and enables you to be your best self
• Give you flexibility on how, where and when you work
• Help you advance your career by playing you to your strengths
• Give you a voice to help our business grow and make Vitality a great place to be
• Give you the space to try, fail and learn
• Provide a healthy balance of challenge and support
• Recognise and reward you with a competitive salary and amazing benefits
• Be there for you when you need us
• Provide opportunities for you to be a force for good in society

We commit to all these things because we want you to feel that you belong, and are supported to be happy and healthy.