QE Lead – Data & Integration Platforms

About the role

A client is building a regulated, greenfield platform from scratch in the UK, connecting tens of thousands of field devices, a core system, an integration and data platform, an ERP and a bank. As QE Lead you own how everything is verified: you define the verification approach for the integration and data platforms, lead an end-to-end data-flow validation team and act as the client's QE Lead counterpart. The role is hands-on, writing and reviewing test code and setting the standards other QA engineers follow.

Key responsibilities

• Define the verification approach and stack for the integration and data platforms, including what is checked, where each check runs and which quality gate stops a bad change.
• Lead the end-to-end data-flow validation team across all program teams and partners.
• Agree the test strategy, quality gates and SIT/UAT criteria with the client's QE Lead, and present coverage and results to client and program leadership.
• Work with architects, partners and the client so testability and contracts are designed in from the start, backing decisions with evidence.
• Build contract and API testing: Pact with can-i-deploy gates in every pipeline, breaking-change checks on API and event schemas, and simulated partner systems with contract suites.
• Put data and money checks at every step: data contracts, counts and totals per transfer, transformation tests, golden-dataset regression and reconciliation of each data product to its sources.
• Test resilience and load (idempotency, retries, dead-letter handling), run SIT across partners and trace UAT defects back to the root cause.
• Set QE standards for QA engineers, including how they use AI tools, and hire, grow and manage the QE team.

Required profile

• 8+ years in quality engineering, including 2+ years leading a QE or QA team.
• Has written a test strategy, defended it with a client and seen it adopted.
• Hands-on: writes and reviews test code in Java and SQL.
• Depth in at least two of: backend and integration testing, contract testing, data pipeline verification, cloud solutions (Azure preferred) and CI/CD quality gates.
• Daily use of AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex or similar) and ability to set team standards.
• English at C1 or above, able to present clearly to engineers and leadership.

Required skills

• Nice to have: Python, Azure and Microsoft Fabric, PactFlow, DataFrame-based validation (pandas, PySpark, Pandera, Soda, Deequ, chispa), service virtualization (WireMock or similar), agent tooling (MCP servers, Playwright MCP), payments/settlement or financial reconciliation, data governance and lineage.

What we offer

• Opportunity to work on bleeding-edge projects with a highly motivated team.
• Competitive salary and flexible schedule.
• Benefits package including medical insurance and sports.
• Corporate social events and professional development opportunities.
• Well-equipped office.