QA Test Lead/ Principal Test Engineer - Bristol 85,000

I have a great opportunity for a QA Test Lead/ Principal Level Test Engineer to join my client in North Bristol, working on cutting edge, mission-critical technologies that help keep people on the front line safe and connected in high pressure situations. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead testing across a wide variety of projects for a fab team of people. Projects range from bespoke mobile applications and server side configuration through to cloud based systems and hardware integrations.

You’ll need to be happy coming into their Bristol office three days a week, and due to the nature of the work, you must either hold a British passport or have been a resident in the UK for the past five years, as employees are required to undergo security clearance due to the nature of some of the work they are involved in.

They currently have a Test Team of 7 and as Principal, your focus will be a mix of hands on and more hands off strategic responsibilities. Whilst you’ll remain hands on when needed, the bigger emphasis is helping to influence and set the test strategy, and help with directing test efforts across complex products. They want someone who can help to drive best practice across multiple engineering teams as their testers are split amongst several teams. You’ll help embed a culture of quality and work closely with developers, product owners, and stakeholders to ensure testing is embedded from the earliest stages, with requirements that are realistic, testable, and clearly understood.

The role will initially be more focused on leading manual testing across a range of mobile apps, integrated hardware, and cloud systems. At the same time, you’ll play a central role in shaping the company’s continued investment in automation and AI. Current tooling for automation includes Python, Pytest, and ADB for Android test automation, with work underway in hardware emulation, CI/CD integration, and they are experimenting with AI.

What you’ll be doing:

• Setting and evolving test strategy across one or more high complexity projects.
• Coordinating and directing the work of test engineers (permanent staff and contractors).
• Championing automation and influencing tooling choices (Python, Pytest, Appium, Espresso, CI/CD pipelines).
• Leading the test lifecycle end-to-end: from planning and execution through to triage, reporting, acceptance, and release support.
• Coaching and mentoring less experienced testers, helping to build a culture of collaboration and advocacy for quality.
• Driving continuous improvement in test processes, practices, and stakeholder engagement.
• Exploring new approaches, including AI-driven tooling and experimentation, and encouraging the team to stay ahead of the curve.

What they are looking for:

• Experience leading or coordinating test activities, with the confidence to set direction and influence strategy.
• Someone who is excited by tech and likes to keep up to date with new tools, industry trends and AI.
• A solid background in manual testing, ideally in mobile, hardware, or complex systems.
• Some knowledge of test automation (Python, Kotlin, ADB, Appium, Espresso etc.) and a willingness to drive its adoption.
• An interest in exploring AI Technologies.
• Familiarity with CI/CD environments (Jenkins, GitLab) and broader modern QA practices.
• A curious, pragmatic mindset with the drive to constantly improve.

This is a place where testers are genuinely valued. You’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of testing, influence strategic decisions, and help deliver technology that genuinely matters. The salary range is from 65,000 to 85,000 depending on experience.

If you’d like to hear more, please apply below to Sam Miller at SR2 - Socially Responsible Recruitment.