Senior Quality Engineer - Contract Location: Telford - minimum 2 days per month onsite, remaining time remote Contract Length: 12 months Rate: £460 per day IR35: Inside IR35 Start Date: Must be available to start w/c 4 January 2027 Client: Central Government The Role We are looking for an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to join a major Central Government programme on an initial 12-month contract. You will play a key role in shaping quality engineering practices across the team, designing and developing automated testing solutions while embedding modern approaches including TDD, BDD, shift-left testing and CI/CD. This is a hands-on role requiring strong Java-based test automation experience, alongside the ability to work closely with developers, contribute through pair programming, and coach others on quality engineering best practice. Technology Stack Frontend: Remix React, JavaScript Backend: Java, Spring, .NET Data: MongoDB, Oracle Tools/Technologies: RabbitMQ, JSON Key Responsibilities Design and implement test automation solutions from scratch Design, develop and maintain automated end-to-end and system tests using Playwright with Java Develop and maintain automated test scripts in Java across UI, API and system-level testing Read, understand and interpret Java unit tests, including JUnit, to support test analysis and defect investigation Apply TDD and BDD methodologies alongside risk-based testing approaches Support CI/CD pipelines and embed shift-left quality practices Perform testing across multiple levels, including Unit, System, Integration and Non-Functional Testing Undertake test analysis and test design, translating requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria into effective automated scenarios and comprehensive test coverage Analyse business requirements and develop appropriate testing strategies Manage test data and associated testing collateral Participate directly in development activities through pair programming Coach team members on quality engineering principles and best practices Essential Skills & Experience We are looking for strong experience across: Selenium WebDriver, including designing, developing and maintaining automated test scripts in Java Strong Java test automation experience CI/CD pipelines Software testing and quality engineering Git / GitLab Test analysis and test design UI, API and system-level automated testing Strong communication and coaching skills Stakeholder management A quality-focused, shift-left mindset Desirable Skills Experience with any of the following would be beneficial: Playwright Gatling for performance testing OWASP ZAP for security testing Docker Kubernetes AWS Accessibility testing, including WCAG, WAVE and Axe