Principal Quality Engineer

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About us

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We’re Kingfisher, a team made up of over 74,000 passionate people who bring Kingfisher – and all our other brands: B&Q, Screwfix, Brico Depot, Castorama and Koctas – to life. Guided by our purpose Better Homes. Better Lives. For Everyone. We believe a better world starts with better homes, and we work every day to make that a reality. Join us and help shape the future of home improvement.

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About the roleAs a Principal Quality Engineer, you will play a crucial role in shaping and driving quality practices across our engineering domain. You will work closely with Engineering Squad Leads, fellow Principal QEs, and Tooling Specialists to ensure consistency, scalability, and excellence in testing approaches.

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You will guide teams in the adoption of best practices, support cross-domain alignment, and actively contribute to our Quality Chapter’s strategic initiatives.

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If you’re looking for an exciting opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and make a real impact building better software, this is the job for you!

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Please note that this role can be based from our London Paddington, Southampton or Yeovil office

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How We WorkWe believe in flexibility and balance. Our hybrid model blends home working for focus with time spent connecting and collaborating – whether in our offices or at offsite locations. On average within our Engineering team – 20% of your time involves in‑person collaboration.

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We value the perspectives new team members bring and encourage you to apply – even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements.

What's the job? What you'll do\n

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• Help teams adopt best practices from the Quality Chapter, ensuring they keep pace with our Cloud, DevOps, Tooling, and Simulation strategies.
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• Bring together Leads and Engineers to align testing approaches and support planning across domains.
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• Collaborate with other Principal QEs to share lessons and maintain consistency in ways of working.
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• Introduce appropriate testing tools with support from the Tooling Specialists.
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• Make sure all Engineering Squads follow agreed testing processes, including Team CI and Group CI.
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• Identify and arrange the creation of required test data, in line with our Test Data Strategy.
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• Ensure clear and consistent test reporting across the domain.
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• Support Quality Chapter goals and wider engineering improvement efforts.
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• Promote Agile working methods across teams.
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• Highlight future skills and tooling needs to inform wider planning.
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• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members.
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What you'll bring\n

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• Strong experience in test automation – ideally with Playwright/Cypress or Selenium (experience with both is highly advantageous).
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• Proficiency in API testing tools and practices: Postman, RESTAssured, GraphQL.
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• Solid programming skills in TypeScript/JavaScript or Java.
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• Experience with microservices and micro‑frontends.
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• Practical knowledge of CI/CD pipelines using GitLab (Jenkins is a nice to have).
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• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
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• Strong understanding of simulation/mocking libraries and performance testing tools.
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• Knowledge of security testing concepts is desirable.
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• SQL expertise and containerisation tools experience are beneficial.
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• Proven ability to influence, mentor and lead across engineering functions.
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• Awareness of AI in the context of testing is a plus.
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• Excellent command of English (written and spoken).
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What We Offer\n

An inclusive environment where your potential is limited only by your imagination. We encourage new ideas, support experimentation, and strive to create a workplace where everyone can be their best self. Find out more about Diversity & Inclusion at Kingfisher here.

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We also offer a competitive benefits package and plenty of opportunities to stretch and grow your career.

Diversity & Inclusion\n

Our customers come from all walks of life – and so do we. We’re committed to ensuring all colleagues, future colleagues, and applicants are treated equally, regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, ethnicity, culture, religion, belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation.

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Interested? Great, apply now and help us to Power the Possible.

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#LI-AK

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