Principal, Capability QA Lead - Data & Analytics, Hybrid, Outside IR35

Principal, Capability QA Lead - Data & Analytics - Hybrid - Outside IR35

About the Role:

Join a dynamic, forward-thinking organization as the Principal, Capability QA Lead within our Data & Analytics (D&A) team. We're looking for a driven leader who thrives in both hands-on and strategic roles to drive quality excellence at scale. This is an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver cutting-edge Quality Engineering practices across a fast-paced, agile environment.

As the Capability QA Lead, you will be accountable for the continuous improvement of quality standards, implementing best practices, and ensuring flawless delivery of data-driven products and services. You will lead by example, working with cross-functional teams to ensure predictable, defect-free outcomes that align with business goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead Quality Strategy: Own and evolve the overall quality strategy, focusing on both functional and non-functional testing, ensuring alignment with business and technical objectives.

Hands-on QA Leadership: Lead by example in performing quality assurance activities, including manual and automated testing, defect management, and peer reviews.

Drive Automation: Champion automation, CI/CD integration, and shift-left testing to reduce manual effort and improve efficiency.

Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with D&A leadership, development squads, and DevOps teams to ensure quality is Embedded throughout the software development life cycle.

Mentor & Develop Teams: Lead a growing team of QA professionals, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and learning.

Strategic Oversight: Define and enforce testing policies, standards, and procedures. Manage QA budgets and resources effectively.

Skills + Exp

Leadership Experience: Proven experience leading QA teams and managing quality engineering practices in a complex, agile environment.

Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of testing methodologies, automation tools, and performance testing (eg, JMeter, k6, etc.).

Data-Focused Background: Experience working with data platforms (Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Lake, SQL), ETL testing (Azure Data Factory), and data modelling (Kimball/Star Schema).

Certification & Skills: ISTQB Advanced Test Manager or equivalent, ITIL Foundation, familiarity with NIST CSF, and proficiency in advanced AI/ML testing techniques.

Agile & DevOps Mindset: Solid experience with Agile frameworks, Jira, and integrating QA into CI/CD pipelines.