JD Group Plc
Principal QA Engineer
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This is JD. Born in 1981. Built for Now.
At JD, we don’t just sell sneakers and outdoor gear, we set trends, break boundaries, and build communities. Whether you're on the shop floor, behind the scenes, or driving innovation, every role here plays a part in shaping the future of our industry.
We’re fast-paced, fearless, and unapologetically ambitious. We celebrate authenticity, thrive on collaboration, and never stop pushing forward, if you’re ready to bring your energy, ideas, and personality to a team that values them.
This is your moment. This is JD. Are you in?
Job Title: Principal QA Engineer
Business Overview
Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with over 60,000 colleagues and over 3,400 stores across several retail fascia in over 30 markets around the world.
JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.
We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative, and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day-to-day objectives.
Role Overview
The Principal QA Engineer is responsible for leading and assuring the successful delivery of Quality Assurance (QA) and Testing across transformation programmes, projects, and technology releases.
This is a senior, hybrid role combining Test co-ordination and hands-on QA engineering capability. The Principal QA Engineer acts as a key quality advocate, promoting best practices, driving test strategy execution, and ensuring robust, scalable testing across the delivery lifecycle.
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The role requires a strong understanding of modern testing techniques and the adoption of automation.
Working within Agile squads, the role requires strong collaboration with Business, Product, and Engineering stakeholders, ensuring that quality is embedded throughout delivery and aligned with business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Test Leadership & Delivery
- Lead QA activities across programmes and projects, ensuring high-quality test delivery
- Define, prepare, and maintain Test Plans and Test Approaches
- Provide accurate test estimates, progress reporting, and status visibility
- Manage and resolve defects, risks, and issues impacting delivery
- Ensure effective execution of complex and business-critical test scenarios
Hands-On Engineering
- Execute complex test cases where required, across functional and non-functional areas
- Contribute to automation frameworks and CI/CD pipelines
- Support integration, E2E, and UAT testing within Agile delivery models
- Ensure test evidence is documented and aligned to governance standards
Quality Strategy & Process Improvement
- Advocate and apply the Test Strategy and QA best practices
- Continuously improve QA processes, tooling, and methodologies
- Embed structured testing approaches aligned with the QA lifecycle
- Drive adoption of automation and modern testing techniques
Domain & Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as the QA Subject Matter Expert (SME) for a Business Unit or domain
- Provide QA leadership within squads, acting as the Lead QA representative
- Engage stakeholders effectively, ensuring alignment on scope, and quality
- Collaborate with Product Managers, Engineers, and Business SMEs
Environment & Issue Management
- Support test environment readiness, configuration, and stability
- Proactively identify and resolve test blockers and environment issues
- Ensure testing is conducted in controlled, fit-for-purpose environments
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Skills & Experience
Core Experience
- Extensive experience as a Senior or Principal QA/Test Engineer
- Proven delivery across large-scale technology programmes and transformations
- Strong hands-on experience in both manual and automated testing
- Experience working within Agile / Scrum delivery models
Technical & Domain Expertise
- Experience with test automation tools and frameworks
- Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
- Knowledge of cloud platforms (e.g. AWS)
- Working knowledge of:
- SQL
- Scripting (Python, Java, or equivalent)
- Modern development technologies (e.g. React, PHP, C++)
Professional Capability
- Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset
- Proactive, self-sufficient, and delivery-focused
- Excellent planning, prioritisation, and organisational skills
- High attention to detail and quality standards
- Strong written and verbal communication suited to technical audiences
- Ability to operate effectively under challenging timelines and delivery pressure
Leadership & Behaviour
- Ability to coordinate teams and influence stakeholders
- Strong collaboration and team-oriented approach
- Tenacious and solution-driven mindset
- Acts as a quality advocate and role model within QA
Qualifications (Desirable)
- ISEB / ISTQB certified
- Agile / Scrum certification
We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work.
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