Principal Engineer QA

Because we strive to put people first.  
Culture, our way. 

Technology at Primark

What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.  

What You’ll Get 

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best.

Let’s talk lifestyle: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.  

What You’ll Do as a Principal Engineer QA

We want you to feel challenged and inspired. Here, you’ll develop your skills across a range of responsibilities:

• Establish and lead a Technology Quality Centre of Excellence, defining the enterprise test strategy, quality vision, operating model, and governance to embed quality‑first thinking across all technology initiatives.
• Drive modern quality engineering practices including shift‑left testing, BDD/TDD, test automation, continuous testing, and CI/CD integration, while innovating through AI‑assisted testing and predictive quality analytics.
• Influence enterprise technology decisions by partnering with Architecture, Platform, and delivery leaders to ensure quality is built into roadmaps, platforms, vendor selections, and non‑functional requirements (performance, security, accessibility, resilience).
• Define and govern QA vendor strategy, establishing capability frameworks, performance metrics, commercial models, and continuous improvement mechanisms to ensure delivery excellence and cost optimisation.
• Establish enterprise quality metrics, insights, and governance, including quality gates, dashboards, and KPIs that provide visibility into risk, accelerate decision‑making, and drive continuous improvement.
• Build a strong quality culture and capability, developing talent through coaching, mentoring, and training while fostering shared ownership of quality across engineering teams and partners.

What You’ll Bring

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• Extensive senior‑level experience in quality engineering within complex, multi‑platform technology environments, with a proven track record of leading large‑scale quality transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success establishing and leading Quality Centres of Excellence, defining enterprise frameworks, standards, and operating models that drive quality maturity at scale.
• Deep technical expertise in modern quality engineering practices, including test automation, CI/CD integration, Agile and DevOps methodologies, and enterprise‑wide testing strategies.
• Strong understanding of retail technology ecosystems, encompassing e‑commerce, POS, mobile platforms, warehouse management, ERP, and integrated omnichannel solutions.
• Highly developed strategic and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate business objectives into actionable quality strategies and influence at C‑level and across organisational boundaries.
• Proven experience managing global QA vendor partnerships, driving commercial value, delivery excellence, and continuous improvement across external relationships.

Does this sound like you? Great, because we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring. You’ll be supported within a team of equally capable people, celebrating who you are and aiding you reach your potential. At Primark, we’re excited about our future - and we’re excited to develop yours.

About Primark 

At Primark, people matter. They’re the beating heart of our business and the reason we’ve grown from our first store in Dublin in 1969 to a £9bn+ turnover business and over 80,000 colleagues and over 440 stores in 17 countries today. Our values run through everything we do. In essence, we're Caring and always strive to put people first. We're also Dynamic, bravely pushing the boundaries to stay ahead. And finally, we succeed Together.  

If you need any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request, during your recruitment journey, such as extended time or breaks between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, mobility access, or assistive technology please contact your talent acquisition specialist. 

All offers of employment are subject to background checks, including right to work, reference education and for some roles criminal, and financial checks. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our talent acquisition team to discuss. 

Our fashion isn’t one-size-fits-all and neither is our culture. Primark promotes equal employment opportunity, we strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can be themselves, access opportunities and thrive together.