Senior QA Engineer

Job Summary

SPARK TSL builds technology for healthcare and industrial environments where reliability genuinely matters. We're evolving our delivery model from feature-focused development to managed solutions with AI capabilities. QA needs to evolve with us.

We're looking for a Senior QA Engineer who can own solution quality across an unusually complex stack: bedside hardware + cloud software + deployment variance + healthcare compliance. This is the rare QA role where you're not just testing features. You're architecting how an entire organisation thinks about quality.

This is a critical hire at a pivotal moment in our platform evolution. You'll establish the QA practices and standards that enable us to scale safely and fast.

Job Description

What You'll Own

You'll establish solution quality across three dimensions:

Practice - Build CI/CD pipelines and automation frameworks that validate hardware, software, APIs, and deployment scenarios. Embed AI-assisted testing into how we work. Own hardware testing as a critical part of the picture.

Standards - Define what "ready to release" means across SPARK Fusion and SPARK Connect. Establish quality gates that Product and Engineering trust, because they're clear and consistent. Map compliance testing requirements into every release decision.

People - Partner with the team to elevate how SPARK TSL thinks about quality as a shared responsibility across Product, Engineering, and QA. Quality ownership shouldn't be siloed.
 

Why This Matters

Our solutions run on NHS bedside terminals, power hospital Wi-Fi, and manage connectivity in transport hubs and industrial facilities across dozens of organisations. A quality failure isn't a bug report. It's disrupted patient care, blocked commuter access, or operational downtime. As we scale velocity and expand into new products, testing can't be an afterthought bolted on at the end. You'll define how quality is built in from the start, across hardware, software, deployment, and team practices. This role exists because the cost of getting it wrong is too high to leave to chance.

Success in Year 1: Working CI/CD pipelines, documented quality standards that stakeholders trust, compliance testing integrated throughout, and frameworks that scale as the team grows.

What We Offer

Competitive salary dependent on experience, plus performance-linked bonus. Comprehensive benefits: life insurance, minimum 33 annual leave days including bank holidays, medical cash plan, salary sacrifice pension scheme, mental health and counselling support, gym membership, retail discounts and more.

Who You Are

We're a people-first business. We care more about how you approach problems than ticking every box.

This role suits you if you:

• Have strong technical credibility across software and hardware testing (automation frameworks, mobile testing, API testing, deployment validation)

• Understand systems, not just features. How hardware, cloud, mobile apps, user workflows, and deployment constraints interact.

• Are interested in learning about healthcare and regulated environments, including

UK NHS clinical safety standards (DCB0129/0160), DSPT, and medical-device regulation where applicable.

• Have built or led QA before, or you're a strong technical tester ready to step into leadership

• Have hands-on automation experience (CI/CD, Selenium, Appium, test frameworks)

• Are energised by building from scratch, not maintaining inherited systems

• Can influence without formal authority. You earn trust through clarity and judgment.

• Are curious about AI-assisted testing

• Are based in or willing to relocate to Bristol. 4 days/week on-site minimum in our new city centre offices. Hardware testing and real-world solution configuration require physical access to lab environments and cross-functional collaboration.

Why SPARK TSL

Direct Access to Leadership - You'll report to Head of Product & Delivery and collaborate directly with Product, Sales, Operations, and executive leadership. Your judgment shapes strategic decisions.

Real Clinical Impact - Your quality decisions affect NHS Trust workflows and patient experience. Not hypothetical; actual lives depend on reliability.

Technical Complexity at Scale - Hardware + software + deployment + compliance. Most QA roles own one; you'll own the system.

Inflection Point - You're joining as we shift to managed solutions and AI-assisted delivery. You define what quality means in that model.

A Team You'll Build - Hire and shape QA culture from scratch. You're not inheriting dysfunction.

Next Steps

• Applications close: 18th August 2026

• First-stage interviews: Week commencing 2nd September 2026

• Final stage: Week commencing 16th September 2026. Structured assessment focused on your approach to solution quality. We'll present a scenario and discuss how you'd assess, test, and recommend release readiness.

We may close this position early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage interested applicants to apply promptly

Worker Type

Regular

Number of Openings Available

1