Principal QA Engineer - AI & Cloud Services

Principal QA Engineer - AI & Cloud Services

AVEVA is creating software trusted by over 90% of leading industrial companies.

Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Job Type: Regular, Full-Time

Reports To: R&D Senior Manager - AI Core Services Development

We are looking for a detail-oriented and forward-thinking Test Engineer to ensure the quality, performance, and security of our Core AI Services within AVEVA Connect. You will help validate distributed, cloud-native services and public APIs that form the foundation for enterprise AI capabilities. This role demands deep technical skill and a passion for delivering robust, secure, and ethical AI services at scale.

You'll be a part of a Scrum team and work closely with developers and architects to design effective validation strategies, automated testing frameworks, and AI-specific evaluation tools - with a builder mindset - rapid prototyping and continuous improvement with agility of a start-up.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform functional, performance, and security testing on cloud-native services deployed on Microsoft Azure.
• Design and implement automated test suites for APIs, service components, and AI pipelines.
• Automate the evaluation of AI system outputs to ensure accuracy, consistency, and safety of responses.
• Collaborate with developers and data scientists to establish service-level quality metrics and observability hooks.
• Validate services against AI regulatory frameworks and ensure traceability, fairness, and robustness in outcomes.
• Participate in threat modelling and security validation of exposed APIs and AI services.
• Provide feedback early in the lifecycle to reduce defects and improve design.
• Mentor junior testers, encourage continuous learning, and contribute to a culture of innovation.

AI & Cloud Expertise:

• Familiarity with LLM evaluation techniques, output scoring, and validation frameworks.
• Understanding of key concepts such as prompt engineering, RAG, model orchestration, and hallucination detection.
• Experience in testing for accuracy, relevance, and consistency of AI model predictions/generations.
• Defining Performance Metrics for AI services and testing for the same.
• Awareness of AI safety, bias detection, and explainability techniques.
• Experience ensuring compliance with AI regulations and standards (e.g., NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act).
• Strong belief in ethical AI practices, transparency, and end-user trust.

Core Skills and Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in software testing or QA for cloud-native applications, including 2+ years working on AI/ML systems or services.
• Proficient in designing automated testing frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized test environments.
• Strong understanding of API testing, performance profiling, and security testing (including OWASP top 10).
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse complex technical challenges and propose scalable solutions.
• Experience working in Agile teams and collaborating across global R&D locations.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior team members fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

R&D at AVEVA:

Our global team of 2000+ developers work on an incredibly diverse portfolio of over 75 industrial automation and engineering products, which cover everything from data management to 3D design. AI and cloud are at the centre of our strategy, and we have over 150 patents to our name.

Our track record of innovation is no fluke – it's the result of a structured and deliberate focus on learning, collaboration, and inclusivity. If you want to build applications that solve big problems, join us.

Why Join AVEVA? At AVEVA, we are unlocking the power of industrial intelligence to create a more sustainable and efficient world. AVEVA Connect platform is at the heart of that transformation. As a leader in Core AI Services, you will help shape how AI is delivered at scale across industries. Join us in driving the next wave of industrial innovation.

UK Benefits include:

Flexible benefits fund, emergency leave days, adoption leave, 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pension, life cover, private medical insurance, parental leave, education assistance program.

It's possible we're hiring for this position in multiple countries, in which case the above benefits apply to the primary location. Specific benefits vary by country, but our packages are similarly comprehensive.

Hybrid working:

By default, employees are expected to be in their local AVEVA office three days a week, but some positions are fully office-based. Roles supporting particular customers or markets are sometimes remote.

Hiring process:

Interested? Great! Get started by submitting your cover letter and CV through our application portal. AVEVA is committed to recruiting and retaining people with disabilities. Please let us know in advance if you need reasonable support during your application process.

AVEVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to being an exemplary employer with an inclusive culture, developing a workplace environment where all our employees are treated with dignity and respect. We value diversity and the expertise that people from different backgrounds bring to our business. AVEVA provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify your recruiter. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.