Senior QA Test Engineer

12 Month Contract

We are seeking an experienced Automation Test Engineer / QA Automation Consultant. The success incumbent will need to come in and focus on setting up Automated Testing. A playwright framework

This role will be fully dedicated to enhancing, expanding, and stabilising our existing automated testing framework. The current team lacks the capacity to drive this initiative internally, and require a specialist who can take ownership, deliver improvements quickly, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Will work closely with the IT Business Solutions team to repair and enhance the current testing automation suite, develop new automated tests across existing and new systems, uplift overall test coverage, and transfer skills to internal staff before the contract concludes.

Key Responsibilities

Stabilise and Enhance the Existing Automation Framework • Assess the current automated testing environment, tools, and frameworks. • Diagnose issues, repair broken components, and improve reliability. • Optimise performance, maintainability, and structure of the test suite.

Develop New Automated Tests • Build automated test scripts for existing systems where no coverage currently exists. • Design and implement automated tests for new projects and solutions being delivered. • Ensure adherence to best practices and internal development standards.

Improve Test Coverage and Quality • Analyse systems and processes to identify gaps in automated test coverage. • Establish measurable coverage targets and achieve them by end of contract. • Implement regression packs, smoke tests, integration tests, and end‑to‑end scenarios.

Knowledge Transfer and Upskilling • Work closely with the internal team to upskill staff on automation tools, frameworks, and best practices. • Provide documentation, training sessions, and mentoring to ensure sustainability after contract end. • Support the team in adopting improved automation processes and standards.

5. Collaboration and Delivery • Partner with developers, business analysts, and product owners to align tests with functionality and acceptance criteria. • Participate in agile ceremonies (e.g., stand‑ups, grooming, retros) where required. • Provide regular reporting on automation progress, coverage, and quality metrics.

Success outcomes • Achieve a meaningful increase in automated test coverage (e.g. targeting a 100% improvement from current baseline) • Fully integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines • Improve stability of the automation suite (reduction in flaky/failing tests) • Establish clear documentation and complete knowledge handover • Contribute to embedding QA earlier in the SDLC and driving overall test strategy

Required Skills & Experience • 6+ years’ experience in automated testing and QA automation engineering. • Strong proficiency in automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Katalon, or similar). • Experience with CI/CD pipelines and test execution frameworks. • Programming experience in languages such as Java, C#, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Python. • Strong understanding of testing methodologies and best practices. • Experience designing test frameworks or significantly enhancing existing ones. • Ability to work independently and deliver outcomes with minimal supervision. • Excellent communication, documentation, and knowledge‑sharing skills.