Test Automation Engineer

Role:

• Designs, builds and maintains automated test solutions to ensure that software meets or exceeds specified standards and end-user requirements.
• Designs, develops and maintains automation frameworks and test scripts in Java or C#, ensuring alignment with CoE standards and overall IT test strategy
• Creates and manages automated test data sets — covering both valid and invalid scenarios — to thoroughly exercise program logic, verify system flows and maximise coverage
• Collaborates with project teams and business stakeholders to integrate automated testing into user acceptance testing, alpha and beta testing phases
• Ensures automated test suites are successfully executed, results are documented, defects are raised and all issues are resolved prior to release
• Contributes to or leads the automation aspects of deployment preparation and execution for both Pre-Production and Production environments through to the end of the warranty period

Description:

Typically requires software engineering discipline, project coordination ability and people guidance skills, as well as being a recognised automation expert. Uses these competencies:

• To formulate the automation strategy, including framework selection, toolchain definition and integration approach, for one or more standard to larger projects
• To specify and plan the corresponding automation activities, and lead their execution, being the main reference point for technical escalation and problem resolution
• To ensure that automation delivery is carried out within budget and established CoE procedures, meeting project objectives within quality, time and cost targets
• To analyse and monitor risks in the area of test automation, identifying their potential impact and taking appropriate preventive actions
• Validates product design and requirements documentation to ensure that acceptance criteria are suitable for automation, unambiguous and verifiable
• Leads, guides and monitors the analysis, design, implementation and execution of automated test cases, test procedures and test suites
• Schedules automated test runs and monitors, measures, controls and reports on execution progress, product quality status and test results; adapts the automation plan as needed to respond to evolving project conditions
• Produces a summary test automation report at the end of each project engagement, including coverage achieved, defects found and framework reuse metrics
• Supports deployment activities by consolidating automated verification scenarios, coordinating execution with release and operations teams, and providing rapid automated diagnostics immediately after deployment
• Work requires anticipation of future implications beyond immediate problems and may involve creating new framework approaches or reusable components to structurally address recurring challenges; provides feedback and improvement input into CoE automation practices and risk management strategy
• Works with a high level of autonomy, with performance and achievements subject to CoE management review
• The role requires well-developed skills to communicate, influence and collaborate across a large and heterogeneous set of project stakeholders, business analysts, architects and operations teams
• Has a direct contributory impact on the quality and stability of non-stop applications and systems, thereby avoiding disruption to mission-critical services and maintaining a clear competitive advantage.
• Works with internal stakeholders, project teams and external vendors to ensure an effective and evolving automation practice is maintained across the organisation
• May coach junior automation engineers or test analysts in automation techniques and framework usage; may supervise and assess the performance of Test Analysts involved in automation activities

Technical Profile:

Mandatory:

• Proficiency in Java or C# with solid object-oriented programming skills and clean code practices
• Proven experience with a major automation framework: Java (Selenium WebDriver, RestAssured, Cucumber/Gherkin, TestNG or JUnit) or C# (Playwright, SpecFlow, NUnit, RestSharp)
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI or Azure DevOps)
• Proficiency with Git, branching strategies and code review practices
• Strong understanding of software testing fundamentals: test levels, test types, coverage analysis, defect lifecycle management
• Experience in API test automation (REST and/or SOAP)

Valued:

• Exposure to performance or load testing tools (Gatling, JMeter, k6)
• Experience with containerised test execution (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Familiarity with test management tools (JIRA/Xray, ALM/Quality Center, Azure Test Plans)
• Knowledge of financial market infrastructure, post-trade processing or securities settlement
• ISTQB Test Automation Engineer certification or equivalent