Senior Automation Test Engineer

Senior Automation Test Engineer

Location
:
Maidenhead, Berkshire (Hybrid)
Job Type
:
Full-Time, Permanent
Department
:
Quality Engineering & Testing
Reports To
:
Test Manager

About VE3:
VE3 is a growing technology consultancy delivering digital transformation, cloud, data, AI, cybersecurity, and managed services to public and private sector organisations across the UK. We help our clients deliver high-quality digital services through innovative engineering practices and modern quality assurance approaches.

We are looking for an experienced Senior Automation Test Engineer to lead the design and implementation of automated testing solutions across multiple client engagements. This role is ideal for someone passionate about quality engineering, automation, and continuous improvement.

As a Senior Automation Test Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining scalable automation frameworks that improve software quality and accelerate delivery. You will work closely with developers, business analysts, Dev Ops engineers, and project managers to ensure quality is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle. You will also mentor junior testers, promote automation best practices, and contribute to the continuous evolution of VE3's Quality Engineering capability.

• Design, develop, and maintain reusable automated test frameworks.
• Develop automated functional, regression, integration, and end-to-end tests.
• Identify suitable automation opportunities across projects.
• Improve test coverage while reducing manual effort.
• Review and optimise existing automation suites.

• Participate in requirements analysis and solution design to ensure quality is built into products from the outset.
• Develop comprehensive test strategies and automation plans.
• Perform API, UI, database, and integration testing.
• Support performance, accessibility, and security testing where required.
• Ensure traceability between requirements, test cases, and defects.

• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Support continuous testing using Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub Actions, Jenkins, or similar platforms.
• Collaborate with Dev Ops teams to improve release quality and deployment confidence.
• Analyse test execution results and troubleshoot failures.

• Mentor junior and mid-level automation engineers.
• Review automation code and promote coding standards.
• Contribute to technical design discussions and quality improvements.
• Recommend tools and technologies that enhance testing capability.

• Identify, document, and manage defects throughout the development lifecycle.
• Work closely with developers to resolve issues efficiently.
• Produce quality metrics and test reports for stakeholders.

• Collaborate directly with client teams and stakeholders.
• Provide technical guidance on automation strategy and quality assurance.
• Represent VE3 professionally during client engagements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and quality workshops.

• Strong experience in test automation (5+ years).
• Excellent programming skills in Java, C#, Python, or JavaScript/Type Script.
• Experience with automation frameworks such as Selenium Web Driver, Playwright, Cypress, Appium (desirable).
• Experience testing REST APIs using Postman, Rest Assured, or similar tools.
• Strong SQL and database testing experience.
• Experience with Git version control.
• Experience with Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub, or Jira.
• Experience integrating automation into CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies.

• Performance testing using JMeter, Gatling, or Load Runner.
• Accessibility testing (WCAG 2.1/2.2).
• Cloud platform experience (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Docker and Kubernetes exposure.
• Experience testing microservices and cloud-native applications.
• Knowledge of BDD frameworks such as Cucumber or Spec Flow.

• Experience designing automation frameworks from scratch.
• Experience leading automation initiatives on complex projects.
• Experience working in Agile delivery teams.
• Experience mentoring or leading automation engineers.
• Experience producing automation strategies and quality reports.
• Experience working with public sector or enterprise clients is advantageous.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Passion for quality engineering and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Self‑motivated with the ability to work independently.
• Collaborative team player with mentoring capability.
• Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to identifying risks and improvements.

• Private medical insurance
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Professional training and certification support
• Hybrid working
• Opportunities to work on large-scale digital transformation programmes across the UK public and private sectors
• Career progression into Test Lead,…