Quality Assurance Automation Engineer

Contract Automation QA | Hybrid/Remote | Up to £500 p/d | Outside IR35

I'm working with a technology-driven organisation looking for an experienced Automation Test Lead to help drive quality engineering standards across a modern software delivery environment.

This is a hands‑on role combining technical leadership with automation engineering. You'll play a key part in embedding quality throughout the development lifecycle, championing Test‑Driven Development (TDD) and helping teams build robust, scalable, and highly automated testing solutions.

Working closely with developers, architects, and product teams, you'll be responsible for designing automation frameworks, improving testing practices, and ensuring quality is built into every stage of delivery.

• Lead the automation testing strategy across multiple products and platforms
• Design, build, and maintain scalable automation frameworks
• Champion TDD and quality engineering best practices across development teams
• Develop automated UI, API, integration, and end‑to‑end test suites
• Collaborate closely with engineers to ensure quality is embedded from design through to production
• Drive continuous improvement across testing processes, tooling, and frameworks
• Mentor and support other QA and engineering team members

• Strong understanding and practical experience of Test‑Driven Development (TDD)
• Proficiency in at least one programming language:
• Java
• C#
• Python
• Experience building and maintaining automation frameworks

• API Automation using tools such as Rest Assured
• Strong unit testing capabilities
• Integration testing across microservices and service‑based architectures
• API testing (REST and GraphQL)

• Playwright
• Rest Assured
• Postman
• CI/CD environments and automated delivery pipelines

• A strong advocate for quality engineering and automation‑first testing
• Someone who can combine hands‑on technical delivery with leadership and coaching
• Experience working in Agile software delivery environments
• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence engineering teams
• A collaborative mindset with a passion for continuous improvement