Job Specifications
Role: QA/Automation Test Engineer
Contract: 12 - 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Remote first; with fortnightly to monthly face-to-face in Gloucester.
Tech: C#, Azure, ADO, Playwright, Jmeter.
As one of the largest insurance groups in the world and the fifth largest employee-owned business in the UK, we manage premiums on behalf of millions of clients across a wide range of product offerings and our development team work on solutions that innovate and put the user's needs at the forefront.
Role
As a QA/Automation Test Engineer, you'll be a key member of one of our agile product teams, helping to shape the future of our digital platforms. You'll use your expertise in C#, Playwright, and Microsoft Azure to build scalable, high-performing, and user-centric applications. Your role will be pivotal in driving a quality-first mindset, embedding test automation into every stage of the development lifecycle, and championing continuous delivery practices.
You'll collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, and QA peers in a supportive environment that values knowledge sharing and cross-team learning. As a senior member of the team, you'll also mentor and coach others, contribute to architectural decisions, and help raise the bar for quality and delivery across the board.
Key Responsibilities:
Design, build, and maintain robust automated test frameworks using tools like Playwright, SpecFlow, and Postman.
Collaborate with developers and product teams to define test strategies and acceptance criteria.
Promote a shift-left approach and embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
Participate in agile ceremonies and contribute to planning, refinement, and retrospectives.
Lead by example in implementing CI/CD practices and improving test coverage.
Mentor and support junior team members, helping them grow into senior roles.
Contribute to architectural and technical design discussions, presenting ideas to the wider team.
Continuously improve testing processes and introduce innovative practices.
About you:
You will have a strong understanding of the test pyramid and a myriad of testing techniques (Smoke, white-box, performance, exploratory etc).
You will have demonstrable experience working with C# or other object oriented language
Experience implementing end to end tests with testing frameworks such as Playwright, SpecFlow etc.
You are comfortable working closely with software engineers.
A keen eye for detail and a focus on putting end users first.
You have had exposure to cloud technologies (preferably Azure)
A strong communicator and facilitator.
An understanding of agile development methodologies
Genuinely believes in the value of continuous delivery practices and iterative development based on feedback.
Strong documentation skills in generating acceptance criteria, test plans, and test cases
Rewards:
We believe that great work and dedication should be rewarded, that's why we offer:
25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pro-rated for part year service
A set of core benefits, designed with your health and financial protection in mind:
Life Assurance up to 4x salary, protecting your loved ones in case the worst should happen
Income protection, guaranteeing an income for up to 5 years in the event of an illness or injury
Contributory pension scheme - 5% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
Access to a Healthcare Cashplan, which gives you access to a variety of health related benefits
Access to a host of lifestyle and financial benefits that you can choose from:
Discounts on gym membership across the UK
Salary sacrifice schemes - Travel Insurance, Cycle to Work, Car leasing, Technology purchase
Access to discounted personal health policies - Critical illness, private medical, dental plans
A range of insurance products available commission free, including home, motor, travel and specialist vehicles
Access to hundreds of high-street retailer discounts
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support employees outside of work
About the Company
We’re Howden, the people first insurance group with employee ownership at its heart.
From launching with just three employees in 1994, we’ve grown to 20,000 people around the globe. Together, our expertise span the full spectrum of insurance: broking, reinsurance, underwriting, risk consultancy and employee benefits.
We rise to any challenge and are determined to use insurance as a force for good.
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