Senior Automation Test Engineer

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, DevOps 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.

RequirementsKey Responsibilities

Test Automation:

• 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.

Quality Engineering:

• 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.

CI/CD & DevOps:

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

Technical Leadership:

• 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.

Defect & Quality Management:

• 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.

Client Engagement:

• 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/TypeScript.
• Experience with automation frameworks such as:

o Selenium WebDriver o Playwright o Cypress o 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 DevOps, GitHub, or Jira.

• Experience integrating automation into CI/CD pipelines.

• Strong understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies. Desirable:

• Performance testing using JMeter, Gatling, or LoadRunner.

• 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 SpecFlow. Essential Experience

• 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. Personal Attributes:

• 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.

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., BenefitsWhat We Offer: * 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, Automation Architect, or Quality Engineering Manager roles Why Join VE3? At VE3, quality is at the core of everything we deliver. You'll have the opportunity to work on innovative digital transformation programmes, help shape our automation capability, mentor talented engineers, and work with modern technologies in a collaborative and supportive environment. Whether building automation frameworks, improving CI/CD pipelines, or advising clients on quality engineering best practices, you'll play a key role in delivering reliable, scalable, and high-performing software solutions.