Test Automation Engineer (SDET)

Location: UK (3 days onsite, 2 days remote)

Type: Contract inside ir35 through umbrella, daily rate

Duration: Initial 6 months contract

Hours: Full time

About the Role

Join a fast‑paced Agile team as a Test Automation Engineer, taking end‑to‑end ownership of quality by designing, building and running automated test frameworks from the ground up. You will collaborate closely with developers, DevOps and data engineers to ensure each release meets our high standards for functionality, performance and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Framework Design & Build: Architect and implement Test Automation Frameworks using Java, BDD (Fitnesse) and SQL to cover UI, API and data‑layer validations.
• Continuous Testing: Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, Jenkins) to enable shift‑left testing, early defect detection and rapid feedback loops.
• End‑to‑End Quality: Apply a holistic approach to quality control; author test strategies, execute regression suites and analyse results across the software development lifecycle.
• Independent Delivery: Lead automation efforts autonomously—stand up frameworks, write reusable test libraries and troubleshoot issues without constant oversight.
• Collaboration & Communication: Proactively engage with cross‑functional teams, report test metrics and advocate best practices for quality assurance.

Must‑Have Skills

• Strong Java programming and SQL querying expertise
• BDD experience with Fitnesse (specification‑by‑example)
• Proven capability to set up automation frameworks from scratch
• Hands‑on exposure to CI/CD pipelines—especially GitLab
• Self‑starter with a proactive, team‑player mindset

Nice‑to‑Have

• Azure services (DevOps, Test Plans)
• Python scripting for data validation
• Data‑platform testing (Databricks experience highly advantageous)
• Familiarity with non‑functional testing (performance, security)