• Are you a customer focused Senior Test Automation Engineer who has the drive to move us forward with a shift-left and automate-first approach
• Ability to work across an innovative multi-agency Product, a unique opportunity in the New Zealand Public Sector
• Be a part of making genuine change to how we deliver value to our customers and users
• Flexible working + 3 extra Customs' service leave days
  
  

New Zealand Traveller Declaration | Whakapuakanga Tangata Haere ki Aotearoa

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) is the new digital form used to collect information from travellers arriving at Aotearoa New Zealand via air and sea. It helps us ensure that people are only bringing in what they should be into our country; improving the safety and security of New Zealand.

The opportunities for how we can now evolve our product to positively impact these travelers, and all the Border Protection agencies involved in their journey is endless. Our vision is for a modern, digital, and streamlined border into New Zealand that supports seamless travel by air and sea.

To help us achieve this inter-agency vision, we are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Test Automation Engineer to join our newly established NZTD team. We are looking for an experienced individual who can deliver the test function for this product and drive testing improvements across the team.

The Senior Test Automation Engineer will work across multiple agencies and provide evidential assurance that what is, being delivered to the customer is meeting functional and non-functional requirements, secure, stable and fit-for-purpose.

If you thrive in a complex environment and have a passion for continuous improvement and making genuine changes, we want you on our team!

What We Value In The NZTD Tower

• Being customer / user focused to determine needs versus wants
• Organising around value being delivered
• Leveraging data to make more effective decisions
• Visibility and transparency
• Focusing on delivering value earlier over increasing delivery velocity
• Empowering and enabling our people and teams
• Embracing diversity, inclusion, and belonging for our people.
  
  

Great Additions To The NZTD Tower Will

• Use direct and effective communication and are collaborative in all you do
• Respectfully collaborate, compromise, and work together to achieve shared outcomes
• Do what you say you will, and actively self-evaluate to continually grow and develop
• Value honesty in others and yourself, and in turn are able to hear, adapt, and give constructive feedback
• Care about people's wellbeing
• Understand that everyone has a voice and every voice counts
• Not be afraid to give things a go - even if it is unsuccessful, we have learnt something.
  
  

About this role | Mō tēnei tūranga mahi

Reporting directly to the Product Manager (NZTD) and working with the NZTD Technical Practices Manager and Customs IS Test Practice Manager, the Senior Test Automation Engineer will actively help take us on a journey towards a fully integrated, fully automated testing function that covers our product's stack to optimise our path to production and reduce the risk of defects.

The focus for this new role will be on delivering and assisting the team to deliver the test function with an automation first approach to help support and enhance the NZTD applications and platforms.

You will be part of a team utilising technologies such as Azure Services (AFD, App Gateway, APIM, Service Business, Cosmos DB, AKS etc), Rancher, Nginx, and business critical React-based applications, to collectively deliver regular value to our stakeholders.

You develop test automations and frameworks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of both the test practice and the product itself. Working collaboratively with other members of the team to help grow our unit testing capability and with our inter-agency partners to ensure our end-to-end testing is fit for purpose.

This is a full-time permanent role. Preference for this role is to be based in Wellington, but we are open to applications from candidates' nationwide as this role could be based in any one of our customhouses around the motu.

To be successful as Senior Test Automation Engineer the following knowledge, experience, skills and personal attributes are required:

• Experience architecting test approaches for technical implementations, applying appropriate structural test design techniques
• Strong experience in test automation fundamentals, programming languages, SQL, database concepts, web services, how to test APIs, service behaviour and testing non-functional requirements
• Proficiency in programming skills, knowing various programming concepts, recognizes risks in code and software architecture and create test plan elements to mitigate those risks through static analysis and dynamic analysis
• Significant experience with DevOps implementations and continuous delivery (to reduce the manual test-effort); assisting Developers build improved Unit tests
• Experience to continuously evolve and improve, migrating manual tests to test automated pyramid model or similar and other best practices.
• Ability to assist and back-up the Test Lead to produce Test Plans and Test Exit reports consumable by both technical and business audiences
• ideally has (but not essential):
• familiarity with Agile, Product Management and ITIL methodologies, and tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Selenium
  

Working at Customs | Mahi ki te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa

We aim to create a great place to work, where our people have a sense of belonging and the capability and desire to meet our future challenges. We are an organisation that is clear about our mission, and this is underpinned by Te Pou Tokomanawa (the Foundations) and our Whanonga Pono (Values). Our work really matters to the safety and success of New Zealand.

We care about well-being, personal growth, and job satisfaction, which is supported through:

• offering on-the-job training, formal courses and leadership programmes, and the chance to move across diverse roles
• fostering inclusive and supportive team environment with vibrant social and cultural groups
• supporting flexible working - talk to us about how we can help you achieve your flexible working goals, within our operational requirements
• providing discounted health insurance, and free on-site gyms (in some locations)
• Three days of service holidays, in addition to four weeks of annual leave.
  
  

How to apply | Me pehea te whakauru

To join Customs in any role you must be a New Zealand citizen or NZ permanent resident. *

• This means:
• a New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in New Zealand for the last 5 years and resides in NZ at time of application; OR
• a New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided in New Zealand for the last 5 years and resides in NZ at the time of application. You may have been absent from New Zealand for periods of six or more months within the past five years, preferably in one or more of the following countries: either Australia, Canada, UK or the USA. You will be required to provide overseas police certificates for these periods spent outside of New Zealand.
  
  

You must have a background history that is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service towards a recommendation of suitability for security clearance at a higher level. Due to the nature of Customs work, you must have a clear Police record. The successful applicant will also be required to pass a drug test as well as being subject to random, ongoing drug tests during their period of employment with Customs. (These requirements apply to all successful applicants for roles at Customs and Customs employees.)

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your skills and experience, via our online process. If you have any specific questions about the role, please contact Kalyn Kereopa (Product Manager NZTD) at [email protected] or Suzanne Leahy (Senior Recruitment Advisor) at [email protected].

Please note, we do not accept applications sent direct to an email address.

Applications close at 11pm, Thursday 22 May 2025.

We encourage you to apply early as we will be shortlisting applications as they are received and may interview earlier than the above closing date.

Please note Customs will be managing this recruitment independently in-house and will not be engaging with recruitment agencies at this stage.

New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Ārai o Aotearoa is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand and is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role. We also offer flexible working arrangements.