Automation-Driven Test Engineer - AWS & API Focus

Cactus IT Solutions UK Ltd; Leeds; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Cactus IT Solutions UK Ltd in Leeds is seeking a QA Engineer with an automation-first mindset. You will define test objectives and priorities with the development team, design clear test cases and execute them to validate functionality, usability, performance and reliability of the software.

Collaborate with product owners to clarify requirements and acceptance criteria, drive test automation coverage with Cypress or Playwright, and participate in retrospectives to improve QA processes across

Qualifications

• Define test objectives, scope and priorities with the team.
• Create and execute test cases to cover user stories and report defects.
• Adopt automation-first testing; align with TDD and automation coverage.
• Clarify requirements and acceptance criteria with product owners.
• Improve QA processes; participate in retrospectives and industry trends.
• Skilled in Cypress/Playwright, JavaScript/TypeScript for automation.
• Experience with AWS console in testing environments.
• Design and execute API tests using Postman/Cypress/Playwright; REST APIs knowledge.
• Solid understanding of SDLC, STLC, Agile and testing types.
• Proficient in test case management, defect verification and fixes.
• Knowledge of Agile practices (Scrum/Kanban) and collaboration with teams.
• AWS familiarity: S3/Lambda/EC2/CloudWatch in test contexts.
• SQL expertise: data validation and backend testing with complex queries.
• Defect management: tracking, prioritising, root cause analysis.
• Quality assurance: promoting quality across teams.
• Collaboration tools: GitHub and Jira knowledge.
• CI/CD integration: GitHub Actions/Jenkins/GitLab CI.
• Desirable: Performance/Security testing experience (e.g., JMeter).

Responsibilities

• Undertaking Test Planning: Collaborating with the development team to define the test objectives, scope and priorities for each feature, identifying appropriate test techniques
• Test Case Design and Execution: Creating clear and concise test cases with the development team and individual developers to cover user stories; executing the test cases to validate functionality, usability, performance and reliability of the software and identifying and reporting defects or issues.
• Take an automation first approach to test execution: Collaborate with the wider delivery team and Test Lead to ensure automated tests drive the Test Driven Development approach; take responsible for ensuring the automated test scripts cover all appropriate functionality and identify areas where automation is neither practical or cost effective
• Work closely with the development team, developers and product owners to help clarify requirements, refine acceptance criteria, communicate test results and articulate any impediments to delivery
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and practices that improve the quality assurance process. This includes active participation in retrospectives, keeping up to date with industry trends and best practices and implementing process improvements
• Experience with Test Automation Tools: Skilled in test automation frameworks like Cypress or Playwright, Gherkin, Scripting in JavaScript, TypeScript, setting up and maintaining automation infrastructure.
• Experience of working with AWS console
• API Testing & RESTful API Knowledge: Designing/executing API tests using Postman, Playwright, Cypress; deep understanding of RESTful APIs (request/response, status codes, authentication).
• Strong understanding of software testing principles and methodologies: Includes knowledge of SDLC, STLC, Agile, and various testing types (functional, regression, integration, unit, system).
• Test Case Management: Proficient in designing test cases, executing tests, identifying defects, and verifying fixes.
• Knowledge of agile practices: Understanding of agile principles and experience working in an agile team (eg, Scrum, Kanban), along with ability to collaborate closely with developers, product owners, and other team members to clarify requirements and ensure high-quality software delivery within iterative development cycles.
• AWS Familiarity: Experience with AWS services (S3, Lambda, EC2, CloudWatch) in test environments.
• SQL Expertise: Validating data and Back End testing using SQL; writing complex queries for functional/integration testing.
• Defect Management: Tracking, prioritizing, reporting bugs, and root cause analysis.
• Quality Assurance: Promoting quality standards and contributing to a culture of quality across teams.
• Collaboration Tools: Familiar with GitHub (version control) and Jira (collaboration).
• CI/CD Integration: Integrating automated tests into pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI).
• Desirable: Performance/Security Testing (optional): Exposure to JMeter or any other security testing tools.

Skills

Test planning

Test case design

Automation testing

Agile practices

SDLC/STLC knowledge

Defect tracking

Quality assurance

API testing

SQL querying

Collaboration

Tools

GitHub

Jira

Postman

Cypress

Playwright

AWS Console

CI/CD tools

SQL tooling

Job description

Cactus IT Solutions UK Ltd in Leeds is seeking a QA Engineer with an automation-first mindset. You will define test objectives and priorities with the development team, design clear test cases and execute them to validate functionality, usability, performance and reliability of the software.

Collaborate with product owners to clarify requirements and acceptance criteria, drive test automation coverage with Cypress or Playwright, and participate in retrospectives to improve QA processes across