Graduate Software Developer in Test

Apetito; Trowbridge; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday

Discretionary annual bonus

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Free parking

apetito perks scheme

Job summary

apetito, the UK’s leading food supplier to health and social care sectors, is seeking a motivated Graduate Software QA Engineer / SDET. You’ll gain hands-on experience in manual testing and test automation across a diverse product stack, contributing to high‑quality software.

You’ll cover the testing pyramid from unit to end-to-end and collaborate with the wider digital products team, presenting to executives as part of the graduate program.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or related with expected 2:2 or higher, graduating by August 2026.
• Applied experience programming in a commercial/project setting.
• Knowledge of software testing principles and testing pyramid.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.

Responsibilities

• Learn and apply software testing techniques across apetito’s Digital Products (websites, mobile apps, desktop, backend, devices).
• Carry out manual testing to explore features and ensure great UX.
• Design and build automated tests using Playwright to validate user journeys and critical processes.
• Create and run API tests using Postman, checking functionality, performance and security.
• Ensure testing aligns with the defined test and quality strategy; participate in Agile ceremonies.
• Log, investigate and report defects with clear documentation and follow-up to resolution.
• Continuously learn and apply best practices in test automation and software quality.

Skills

TypeScript

C#/ .NET

Playwright

Postman

GitHub Actions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related (2:2 or higher, graduating Aug 2026)

Job description

We’re looking for a motivated and detail-orientedGraduate Software QA Engineer / SDETto join our Quality Assurance team atApetito. This is a fantastic opportunity for a recent graduate to gain hands‑on experience in software testing both manual and test automation, working across our diverseproduct stackand contributing to the delivery of high-quality software.

You’ll be involved in testing across theentire testing pyramid - from unit and integration tests to end-to-end and exploratory testing—ensuring our applications are robust, performant, and aligned with ourtest strategy.

You will work as part of the wider digital products team and collaborate with stakeholders across the business on a variety of projects, so you'll need to be able to engage audiences from different disciplines in the technical aspect of your work. Presentations to the executive board will also be a regular feature of your graduate program.

Tech Stack You'll Work With

• Version Control & CI/CD:GitHub, GitHub Actions

What We Offer

• Structured onboarding and mentorship from experienced QA professionals.
• Hands‑on experience with modern testing tools and frameworks.
• Opportunities to contribute to real‑world projects from day one.
• Career development pathways and training resources.
• Flexible working arrangements and a supportive team culture.

Overview

We’re looking for a motivated and detail-orientedGraduate Software QA Engineer / SDETto join our Quality Assurance team atApetito. This is a fantastic opportunity for a recent graduate to gain hands‑on experience in software testing both manual and test automation, working across our diverseproduct stackand contributing to the delivery of high‑quality software.

You’ll be involved in testing across theentire testing pyramid - from unit and integration tests to end‑to‑end and exploratory testing—ensuring our applications are robust, performant, and aligned with ourtest strategy.

You will work as part of the wider digital products team and collaborate with stakeholders across the business on a variety of projects, so you'll need to be able to engage audiences from different disciplines in the technical aspect of your work. Presentations to the executive board will also be a regular feature of your graduate program.

Tech Stack You'll Work With

• Languages & Frameworks:TypeScript, .NET
• Automation Tools:Playwright
• API Testing:Postman
• Version Control & CI/CD:GitHub, GitHub Actions

What We Offer

• Structured onboarding and mentorship from experienced QA professionals.
• Hands‑on experience with modern testing tools and frameworks.
• Opportunities to contribute to real‑world projects from day one.
• Career development pathways and training resources.
• Flexible working arrangements and a supportive team culture.

Who we are

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

• Learn and apply software testing techniques across apetito’s Digital Products, including websites, mobile apps, desktop applications, backend services, and connected devices.
• Carry out manual testing to explore new features, identify issues, and ensure a great user experience.
• Design and build automated tests using Playwright to validate user journeys and critical business processes.
• Create and executeAPI testsusingPostman, validating functionality, performance, and security.
• Ensure all testing activities align with the definedtest and quality strategy, contributing to consistency and continuous improvement.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies and collaborate closely with developers, QA engineers, and product owners.
• Log, investigate and report defects with clear documentation and follow‑through to resolution.
• Continuously learn and apply best practices in test automation and software quality.

About you

Essential:

• Hold, or be studying towards, a degree in Computer Science or a related discipline with the expectation to receive a 2:2 or higher (graduating by August 2026).
• Applied experience of programming in a commercial or project setting
• Basic programming knowledge inTypeScriptand / orC#/.NET
• Understanding of software testing principles and the testing pyramid
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues, including non-technical
• Presentation skills, able to convey complex technical concepts to different audiences

Desirable:

• Exposure toPlaywright,Postman, Selenium, Cypress, or similar tools.
• Familiarity with GitHub and version control workflows.
• Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and Agile development practices.
• Undergraduate work placement as part of degree course
• Post-graduate experience in an IT setting
• Experience with writing or maintaining automated tests (academic or personal projects welcome).

The graduate scheme is for 2 years. You must hold right to work for at least the full duration of the graduate scheme to be eligible for this role.

This role is not eligible for sponsorship under the skilled worker route as it does not meet the minimumrequirements set out under the UK Immigration Rules.

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well‑being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.
Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future .

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.