Performance Test Engineer

The Travel Chapter Ltd; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A forward-thinking technology company in the UK seeks a Software Development Engineer in Test for a 14-month maternity cover. You will lead performance testing for a bespoke reservation platform, utilizing K6 and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Ideal candidates have hands-on experience in API testing, automation with Cypress, and strong JavaScript skills, contributing to a culture focused on innovation and community support.

Qualifications

• Proven experience performance testing complex API-driven platforms.
• Hands-on proficiency with K6 and Grafana.
• Strong JavaScript experience for test development.

Responsibilities

• Lead performance testing for the bespoke reservation platform using K6.
• Design, execute, and analyze complex API load and stress tests.
• Create clear, actionable reports and communicate findings.

Skills

Performance testing of complex API-driven platforms

Hands-on proficiency with K6

JavaScript for test development

Experience with Cypress for UI automation

API testing experience using tools like Postman

DataDog for observability

Collaboration with DevOps

CI/CD pipelines experience

Test management tools like Xray

Tools

K6

Cypress

DataDog

Postman

GitLab

JIRA

Job description

Software Development Engineer in Test (Fixed Term Contract – 14 Months Maternity Cover)
Location: Hybrid – travel to our Bideford HQ when required
Contract Type: Fixed Term (14 months maternity cover)
Reports to: QA Lead

We’re looking for a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to join our QA team on a 14-month fixed-term contract. You’ll play a key role in ensuring the performance and reliability of our bespoke reservation platform, working on a major initiative that brings together data, functionality, and experience into one unified system.

This role focuses on performance testing of complex API-driven services using K6, with additional involvement in maintaining our Cypress UI automation and supporting the wider QA function.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead performance testing for our bespoke reservation platform using K6
• Design, execute, and analyse complex API load and stress tests, identifying bottlenecks and optimisation opportunities
• Maintain and reset performance test environments and datasets between runs
• Collaborate closely with Developers, DevOps, and Technical Leads to drive performance improvements
• Create clear, actionable reports and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Contribute to our Cypress UI automation suite and embed quality checks early in the development lifecycle
• Use observability tools such as DataDog to monitor metrics and investigate performance trends
• Support our CI/CD processes and ensure smooth, reliable automation execution
• Share best practices and champion continuous improvement across QA and Engineering

What we’re looking for:

• Proven experience performance testing complex API-driven platforms, from design through to analysis and reporting
• Hands‑on proficiency with K6 and Grafana for load and performance testing
• Strong JavaScript experience for test development
• Experience with Cypress for UI automation and familiarity with BDD tools such as Cucumber and Gherkin
• Solid API testing experience using tools such as Postman
• Experience with DataDog or similar tools for observability and bottleneck analysis
• Good understanding of performance metrics and collaboration with DevOps to optimise systems
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control (GitLab or similar)
• Practical experience with test management and issue tracking tools such as Xray and JIRA

At Travel Chapter, we’re passionate about creating better holiday experiences and better workplaces. As a certified B Corp, we balance profit with purpose – from building sustainable technology to supporting local communities. You’ll be part of a collaborative, people‑first culture where your ideas can make a real difference.

Ready to start your next chapter?

Apply now to help us shape the performance, quality, and reliability of our industry‑leading technology platform.