QA Automation Engineer

Bytes Software Services; Leatherhead; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Bytes is seeking an experienced QA Automation Engineer to grow and mature our automated testing capability. You will design, develop and maintain automated UI and API tests using Playwright while applying strong manual testing when needed.

You will collaborate with Developers, Product Owners and Analysts to improve automation coverage and ensure quality remains central in an Agile environment. This role offers the chance to influence standards and work with modern tech.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial software testing in Agile environments.
• Hands-on Playwright and TypeScript experience.
• Experience building automation frameworks using Page Object Model (POM).
• Strong manual testing across web apps, APIs and backend systems.
• REST API testing with Postman or similar tools.
• SQL for data validation and investigation.
• GitHub or other Git-based version control.
• CI/CD pipelines and continuous testing practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain automated UI and API test suites using Playwright and modern automation frameworks.
• Build scalable automation solutions using Page Object Model (POM) principles.
• Perform exploratory, functional, integration, regression and end-to-end testing across web apps and APIs.
• Conduct API testing to ensure reliability and data integrity.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines for rapid feedback.
• Collaborate with Developers, Product Owners and Analysts to identify quality risks.
• Investigate, document and retest defects with engineering teams.
• Promote a quality-first culture and drive process/tooling improvements.
• Participate in Agile ceremonies to support delivery.

Skills

Playwright & TS

Automation framework design (POM)

Manual testing across web/API/backend

REST API testing (Postman)

SQL data validation

Git/GitHub version control

CI/CD & automated testing

ISTQB Foundation

Communication & problem-solving

Agile testing

Tools

Postman

Jenkins/K8s

Job description

Why This Role Matters

As businesses continue to accelerate digital transformation, delivering high-quality software at speed has become more important than ever. Modern development teams need robust testing strategies that ensure reliability, scalability, and confidence throughout the software development lifecycle.

This role is about much more than finding defects. It's about embedding quality into every stage of development, driving automation excellence, and helping shape the future of quality assurance within Bytes. If you're passionate about test automation, continuous improvement, and delivering exceptional software experiences, this is an opportunity to make a real impact.

Mission

We're looking for an experienced QA Automation Engineer to help grow and mature our software testing capability. You'll play a key role in designing, developing, and maintaining automated testing solutions using Playwright, while also contributing strong manual testing expertise where required.

Working closely with Developers, Product Owners, Business Analysts and DevOps teams, you'll help ensure quality remains at the heart of everything we deliver. This is an opportunity to influence testing standards, improve automation coverage, and support the delivery of high-quality software within a collaborative Agile environment.

What You'll Deliver

• Design, develop and maintain automated UI and API test suites using Playwright and modern automation frameworks.


• Build scalable and maintainable automation solutions using Page Object Model (POM) principles.


• Perform exploratory, functional, integration, regression and end-to-end testing across web applications, APIs and backend services.


• Conduct API testing using tools such as Postman and Playwright to ensure reliability and data integrity.


• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to support continuous testing and rapid feedback loops.


• Collaborate with Developers, Product Owners and Business Analysts to identify quality risks early in the development lifecycle.


• Investigate, document and retest defects, working closely with development teams to ensure timely resolution.


• Help drive a quality-first culture while contributing to continuous improvement initiatives across testing processes and tooling.


• Participate actively in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, refinement, reviews and retrospectives.


• Support the growth of our automation capability and increase confidence in software releases.

Essentials

• Minimum 5 years' commercial software testing experience within Agile environments.


• Strong hands-on experience with Playwright and TypeScript.


• Experience creating and maintaining automation frameworks using Page Object Model (POM) principles.


• Strong manual testing experience across web applications, APIs and backend systems.


• Experience with REST API testing using Postman or similar tools.


• Working knowledge of SQL for data validation and investigation.


• Experience using GitHub or other Git-based version control systems.


• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines and continuous testing practices.


• Good understanding of SDLC and STLC methodologies.


• ISTQB Foundation Certification or equivalent.


• Excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Desirable Skills

• Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins or similar CI/CD tooling.


• Experience testing cloud-hosted applications and services.


• Exposure to BDD frameworks such as Cucumber.


• Performance and load testing experience using JMeter, k6 or similar tools.


• API automation and mocking/stubbing experience.


• Cross-browser and cross-device testing experience.

Why Bytes?

At Bytes, you'll join a highly collaborative technology team where quality and innovation are at the centre of everything we do.

This role offers the opportunity to influence testing standards, shape automation frameworks, and work with modern technologies and delivery practices. You'll be part of a business that encourages continuous learning, ownership, and professional development while giving you the chance to work on meaningful projects that have a real impact.