Senior QA Engineer

TP ICAP; Belfast; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm in Belfast is seeking an experienced Senior Quality Assurance Engineer to advocate for quality within an Agile team. The role involves driving both Behavioural Driven Development (BDD) and Test Driven Development (TDD), ensuring high-quality software delivery through effective testing strategies. Strong experience in automation, particularly API testing, alongside a solid understanding of Agile practices, is essential for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Over 5 years as a senior QA automation engineer.
• Strong understanding of Agile/SAFe environments.
• Experience developing end-to-end automated tests.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with global teams for efficient test planning.
• Support functional and automated testing in CI/CD environments.
• Mentor and coach team members.
• Promote QA understanding within the Agile team.

Skills

QA automation

API testing

Behavior Driven Development (BDD)

Test Driven Development (TDD)

JIRA

Selenium

Cypress

GitLab

Communication

Critical thinking

Education

Relevant testing qualifications (e.g., ISTQB)

Tools

Test Complete

Jenkins

Team City

Cucumber

Job description

The Senior Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA) will work within an Agile team as an advocate of Quality. The SQA will drive Behavioural Driven Development (BDD) and Test Driven Development (TDD) to ensure business outcomes are delivered. They will work closely with product owners and developers to provide In-Sprint QA to match the team’s definition of Done and deliver working software at each Sprint's end. The SQA will ensure the quality of both the product and the evolving test framework. Each Sprint, the SQA will identify testing strategies—manual, automation, or performance—and implement them. They will collaborate with skilled engineers to solve complex problems and deliver high-quality software supporting successful products. Strong automation skills are essential, with a focus on API testing and a shift-left approach to automation.

Role Responsibilities

• Collaborate with global Business Analysts, Developers, and QA teams for efficient test planning, design, and coordination.
• Support functional and automated testing, including script development, execution, and maintenance in CI/CD environments.
• Mentor and coach team members to enhance quality achievements.
• Promote QA understanding and importance within the Agile team.
• Encourage delivery of quality software through unit tests, code reviews, etc.
• Work autonomously, prioritizing tasks effectively.
• Experiment with various technologies and methodologies to optimize solutions.
• Take ownership of key features and drive their completion.
• Communicate progress effectively and raise impediments early.

Experience / Competences

• Over 5 years as a senior QA automation engineer.
• Experience with JIRA, Zephyr, UI Automation tools (Test Complete, Selenium, Cypress, Playwright).
• Ability to analyze and identify automation opportunities using scripting skills.
• Experience developing end-to-end automated tests.
• Designing Acceptance Test Criteria and maintaining automated frameworks.
• Proficiency with CI/CD tools like GitLab, Team City, Jenkins.
• Experience with BDD frameworks such as Cucumber and performance testing tools like J-Meter.
• Knowledge of Non-Functional testing: Performance, Load, Stress, Security.
• Understanding of FIX Client / FIX API automation.
• Knowledge of trade lifecycle and broker/trader platforms.
• Ability to identify and communicate project risks, working with Product Owners to mitigate them.
• Participation in defining the 'Definition of Done' to ensure quality metrics.
• Experience with Jira or similar issue management systems.
• Strong communication skills, with experience working in Agile/SAFe environments.
• Understanding of SDLC and the importance of quality throughout.
• Attention to detail, organization, proactive problem-solving, and innovative thinking.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines pragmatically.
• Critical thinking to challenge design and tooling for optimal outcomes.
• Experience reporting testing progress and providing strategic insights.
• Financial/trading platform background and knowledge of financial markets and equity products.
• Relevant testing qualifications (e.g., ISTQB, Agile Testing Courses).
• Knowledge of FIX protocol and AWS services, serverless architecture, and microservices.
• Experience with TDD, BDD, or similar approaches.