Senior QA Engineer: AI-Driven Automation & API Testing

MCS Group; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Job summary

MCS Group seeks a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer in Belfast to champion quality in an Agile team. Lead test strategy, balance manual/automation and performance testing, and drive AI-enhanced testing within CI/CD.

You will mentor teammates, design scalable automation frameworks, and ensure deployable software at sprint end, aligning with business requirements.

Qualifications

• Extensive QA automation experience in Agile environments.
• Strong automation using Selenium, Cypress, Playwright or TestComplete.
• Proficiency in Java, JavaScript and TypeScript.
• Experience designing and maintaining scalable automation frameworks (Playwright/WebDriverIO).
• Experience integrating automation in CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, TeamCity).
• Hands-on with BDD (Cucumber).
• Experience using AI tools to design/optimize test automation.
• Strong API, functional and end-to-end testing knowledge.
• Ability to define acceptance criteria aligned with business requirements.
• Knowledge of non-functional testing (performance, load, stress) with tools like K6 or JMeter.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain automated and functional tests within CI/CD pipelines.
• Collaborate with BA, Development and QA teams to design test strategies.
• Leverage AI tools to optimise testing efficiency and workflows.
• Develop scalable, self-healing automation frameworks.
• Integrate AI-driven tooling into automation workflows to improve scripts.
• Identify performance bottlenecks and provide actionable recommendations.
• Champion quality across the Agile team and promote best practices.
• Mentor and coach team members to elevate QA standards.
• Take ownership of deliverables, manage priorities, and raise risks early.
• Drive clear communication on progress, risks and impediments.

Skills

QA Automation

Selenium

Cypress

Playwright

TestComplete

Java

JavaScript

TypeScript

CI/CD

Cucumber

API Testing

Performance Testing

SDLC Knowledge

Agile / SAFe

Distributed Teams

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab

TeamCity

Job description

SENIOR QUALITY ASSURANCE ENGINEER
Salary: £50,000 - £65,000 DOE

WHO WE ARE
A world-leading provider of market infrastructure within financial services, operating at genuine scale with a strong reputation for technology-led delivery.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
A Senior Quality Assurance Engineer who will be a key advocate for quality within an Agile team, driving BDD and TDD practices to ensure high-quality, business-aligned outcomes. Working closely with Product Owners and Developers, you will provide in-sprint QA aligned to the team's Definition of Done, ensuring deployable software at the end of every sprint. You will lead on test strategy, balancing manual, automated and performance testing, with a strong emphasis on shift-left methodology and API-first automation, while contributing to the evolution of scalable, robust test frameworks.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:
- Collaborate with global BA, Development and QA teams to design and coordinate effective test strategies
- Design, develop, execute and maintain automated and functional tests within CI/CD pipelines
- Leverage AI tools to optimise testing efficiency and workflows
- Develop and maintain scalable, self-healing automation frameworks
- Integrate AI-driven tooling into automation workflows to improve script creation and maintenance
- Identify performance bottlenecks and provide actionable recommendations
- Champion quality across the Agile team, promoting best practice including unit testing and code reviews
- Mentor and coach team members to elevate QA standards
- Take ownership of deliverables, managing priorities effectively and raising risks early
- Drive clear communication on progress, risks and impediments

You will bring:
- Extensive QA automation experience within Agile environments
- Strong automation experience using tools such as Selenium, Cypress, Playwright or TestComplete
- Proficiency in Java, JavaScript and TypeScript
- Proven ability to design and maintain scalable automation frameworks (Playwright/WebDriverIO preferred)
- Experience integrating automation within CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab, TeamCity)
- Hands-on experience with BDD frameworks such as Cucumber
- Experience using AI tools to design and optimise test automation
- Strong experience in API, functional and end-to-end testing
- Experience defining acceptance criteria and aligning testing to business requirements
- Working knowledge of non-functional testing (performance, load, stress; tools such as K6 or JMeter)
- Strong understanding of SDLC and quality engineering principles
- Experience working in Agile or SAFe environments with distributed teams
- Ability to identify risks, challenge design decisions and influence quality outcomes
- Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills
- Highly organised, detail-oriented and delivery-focused

Desirable: experience within financial services or trading platforms (including FIX/API), knowledge of trade lifecycle and broker/trader platforms, exposure to AWS/microservices/serverless, formal testing qualifications such as ISTQB, and TDD/BDD design exposure.

WHAT'S ON OFFER
- Competitive salary plus benefits package
- The opportunity to work within a world-leading, technology-led financial services organisation
- Genuine influence over test strategy, tooling and quality standards
- A collaborative Agile environment with global reach

To speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity please send an up to date CV via the link provided or contact Senior Recruitment Consultant Jordan Madden at MCS Group on 02890490903 or [e-mail]. Even if this position is not right for you, we may have others that are. Please visit MCS Group to view a wide selection of our current jobs.