Senior SDET: AI-Powered Playwright Testing Lead

MRJ Recruitment; Manchester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

MRJ Recruitment is seeking a Senior SDET to own test automation in a fast-growing UK SaaS company headquartered in Manchester. You will design, implement, and maintain Playwright-based end-to-end tests and partner closely with engineers to embed quality across the SDLC.

In this hands-on role, you will leverage AI tools like Claude to accelerate test creation and troubleshooting, improve CI pipelines, and drive continuous quality improvements in a collaborative product environment.

Qualifications

• Must have a developer/engineer background (essential for consideration).
• Proven experience as an SDET or in a software engineering role with strong test automation ownership.
• Strong hands-on Playwright experience (end-to-end UI automation).
• Comfortable pairing with engineers in a highly collaborative environment; experience using AI tools such as Claude to improve productivity and quality.
• Strong understanding of modern engineering practices (CI/CD, code reviews, agile delivery).
• Proactive mindset: you spot issues early, propose solutions, and drive change.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain automated test frameworks and end-to-end test suites using Playwright.
• Partner closely with software engineers through regular pairing to embed quality throughout the SDLC.
• Contribute to improving CI pipelines and test execution reliability (speed, stability, reporting).
• Identify risk areas, define test strategy, and help shape quality standards across the product.
• Use AI tools (e.g., Claude) to support test design, automation efficiency, and problem-solving.
• Analyse test results, troubleshoot failures, and drive root-cause fixes with engineering teams.
• Champion best practices in test automation, maintainability, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Playwright

Test automation

CI/CD

Pairing with engineers

AI tooling Claude

SDET experience

Agile delivery

Tools

Claude

Job description

MRJ Recruitment is seeking a Senior SDET to own test automation in a fast-growing UK SaaS company headquartered in Manchester. You will design, implement, and maintain Playwright-based end-to-end tests and partner closely with engineers to embed quality across the SDLC.

In this hands-on role, you will leverage AI tools like Claude to accelerate test creation and troubleshooting, improve CI pipelines, and drive continuous quality improvements in a collaborative product environment.