Senior Test Automation Engineer

Velstar; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Velstar is seeking an experienced Senior Test Engineer to join our QA team in a hybrid Leeds/Liverpool setup. You will own testing from planning through delivery, assess risk and decide on testing approaches for client projects.

As a senior team member, you’ll mentor other QA engineers, drive automation and AI-assisted testing, and help embed quality across the development lifecycle with cross-functional colleagues.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of commercial software testing with senior experience.
• Solid Playwright and TypeScript/JavaScript experience.
• Experience in automated and manual testing.
• Knowledge of test strategy, risk-based testing and SDLC.
• API testing with REST/GraphQL using tools like Postman or REST Assured.
• CI/CD, Git and running tests in pipelines.
• Experience testing ecommerce journeys and Shopify integrations.
• Ability to mentor QA engineers and lead quality initiatives.
• Cross-browser/device testing with BrowserStack and visual regression testing.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted testing and performance/load testing tools.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of QA activities across complex projects from planning to release.
• Define test strategies and coverage based on risk and impact.
• Review requirements and technical solutions for quality risks.
• Lead testing for complex features and customer journeys across platforms.
• Design and maintain automated tests in Playwright with TypeScript.
• Own automation framework design and evolution.
• Lead defect triage with developers to find root causes.
• Mentor and challenge other QA engineers; support estimates and planning.
• Contribute to QA standards, processes and continuous improvement.
• Champion AI-assisted testing and evaluate new tools for value.

Skills

Playwright

TypeScript

JavaScript

Cross-browser testing

Automation testing

Mentoring

Testing strategy

Tools

BrowserStack

Postman

K6

Artillery

REST Assured

Shopify

Job description

Location: Hybrid (Leeds/Liverpool) – 3 days per week in the office

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Test Engineer to join our QA team and take a leading role in delivering and improving quality across our client projects.

This is a hands-on role for someone who can take ownership of testing from planning through to delivery, confidently assess risk and make decisions about the most appropriate testing approach.

As a key member of the QA team, you will act as a gatekeeper for the quality, stability and reliability of our core platforms and Shopify projects, including Peracto. You’ll work closely with QA, Development and Delivery teams, providing technical guidance, challenging where necessary and helping embed quality throughout the development lifecycle.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll also play an important role in mentoring other QA engineers, improving our ways of working and driving the adoption of automation and AI-assisted testing.

Key Responsibilities

Take ownership of QA activities across complex projects and features, from planning through to release.

Define appropriate test strategies, approaches and coverage based on risk, complexity and customer impact.

Review requirements, acceptance criteria and technical solutions to identify potential quality risks early.

Lead testing for complex features and customer journeys, including functional, exploratory, regression, cross-browser/device and integration testing.

Design and maintain effective automated tests using Playwright and TypeScript, identifying where automation provides the greatest value.

Own the design and evolution of automation frameworks and testing approaches.

Lead investigation and triage of complex defects, working with developers to identify root causes and appropriate solutions.

Provide technical guidance, mentoring and constructive challenge to other QA engineers.

Support QA estimates, planning and resource requirements for projects.

Contribute to QA standards, processes and continuous improvement across the organisation.

Champion the effective use of AI-assisted testing and development tools, helping the wider QA team adopt practical and responsible AI workflows.

Evaluate new testing tools and technologies and recommend improvements where they provide genuine value.

Act as a senior QA voice in discussions with Development, Delivery and other stakeholders.

About You

Essential:

3+ years of commercial software testing experience, including significant time at a senior level.

Solid experience with Playwright and TypeScript or JavaScript, including designing automated tests and contributing to framework design.

Experience across both automated and manual testing.

Good understanding of test strategy, risk-based testing and the software development lifecycle.

API testing experience, including REST and GraphQL, using tools such as Postman or REST Assured.

Experience with CI/CD, Git and running automated tests within pipelines.

Experience testing e-commerce customer journeys such as checkout, payments, promotions and product or catalogue functionality.

Experience applying AI tools to improve testing, automation or QA workflows.

Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to other QA engineers.

Cross-browser and device testing with tools such as BrowserStack.

Visual regression testing

Desirable:

Experience testing Shopify stores and third-party integrations.

Performance or load testing with tools such as k6 or Artillery.

Accessibility testing and standards compliance

Soft Skills

Strong communicator and influencer, able to confidently explain risks, challenge decisions and make recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Natural leader and mentor, supporting the development of others without necessarily having direct line-management responsibility.

Proactive and accountable, taking ownership and driving work forward with minimal direction.

Pragmatic and commercially aware, balancing quality, risk, time and project requirements.

Strong critical thinker, able to analyse complex problems and determine appropriate testing approaches.

Collaborative and approachable, building effective relationships across teams.

Curious and forward-thinking, with an interest in emerging technologies and continually improving how QA works.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in the development of our QA and Quality Engineering capability.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence how we approach testing, automation and AI, mentor other QA engineers and help establish consistent, effective quality practices across our client projects.