Quality Assurance Engineer - Available Immediately

Embelo; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 420,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Embelo is seeking an experienced QA Engineer in Cape Town to own testing across data platforms, APIs and integrations. You’ll combine hands-on testing with automation and SQL-based data validation, ensuring solutions are reliable for production.

The role emphasizes ownership of testing strategy, edge-case identification, and collaboration with developers, data engineers and client stakeholders in a hybrid Cape Town setup.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in QA/testing in consulting, data, integration or similar environments.
• Design and execute tests beyond predefined scripts.
• Experience with test automation and REST API testing.
• Strong SQL and data validation skills.
• Experience coordinating UAT and working with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own testing across applications, APIs, integrations and data platforms from requirement through release.
• Create test strategies, plans, scenarios and test cases from requirements.
• Perform API testing with validated requests, responses and error handling.
• Use SQL to validate data across systems, pipelines and databases.
• Conduct functional, integration, system and regression testing.
• Build and maintain automated tests to improve coverage and speed.
• Identify edge cases and potential failure points in complex integrations.
• Log, prioritise and manage defects with engineering teams.
• Support and coordinate UAT with stakeholders.
• Ensure changes do not impact other systems in releases.
• Contribute to QA process improvements and automation practices.
• Work in an agile delivery model with sprint activities.

Skills

QA testing

API testing

SQL

Test automation

REST APIs

Data validation

UAT coordination

Communication

Agile

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Postman

Playwright

Selenium

Azure Test Plans

Job description

At Embelo, we're dedicated to helping founders of consulting businesses start and scale efficiently. Backed by our UK-based investors and clients, we deliver exceptional client services to a growing group of UK businesses, combining technical expertise, South African spirit, and the latest in AI-powered services. One of those is Inference Group, a fast-growing data and AI consultancy on a mission to help businesses unlock their true potential and drive sustainable growth.

We’re growing our Data and Integration team in Cape Town and are looking for an experienced QA Engineer to take ownership of testing across our data platforms, applications and system integrations.

The immediate focus of this role is ensuring that the solutions we build are reliable, accurate and ready for production. You’ll test APIs, integrations, data flows and platform functionality, combining hands‑on testing with automation and strong SQL‑based data validation.

This isn’t a role where you’ll simply be handed detailed test scripts to execute. We’re looking for someone experienced enough to take a requirement or solution design, understand what needs to be tested, identify the risks and edge cases, and independently build and execute an appropriate test approach.

You’ll work across API testing, integration testing, regression testing and data validation, while helping us increase the level of test automation across our delivery teams. You’ll also support UAT, manage defects through to resolution and work closely with developers, data engineers, integration specialists and client stakeholders.

This is a consulting environment, so strong communication and judgement matter alongside technical testing capability. You’ll need to be comfortable asking the right questions, challenging assumptions when necessary and taking ownership of quality from requirement through to release.

Location: This is a hybrid role based in Cape Town, with a minimum of three days per week in our Woodstock office. Candidates looking to relocate to Cape Town are welcome to apply, although relocation costs would need to be covered personally.

What You’ll Do

• Own testing across applications, APIs, integrations and data platform solutions from requirement through to release.
• Create test strategies, plans, scenarios and test cases based on business and technical requirements.
• Perform API testing, validating requests, responses, authentication, error handling and integration behaviour.
• Use SQL to validate data across systems, pipelines and databases, ensuring accuracy, completeness and consistency.
• Perform functional, integration, system and regression testing across end‑to‑end solutions.
• Build and maintain automated tests to improve coverage, repeatability and delivery speed.
• Identify edge cases and potential failure points across complex integrations and data flows.
• Log, prioritise and manage defects, working closely with engineering teams to investigate root causes and verify fixes.
• Support and coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT), helping stakeholders understand expected outcomes and resolve issues.
• Test changes across interconnected systems to ensure new releases do not introduce unintended impacts elsewhere.
• Contribute to improving QA processes, test coverage and automation practices across the team.
• Work within an agile delivery model, contributing to sprint planning, stand‑ups, reviews and release activities.
• Communicate testing progress, risks and quality concerns clearly to technical teams, delivery leads and client stakeholders.
• Work closely with Data Engineers, Integration Consultants and Developers to deliver reliable end‑to‑end solutions.

What You Bring

We’re looking for someone who combines strong hands‑on testing capability with the experience and confidence to own the QA process independently.

• Approximately 5+ years’ experience in QA, Software Testing, Test Engineering or a similar role, ideally within consulting, data, integration or fast‑paced technology environments.
• Strong experience designing and executing tests rather than simply working from predefined test scripts.
• Hands‑on experience with test automation and an understanding of where automation adds the most value.
• Strong experience testing REST APIs and system integrations.
• Good SQL skills, with the ability to independently query and validate data across systems.
• Experience with integration, functional and regression testing.
• Experience supporting or coordinating UAT.
• Confidence investigating issues across multiple systems and working with technical teams to isolate root causes.
• Strong test planning and risk‑based testing skills.
• Experience working within agile delivery teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to engage directly with technical and business stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, prioritise your own workload and move work forward without requiring detailed day‑to‑day direction.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience with Postman or similar API testing tools.
• Experience with automation frameworks such as Playwright or Selenium.
• Experience using Azure Test Plans or similar test management tooling.
• Exposure to Azure‑based data and integration environments.
• Experience testing data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes or cloud data platforms.
• Experience working within a consulting or client delivery environment.

We’re looking for people who are:

• Comfortable taking ownership and running with a problem rather than waiting for step‑by‑step direction.
• Naturally curious and inclined to ask, “What happens if…?”
• Methodical, thorough and able to spot inconsistencies others may miss.
• Pragmatic about balancing quality, risk and delivery timelines.
• Comfortable working across both technical and business conversations.
• Clear communicators who can raise quality concerns constructively.
• Collaborative, while still being comfortable challenging assumptions when something doesn’t look right.
• Keen to improve how testing is done rather than simply following an existing process.

Education & Experience:

A degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related field is preferred but not essential.

Approximately 5+ years’ relevant QA / Test Engineering experience, with demonstrable experience testing APIs, integrations and data-driven solutions.

Working With Us:

At Inference Group, we're a young and fast‑growing consultancy built by people who are naturally curious and passionate about lifelong learning. If you're driven and want to help shape the early stages of a dynamic business, we'd love to have you on board. You'll be part of a team exploring the limitless opportunities of data and AI, driving excellence, growing together, and we'll be having plenty of fun along the way.

We're committed to hiring future leaders who will help shape our next chapter, and we'll invest in your growth through access to the latest technology, hands