Software Development Engineer in Test (Java)

Pty; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Johannesburg, South Africa-based role for a Software Development Engineer in Test (Java) requires strong hands-on Java development and test automation skills. The candidate will work with QA Leads, Developers and Portfolio teams to ensure production-ready software, and will mentor peers on automation best practices.

Key focus areas include building and maintaining automated tests, frameworks, and regression packs, while collaborating across distributed teams in a fast-paced banking environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in this role.
• Excellent understanding of Java programming fundamentals.
• Strong Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) skills.
• Confidence writing Java code from scratch.
• Experience debugging and troubleshooting Java applications.
• Ability to complete live coding assessments.

Responsibilities

• Review and analyse business requirements, user stories and architecture diagrams.
• Gain product and business understanding and apply it to testing activities to improve coverage and identify defects.
• Develop and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases and capture supporting test evidence.
• Perform end-to-end testing across enhancements and impacted systems.
• Analyse impacted areas and enhance manual and automated regression packs.
• Prepare and manage test data for both manual and automated testing.
• Follow established QA processes and best practices.
• Identify, log and manage defects throughout the defect lifecycle.
• Develop, maintain and debug automation scripts using existing TestNG-based frameworks.
• Enhance automation frameworks by creating reusable components and utilities.
• Conduct peer reviews and self-reviews of deliverables.
• Produce test status reports in accordance with project milestones.
• Collaborate effectively with distributed development and QA teams.
• Mentor fellow Quality Engineers and promote automation best practices.

Skills

Java programming

OOP

English communication

Self-starter

Collaborative

Live coding

Tools

Selenium

TestNG

API testing

Git

SVN

JMeter

Job description

Software Development Engineer in Test (Java)

Johannesburg, South Africa | Posted on 07/08/2026

This is a 12-month renewable contract with one of South Africa's largest banking institutions.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring products are stable, reliable and production-ready by working closely with QA Leads, Developers and Portfolio teams throughout the software development lifecycle. The role requires someone who is equally comfortable with software development and test automation.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and analyse business requirements, user stories and architecture diagrams.
  
• Gain product and business understanding and apply it to testing activities to improve coverage and identify defects.
  
• Develop and execute comprehensive test plans, test cases and capture supporting test evidence.
  
• Perform end-to-end testing across enhancements and impacted systems.
  
• Analyse impacted areas and enhance manual and automated regression packs.
  
• Prepare and manage test data for both manual and automated testing.
  
• Follow established QA processes and best practices.
  
• Identify, log and manage defects throughout the defect lifecycle.
  
• Develop, maintain and debug automation scripts using existing TestNG-based frameworks.
  
• Enhance automation frameworks by creating reusable components and utilities.
  
• Conduct peer reviews and self-reviews of deliverables.
  
• Produce test status reports in accordance with project milestones.
  
• Collaborate effectively with distributed development and QA teams.
  
• Mentor fellow Quality Engineers and promote automation best practices.
  

Requirements

Strong Java Software Development Experience (Non-Negotiable)

This role requires an engineer who can develop software—not just execute automated tests.

Applicants must have:

• 5+ years of experience within this role
  
• Excellent understanding of Java programming fundamentals
  
• Strong Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) skills
  
• Confidence writing Java code from scratch
  
• Experience debugging and troubleshooting Java applications
  
• Ability to complete live coding assessments
  

Automation Testing

• Hands-on experience in Software Testing.
  
• Strong hands-on experience with Selenium Automation using Core Java.
  
• Experience developing automation frameworks using Hybrid, Keyword and TestNG frameworks.
  
• Strong knowledge of SDLC, software QA methodologies, tools and processes.
  
• Experience with API Testing using SoapUI, Postman or Rest Assured.
  
• Database testing experience using SQL.
  
• Experience with JMeter performance testing.
  
• Experience with Git and/or SVN.
  
• Continuous Integration experience would be advantageous.
  
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
  
• Self-starter with a proactive attitude.
  
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly.
  
• Strong collaboration skills across cross-functional and remote teams.
  

Interview Process

To ensure candidates have the required technical capability, shortlisted applicants will be required to complete:

• Two live Java coding exercises
  
• Practical Selenium automation assessment
  
• Technical discussion before client interviews
  

Please only apply if you are confident in your hands-on Java development ability.