Senior Java Automation Engineer, FX eTrading in London

Engineer the future of global finance. At Citi, our Tech team doesn’t just support finance – we are helping to redefine it. Every day, $5 trillion crosses through our network. We do business in 180+ countries operating at a scale few can match. From deploying advanced AI to helping shape global markets, we build systems that matter. Look to join a team where your work helps influence economies, your ideas can drive innovation and outcomes, and your growth is backed by mentorship, continuous learning and flexibility with potential hybrid work opportunities. Help solve real-world challenges that touch millions and get the opportunity to build the future of finance with Citi Tech.

Role Overview

The Senior Automation Engineer is a senior, hands‑on role within the FX eTrading technology stack, responsible for owning backend automation capability, testing delivery, and release quality assessment for assigned applications or functional areas. The successful candidate will operate with a high degree of autonomy, taking ownership of automation strategy, framework development, test execution, coverage analysis, defect investigation, and quality sign‑off. The role is primarily focused on server‑side, service‑level, messaging, integration, data, and non‑functional automation rather than UI‑led testing. The role requires strong technical capability, sound judgement, and a continuous improvement mindset, including the responsible use of approved AI tooling to improve automation productivity, test design, analysis, and engineering outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the automation approach, test execution, reporting, and release readiness assessment for assigned areas of the FX eTrading stack.
• Design, develop, maintain, and improve automated tests and frameworks across services, messaging flows, integrations, data validation, regression, resilience, and non‑functional testing.
• Act as the quality engineering owner for assigned applications or components, providing clear, evidence‑based sign‑off recommendations and risk assessments.
• Build automation that validates business‑critical backend behaviours, including pricing, order execution, market data, trade lifecycle events, risk flows, and downstream integration points.
• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, TeamCity, or equivalent platforms.
• Review requirements, designs, user stories, interface contracts, data flows, and acceptance criteria to identify gaps, ambiguity, risk, and testability concerns.
• Define and report relevant quality metrics, including backend automation coverage, execution results, defect trends, test effectiveness, and release risk.
• Partner with Development, Business, Product, and Production Support teams to investigate defects, analyse logs, identify root causes, and prevent production issues.
• Drive practical improvements in backend test strategy, automation reliability, test data management, environment stability, service virtualisation, and defect prevention.
• Use approved AI‑assisted tooling responsibly to support code generation, test generation, documentation, refactoring, and analysis while complying with internal policies and controls.
• Support and mentor other engineers in automation best practices where required.
• Assess, elevate, and manage risks and control issues transparently, with appropriate consideration for clients, the firm, regulatory obligations, and production stability.

Required Experience and Skills

• Significant experience in backend test automation, quality engineering, or software engineering within financial services, preferably in front‑office trading, eTrading, or low‑latency systems.
• Proven ability to independently own automation delivery, testing outcomes, and release quality assessment for complex or business‑critical backend applications.
• Strong Java coding skills, with the ability to write clean, maintainable, reviewable automation code.
• Experience designing, extending, and maintaining robust automated test frameworks for server‑side and integration testing.
• Strong experience testing services, messaging flows, event‑driven components, data flows, integrations, and distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of test analysis, manual and exploratory testing, risk‑based testing, BDD/TDD, and Agile delivery practices.
• Experience with CI/CD integration and automated test execution within build and deployment pipelines.
• Strong Unix/Linux skills and practical experience with log analysis, diagnostics, monitoring, and defect investigation.
• Working knowledge of SQL, data validation, file/message formats, and backend system interactions.
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to explain quality risks, test evidence, and release recommendations to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Experience using AI‑assisted engineering tools would be advantageous, particularly where supported by demonstrable project work, GitHub examples, prototypes, or measurable productivity improvements.

Advantageous Experience

• FX, Rates, Commodities, or broader front‑office trading domain knowledge.
• Understanding of pricing, order execution, market data, trade lifecycle, auto‑hedging, and risk‑management workflows.
• Experience with high‑volume, low‑latency, highly available systems and related performance, resilience, capacity, failover, and SLA considerations.
• Experience with messaging technologies, event‑driven architecture, contract testing, service virtualisation, test data management, or non‑functional testing.
• Experience with Cucumber, FitNesse, Python, SQL, observability tooling, or synthetic data generation.
• ISEB, ISTQB, or equivalent testing certification.

Personal Characteristics

• Highly autonomous, proactive, and accountable for delivery outcomes.
• Comfortable working independently once onboarded, without close day‑to‑day supervision.
• Strong engineering mindset with a focus on backend automation, quality, maintainability, and continuous improvement.
• Pragmatic, delivery‑focused, and able to balance quality, speed, risk, and business priorities.
• Confident communicator who can challenge constructively and influence through evidence and risk‑based reasoning.
• High attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and resilience in a demanding front‑office technology environment.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree / University degree or equivalent experience.

What we’ll provide you

• By joining Citi London, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:
• 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• A discretionary annual performance‑related bonus
• Private Medical Care & Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pension Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
• Access to an array of learning and development resources

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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