We are looking for an experienced Automated Test Architect to join the QA team. The successful candidate will maintain and extend an enterprise-grade .NET test automation framework built on Reqnroll (BDD) and Microsoft Playwright on .NET 8. The role sits within a cross-functional delivery team working on the Microsoft Dynamics 365-based application for council tax property assessment. The candidate will work closely with Functional Testers, developers, BAs and DevOps engineers to embed automated testing into the CI/CD pipeline and shift testing left across the delivery lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
- Maintain and extend the Reqnroll (SpecFlow) BDD automation framework written in C# / .NET 8 using Microsoft Playwright
- Write and review Gherkin feature files, step definitions and page objects to support new and changed functionality
- Ensure automated tests are submitted alongside pull requests for new features - contributing to a shift-left testing model
- Investigate and resolve test flakiness - replacing hard sleeps with condition-based waits, standardising step definitions, eliminating duplicate bindings
- Maintain and improve the Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline - test result publishing, environment switching, and PR gate configuration
- Triage pipeline failures and distinguish test failures from environment or infrastructure issues
- Work with the DevOps team to configure and maintain the agent pool
- Manage test data in Excel and database - ensuring data integrity and environment isolation between SIT, UAT and FAT
- Participate in sprint ceremonies - providing test estimates, flagging automation risk, and contributing to Definition of Done
- Mentor junior QA team members on framework usage, Gherkin best practices and Playwright
- Contribute to the Ways of Working improvement programme - defining PR gate criteria and embedding tests into the delivery pipeline
Technical Skills - Essential
Test Automation
- C# (.NET 8) - Solid hands-on C# experience - OOP, generics, async/await, LINQ
- Playwright- Hands-on experience with `Microsoft.Playwright` - locators, auto-wait, trace viewer, assertions (`Expect`), async/await patterns
- Reqnroll or SpecFlow - Experience writing and maintaining BDD feature files, step definitions and hooks in a .NET context
- Gherkin / BDD- Ability to write clear, readable Gherkin scenarios - correct use of `Given/When/Then`, `Background:`, `Scenario Outline`
- NUnit or xUnit-Test framework experience in a .NET context
- Page Object Model-Strong POM implementation - separation of locators and functions, reusable components
CI/CD and DevOps
- Git- Branch strategy, PR workflow, commit hygiene
Supporting Skills
- Excel test data management- EPPlus or similar - reading parameterised test data from Excel sheets
- SQL / database- Ability to write and validate SQL queries for test data retrieval and assertion
- Serilog or similar logging Structured logging in a test context
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Experience automating D365 CRM - iframe handling, BPF stages, lookup fields, command bar interactions
- Selenium WebDriver Prior Selenium experience - useful for understanding existing test patterns and diagnosing legacy issues
- Azure AD / OAuth Understanding of session tokens, re-authentication popups, service account configuration for pipelines
- Accessibility testing Axe integration or similar - `a11y` test execution
- PDF evidence generation PDF-based screenshot capture and evidence trail (PdfSharp or similar)
- AutoIt Windows automation for file upload dialogs
Automation Test Architect employer: Cognizant
Cognizant is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration within the UK Public Sector. Employees benefit from comprehensive growth opportunities, including training in cutting-edge AI technologies, while contributing to meaningful projects that impact government services. With a commitment to quality and excellence, Cognizant provides a supportive environment where your contributions are valued and recognised.
