At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build scalable automation frameworks while collaborating with teams to enhance testing practices.
- Company: Join Holland & Barrett, Europe's leading health and wellness retailer, on a tech-driven mission.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, health perks, discounts, and access to learning opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to creating an inclusive workplace.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in eCommerce by driving quality and innovation in software testing.
- Qualifications: Strong software engineering skills and experience in building automation frameworks are essential.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 € per year.
Hackajob is collaborating with Holland & Barrett to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.
About H&B
Holland & Barrett International strives to be the world's leading health and wellness business. Currently the largest in Europe and growing in other markets, the health and wellness of our colleagues and customers is at our heart.
Technology at H&B
We're on a mission to make health and wellness a way of life for everyone – and technology is at the heart of our future to become a leading omni‑channel retailer. We're building some great products, and we're investing in the rapidly advancing technology that is helping our customers meet their health and wellness goals. We're delivering more speed in the retail experience, greater convenience in service and delivery, and increasing personalisation in our brand and product propositions, both in‑store and online. Collaborative, working at pace and always with a strong customer focus in everything we do. We love the cloud, we prefer building the right solutions over buying generic ones, and we embrace automation and testing in all things software, infrastructure, and data.
About The Role
We're at an exciting moment in our engineering journey. As we modernise our platforms and ways of working, we're also re‑introducing what “good” looks like for quality at Holland & Barrett. We're moving from traditional testing approaches towards a modern, engineering‑led quality strategy: unit testing, contract testing, component testing, integration testing, E2E flows, synthetics, and strong observability across our microservices. We're looking for a Senior SDET who is hands‑on, highly technical, and passionate about setting teams up for long‑term success. In this role, you'll build the frameworks, tools, and practices that empower engineers to write and maintain their own tests — with you acting as the subject‑matter expert, coach, and quality advocate who helps them get there. This is a high‑impact role within our eCommerce Engineering organisation (web and mobile). You'll collaborate closely with engineers, designers and product teams to embed a test‑first mindset and raise the bar for reliability, delivery confidence, and customer experience.
What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and maintain scalable automation frameworks that are easy for engineers to use and extend.
- Partner with teams to introduce modern microservices testing approaches across unit, contract, component, integration and E2E layers.
- Lead the shift towards engineers owning their tests by providing guidance, examples, and hands‑on pairing to help teams adopt best practices confidently.
- Collaborate with Engineering and DevOps to evolve CI/CD pipelines and embed automation earlier in the lifecycle.
- Improve observability around testing and reliability, integrating logs, traces, metrics, synthetics, and alerts to increase confidence in releases.
- Promote good testing principles and high‑quality engineering practices across teams; become a trusted voice for quality.
- Act as a consultant‑style partner to squads, helping them design testable systems and adopt pragmatic approaches to automation.
- Support a culture where quality is shared by everyone, not a separate phase or team.
- Demonstrate excellent attention to detail and help others develop the same discipline.
Key Requirements – Essential
- Strong software engineering background in any language.
- Proven experience building automation frameworks from scratch.
- Solid understanding of microservice testing approaches: unit, contract, component, integration, and E2E.
- Experience with tools such as Playwright, Cypress, JUnit, WireMock, or similar.
- Strong CI/CD knowledge (GitLab CI, Jenkins, etc.) and familiarity with Infrastructure‑as‑Code and cloud‑native environments (containers, Kubernetes).
- Understanding of observability (Grafana, Datadog, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, etc.) and how it supports quality and testing.
- Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to different audiences.
- A collaborative style, with experience driving culture change or elevating quality practices across multiple squads.
Nice To Have
- Experience writing in JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, Kotlin or Go.
- Experience with React Native test automation.
- Experience testing AI/ML systems.
- Exposure to building internal developer platforms or quality‑focused tooling.
- Experience in software engineering, SRE, DevOps, or developer experience teams.
Our Tech Stack
- Languages: JavaScript/TypeScript, Java/Kotlin Spring boot, Go
- Frontend: React, React Native
- Infrastructure: AWS, Kubernetes, GitLab CI/CD
- Testing: Playwright, BrowserStack
- Architecture: Microservices
A note on applying
We know that great people don't always see themselves in every requirement. If this role inspires you and you believe your skills and experience could make a positive impact here, we'd really love to hear from you. Please apply, even if you don't meet every single requirement.
What We Offer
Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits
- Health Cash Plan
- Life Assurance
- Bonus Scheme - Based on company & personal performance
- Virtual GP
- Private Medical care
- FREE at‑home blood test kit
- Holiday Purchase option
- Pension Contribution scheme
- Access to ‘Wellhub' with gyms, studios and wellbeing apps
Discounts & Savings
- 25% Colleague Discount with FREE Standard Delivery
- Exclusive Discounts from a wide range of partners
- £/€50 Annual Product Allowance to spend in store
Learning & Development
- Access to a variety of learning opportunities, including Level 2-5 Apprenticeships, Workshops and our Digital Learning Library AND MORE!
Holland and Barrett is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome diverse perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all colleagues. We understand that when our colleagues are listened to, respected and valued for who they are, we build an organisation with belonging at its heart – making health and wellness a way of life for everyone.
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test employer: hackajob
Holland & Barrett is an exceptional employer that prioritises the health and wellness of its colleagues while fostering a collaborative and innovative work culture. With a strong focus on employee growth, the company offers extensive learning opportunities, competitive benefits, and a commitment to inclusivity, making it an ideal place for professionals looking to make a meaningful impact in the health and wellness sector. Located in a vibrant environment, employees can thrive in a dynamic setting that embraces modern technology and agile practices.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond your CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to the role. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your skills align with the role. We want to see how you can contribute to our mission at Holland & Barrett, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant experience!
Showcase Your Technical Skills:As a Senior SDET, your technical prowess is key! Be sure to detail your experience with automation frameworks and microservices testing approaches. We love seeing specific examples of your work, so include any projects that demonstrate your expertise.
Emphasise Collaboration:This role is all about teamwork, so highlight your collaborative experiences. Share instances where you've worked closely with engineers or product teams to improve quality practices. We’re looking for someone who can foster a culture of shared responsibility for quality!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at hackajob
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Familiarise yourself with the technologies mentioned in the job description, like JavaScript, TypeScript, and tools like Playwright and Cypress. Be ready to discuss your experience with these technologies and how you've used them in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Automation Skills
Prepare to talk about your experience building automation frameworks from scratch. Bring examples of how you've implemented testing strategies across different layers, such as unit and integration testing, and be ready to explain your thought process.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Since this role involves working closely with engineers and product teams, highlight your collaborative experiences. Share specific instances where you’ve successfully driven culture change or improved quality practices within a team.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that show your interest in the company's mission and the role. Inquire about their current challenges in testing and automation, or how they envision the future of their engineering practices. This demonstrates your proactive mindset and genuine interest.
