Backend QA Engineer

Application Deadline: 18 August 2026

Department: Digital

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: London - Head Office

Compensation: £38,000 - £46,000 / year

Description Location: London hybrid, a minimum of 3 days in the office a week.

Contract: 6-month fixed-term contract

Diversity matters: We are building a brand that represents the people of the world. It’s what you do that counts, and we are always looking to expand perspectives and voices to shape our future.

Who we are: You might know us as the inventors of the bath bomb, but there’s more to this great-smelling, partly employee-owned, family-run company than pioneering cosmetics. We believe our business should put more back into the world than it takes and demonstrate that capitalism can be a force for good.

The Living Wage Foundation’s statement 'a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay' is one that we are proud to commit to in the UK. As an accredited Living Wage employer, we put our people first and fight cruel practices like animal testing, promote regeneration, and show that it is what’s inside that counts - whether that’s an ingredient in a product, or the minerals in a smartphone.

The role: Lush Digital has embarked on a total transformation, placing digital at the center of everything we do. Having established a global platform, we are now seeking an experienced Backend QA Engineer to join our high-performing, cross-functional engineering team. In this role, you’ll focus on the engine under the hood—ensuring our APIs, databases, microservices, and server-side logic are fast, reliable, secure, and built to scale. You will work across product teams to validate approaches, catch complex edge cases early, drive automation, and ensure feature updates never compromise global stability.

Key Responsibilities:

• API & Backend Validation: Design, execute, and maintain test suites for GraphQL and REST APIs, verifying payload structures, status codes, and optimal response times.
• Automation & Integration: Build and maintain automated test frameworks for backend services in TypeScript or Python, integrating automated E2E test runs into our CI/CD pipelines.
• Data & Architecture Testing: Write complex database queries (SQL/NoSQL) to verify data flow, migration scripts, and backend consistency. Test distributed microservices and asynchronous workflows (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, Pub/Sub).
• Performance & Security: Conduct performance and load testing using tools like Grafana k6 or JMeter. Assess backend security against OWASP API Top 10 guidelines and verify authentication mechanisms (JWT, OAuth).
• Defect Diagnosis & Observability: Use tracing tools (e.g., Grafana Tempo) and log analysis to isolate complex breakpoints and collaborate with Developers and DevOps on root-cause fixes.
• Agile Collaboration: Serve as an active member of an autonomous agile team, preparing test scenarios, supporting continuous testing, and advocating for quality in planning and architecture discussions.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise:

• Experienced: 2+ years of dedicated software testing experience with a strong focus on backend architecture, API testing, and data integrity.
• API & Database Proficient: Hands-on experience with API tools (Postman, REST Assured, Insomnia) and database querying (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or DynamoDB).
• Automation Skilled: Comfortable writing and maintaining backend test suites in TypeScript or Python.
• Environment Savvy: Working knowledge of Docker containerization for local testing and familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
• Analytical & Collaborative: Excellent root-cause analysis skills, strong technical communication, and a proactive approach to highlighting risks and edge cases early.
• Prior experience in performance and load testing (k6, JMeter, Locust, Gatling).
• Familiarity with message brokers (Kafka, RabbitMQ) and distributed microservices.
• Understanding of security compliance standards (OWASP, NIST 2.0 CSF).
• Experience in retail, e-commerce, or fast-paced digital operations.

Benefits:

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• 6 months of full pay for parental leave (primary caregiver must qualify for SMP)
• Enhanced paternity leave
• Bonus scheme
• Day off for weekday birthdays
• Holiday purchase scheme
• 50% discount on Lush products and spa treatments
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted rail and bus season tickets
• Employee assistance programme

We actively welcome conversations about what working flexibly could mean and look like for you. We’re 10% Employee Owned - all colleagues play a role in protecting our ethics, our independence, contributing ideas for the future and share in the rewards of success when the company is doing well.

Wellbeing & mindfulness sessions. Access to employee-led Community Networks, including Disability and Chronic Illness, Family Support, Global Majority (Race and Ethnicity), LGBTQIA+, Menopause and Neurodiversity communities. Tailored gender affirming care (qualifying period/hours required).

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