At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive quality in Agile teams, leading automation strategies and mentoring fellow engineers.
- Company: Join a world-leading financial markets infrastructure provider with a global presence.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary and hybrid working in Belfast.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team with real investment in your professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of QA with cutting-edge AI tools and impactful projects.
- Qualifications: Extensive QA automation experience and strong skills in Playwright or similar tools.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Senior QA Automation role within a world-leading financial markets infrastructure and data business.
Playwright-led automation, AI-augmented testing (Copilot/ChatGPT) and CI/CD-embedded QA on a global engineering team.
Genuinely varied scope: automation strategy, API and non-functional testing, and mentoring across a distributed Agile team.
About the Company:
Our client is a world-leading provider of market infrastructure, connecting clients to global financial and commodities markets through responsible, innovative technology. Operating from more than 60 offices across 27 countries with over 5,000 people, they are the largest interdealer broker in the world by revenue and a leading provider of OTC data and liquidity solutions. Their engineering teams sit at the heart of that mission, building the platforms that power global trading and data distribution.
The Role:
As QA Automation Engineer, you will be a key advocate for quality within an Agile team, driving BDD and TDD practices to ensure high-quality, business-aligned outcomes. Working closely with Product Owners and Developers, you will provide in-sprint QA aligned to the team's Definition of Done, helping ensure deployable software at the end of every sprint. You will lead on test strategy, balancing manual, automated and performance testing with a strong emphasis on shift-left methodologies and API-first automation, while contributing to the evolution of scalable, robust test frameworks. This is a role for someone who has led automation frameworks before, is comfortable modernising and migrating legacy testing stacks, and enjoys mentoring engineers around them.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with global BA, development and QA teams to design and coordinate effective test strategies.
- Design, build and maintain automated and functional tests within CI/CD pipelines.
- Develop and maintain scalable, self-healing automation frameworks using Playwright.
- Integrate AI-driven tooling (Copilot, ChatGPT, MCP) into automation workflows to speed up script creation and maintenance.
- Identify performance bottlenecks and provide actionable recommendations.
- Champion quality across the Agile team, promoting best practice in unit testing and code review.
- Mentor and coach team members to raise QA standards across the team.
- Own deliverables end-to-end, managing priorities effectively and raising risks early.
- Drive clear, proactive communication on progress, risks and impediments.
What You'll Need:
Essential:
- Extensive QA automation experience within Agile teams, ideally at Senior or Lead level.
- Strong hands-on automation experience with Playwright (WebDriverIO also considered), plus exposure to Selenium, Cypress or TestComplete.
- Strong Java or JavaScript (or similar scripting language) skills.
- Proven track record designing, building and maintaining scalable automation frameworks, including migrating legacy stacks onto modern tooling.
- Experience embedding automated and functional testing within CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab or TeamCity).
- Hands-on BDD experience (Cucumber) and comfortable applying shift-left, TDD/BDD practices.
- Practical experience using AI tools (Copilot, ChatGPT, Amazon Q or similar) to speed up test creation and maintenance.
- Strong API, functional and end-to-end testing background.
- Working knowledge of non-functional testing (performance/load, using tools such as K6 or JMeter).
- Confident operating in Agile/SAFe environments with distributed, global teams, with the communication skills to challenge design decisions and mentor others.
Desirable:
- Experience within financial services or trading platforms (including FIX/API).
- Experience with AWS, microservices and serverless architectures.
- Formal testing qualifications (e.g. ISTQB, Agile Testing).
Why Apply?
- Competitive salary.
- Hybrid working, Belfast.
- Work on platforms powering global financial markets, at genuinely large scale.
- Lead automation strategy and framework design, not just execution.
- Real investment in AI-augmented testing tooling and modern automation practice.
- Mentor and shape a growing QA function within a global engineering team.
QA Automation Engineer (Hybrid) employer: Ocho People
As a leading IT Managed Services provider in Northern Ireland, our company offers an exciting opportunity for an IT Field Service Engineer to thrive in a dynamic field-based role. We pride ourselves on fostering a supportive work culture that values flexibility, teamwork, and professional growth, ensuring our employees are equipped with the skills and resources they need to succeed. With competitive salaries, performance bonuses, and the chance to work across diverse client sites, we provide a rewarding environment for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the tech industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land QA Automation Engineer (Hybrid)
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Ocho People or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Ocho People.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Ocho People.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Ocho People that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace QA Automation Engineer (Hybrid)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Ocho People.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ocho People and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Ocho People
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Ocho People uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
