At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead test strategy and drive quality in a high-performing Agile team.
- Company: Join a world-leading tech organisation with a focus on quality engineering.
- Benefits: Salary up to £75,000 plus performance bonus and hybrid working.
- Other info: Exciting career growth opportunities in a brand new Belfast office.
- Why this job: Work with AI-assisted testing and tackle complex, high-stakes problems.
- Qualifications: Extensive QA automation experience and strong programming skills required.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Lead SDET role at a world-leading technology organisation with AI-assisted testing, Playwright, BDD, Cucumber and CI/CD pipeline integration. Hybrid working from a brand new Belfast city centre office. Salary up to £75,000 plus 10 to 15% performance bonus.
Why This Organisation
Our client is one of the most significant technology organisations operating in systems that cannot afford to fail. Quality is not a checkbox here; it is a core engineering discipline built into every sprint, every release and every architectural decision. They are investing seriously in Belfast, having hired 70 people this year and moved into a brand new office in Belfast city centre, purpose-built for the engineering team they are growing for the long term.
This is a core engineering hub tackling complex, high-stakes problems with modern technology and real autonomy. If you are a senior QA engineer who wants to work somewhere where your work genuinely matters, this is worth your attention.
The Role and What It Can Do For Your Career
This is a Lead SDET position at the heart of a high performing Agile engineering team. You will lead on test strategy, own automation frameworks and drive quality from the earliest stages of development through to production. The role is genuinely senior in scope, not just in title.
What makes this role stand out for your career is threefold:
- AI assisted testing is a core expectation here, not a future aspiration. You will be working with tools like Copilot, ChatGPT and Amazon Q day to day, building and refining automation workflows.
- The mentoring remit is real. You will be growing the QA capability of the engineers around you.
- The complexity of the systems you will be testing is significant, involving distributed, cloud native platforms processing global transaction volumes.
The stack includes Playwright, BDD with Cucumber, CI and CD pipeline integration across Jenkins and GitLab, performance and load testing with K6 and JMeter, and API and end to end testing across complex distributed systems. You will collaborate with global BA, Development and QA teams and contribute to the evolution of scalable, self-healing automation frameworks.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead test strategy across the Agile team, balancing manual, automated and performance testing with a strong shift left and API first emphasis.
- Design, develop and maintain automated and functional tests within CI and CD pipelines.
- Build and maintain scalable, self-healing automation frameworks using Playwright or WebDriverIO.
- Leverage AI tools including Copilot, ChatGPT and Amazon Q to optimise testing efficiency and automation workflows.
- Champion quality across the Agile team, promoting best practices including unit testing and code reviews.
- Identify performance bottlenecks and provide actionable recommendations.
- Mentor and coach team members to elevate QA standards across the engineering function.
- Collaborate with global BA, Development and QA teams to design and coordinate effective test strategies.
What you will need:
- Extensive experience in QA automation within Agile environments.
- Strong automation experience using Selenium, Cypress, Playwright or TestComplete.
- Proficiency in Java, JavaScript or similar programming and scripting languages.
- Proven ability to design and maintain scalable automation frameworks, ideally with Playwright or WebDriverIO.
- Experience integrating automation within CI and CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitLab, TeamCity or similar.
- Hands-on experience with BDD frameworks such as Cucumber.
- Experience using AI tools to design and optimise test automation.
- Strong experience in API, functional and end to end testing.
- Working knowledge of non-functional testing including performance, load and stress testing with K6 or JMeter.
- Experience working in Agile or SAFe environments with distributed teams.
Why You Should Apply Now
Roles like this do not come up often in Belfast. A world leading organisation, a brand new office built for growth, a genuinely Lead SDET scope with AI integration at the core, a mentoring remit, and a package that reflects the level of the work. Salary is up to £75,000 with a 10 to 15% performance bonus. If this sounds like the step forward you have been looking for, please reach out to Nick Napier directly on LinkedIn or submit your CV via the link below.
Benefits: Work From Home
Lead Software Engineer in Test in Newtownabbey employer: Ocho
Join a dynamic and innovative digital consultancy that champions a remote-first work culture, offering exceptional benefits such as a competitive salary, generous annual leave, and a commitment to professional development. With a focus on quality and collaboration, you'll thrive in an environment that values your expertise and provides the autonomy to shape QA processes while working on complex, multi-component systems alongside a talented team in Northern Ireland.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer in Test in Newtownabbey
✨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 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.
✨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.
✨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 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 Lead Software Engineer in Test in Newtownabbey
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.
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 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
✨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 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.
