QA Engineer

QA Engineer

Full-Time 40000 - 50000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
The Financial Times Ltd

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Ensure high-quality digital experiences through manual and exploratory testing.
  • Company: Join the Financial Times, a leading news organisation with a collaborative culture.
  • Benefits: Enjoy generous leave, medical cover, gym memberships, and community engagement opportunities.
  • Other info: Hybrid work model with strong support for diversity and inclusion.
  • Why this job: Make an impact on millions while evolving your QA skills in a dynamic environment.
  • Qualifications: Experience in manual testing and a passion for quality assurance.

The predicted salary is between 40000 - 50000 £ per year.

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world. In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing. Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere. Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by under‐represented groups.

The Role

We’re looking for a detail‑oriented Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer who is passionate about delivering reliable, high‑quality digital experiences to millions of FT readers worldwide. You’ll play a key role across two of our customer‑facing teams, ensuring our products are robust and performant. Helping us maintain the premium experience expected across our web, mobile, and backend platforms. Working across web, mobile, APIs, and backend services, this role is initially centred around hands‑on manual and exploratory testing, while also offering the opportunity to help shape and grow our automation capabilities over time. We’re looking for someone who enjoys understanding how products work end‑to‑end, is proactive in identifying risks and edge cases, and is excited by the opportunity to evolve testing practices through tooling, automation, and continuous improvement. Improving collaboration between product, engineering, and design, and supporting a culture of shared ownership for quality across the teams.

What You’ll Do

  • Own quality for features from refinement through to release, helping define testable acceptance criteria and appropriate test coverage.
  • Perform manual, exploratory, smoke, and regression testing across web, mobile, API, and backend systems.
  • Create and maintain clear test plans, test cases and defect reports.
  • Support production issues and customer‑reported bugs by working closely with your scrum teams.
  • Identify opportunities to automate repetitive, high‑value, or regression‑heavy scenarios.
  • Help evolve QA practices, tooling, and automation capabilities across the team.
  • Identify opportunities to improve testing efficiency and release confidence through automation and smarter testing approaches.
  • Contribute to automated test coverage using tools such as Playwright, Selenium, Appium, or similar frameworks.
  • Communicate quality risks, test coverage, and release readiness clearly to stakeholders across engineering and product.

Contribute to Team Delivery

  • Participate actively in agile ceremonies including refinement, planning, retrospectives, Scrum, and Kanban processes.
  • Advocate for quality throughout the development lifecycle by helping shape clear acceptance criteria and testable user stories.
  • Contribute to release readiness discussions by communicating risks, trade‑offs, and test coverage clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
  • Work collaboratively across engineering, product, and support teams to foster a strong culture of quality ownership.

What You’ll Bring

  • Strong experience in manual, exploratory, smoke, regression, and functional testing within agile teams.
  • A good understanding of QA methodologies, risk‑based testing, and shift‑left quality practices.
  • Experience testing web, iOS, Android, APIs, and integrated systems.
  • Hands‑on experience with API testing tools such as Postman or equivalent.
  • Ability to design pragmatic test strategies and comprehensive test cases across different scenarios.
  • Strong analytical skills, with the ability to spot risks, gaps, and edge cases early.
  • An interest in automation and a desire to grow skills in tools such as Playwright, Selenium, Appium, or similar.
  • Good communication skills and confidence working across engineering, product, and support teams.

Nice to Have

  • Experience contributing to test automation frameworks.
  • Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and modern delivery practices.
  • Ability to influence QA practices and promote a strong culture of quality ownership across the team.

What’s in it for you?

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best‑in‑class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here. We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, and supports peer learning. We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.

QA Engineer employer: The Financial Times Ltd

The Financial Times is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and inclusive work culture that fosters curiosity and ambition. Employees benefit from generous annual leave, comprehensive medical cover, and opportunities for personal and professional growth within a supportive community. With a commitment to diversity and a hybrid working model, the FT provides a unique environment where you can thrive while contributing to meaningful journalism that impacts millions worldwide.

The Financial Times Ltd

Contact Details:

The Financial Times Ltd Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land QA Engineer

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at the Financial Times on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.

Tip Number 2

Prepare for the interview by practising common QA scenarios. Think about how you'd approach manual testing or identify risks in a project. The more you can demonstrate your thought process, the better!

Tip Number 3

Show your passion for quality! During interviews, share examples of how you've improved testing processes or collaborated with teams. This will highlight your proactive nature and fit with their culture.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the FT team.

We think you need these skills to ace QA Engineer

Manual Testing
Exploratory Testing
Smoke Testing
Regression Testing
Functional Testing
QA Methodologies
Risk-Based Testing

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the QA Engineer role. Highlight your experience with manual and exploratory testing, and show how you can contribute to maintaining high-quality digital experiences at the FT.

Showcase Your Skills:Don’t just list your skills; demonstrate them! Use specific examples from your past work that illustrate your understanding of QA methodologies and your ability to identify risks and edge cases.

Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use straightforward language to communicate your experience and how it aligns with the role. Remember, clarity is key in QA!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, you’ll find all the details about the role and our culture there!

How to prepare for a job interview at The Financial Times Ltd

Know Your QA Fundamentals

Brush up on your understanding of QA methodologies and testing types. Be ready to discuss manual, exploratory, smoke, and regression testing, as well as how you’ve applied these in previous roles. This will show that you’re not just familiar with the terms but can also implement them effectively.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to share specific examples of how you've identified risks and edge cases in past projects. Think about times when you proactively improved testing processes or collaborated with teams to enhance product quality. This demonstrates your analytical skills and your commitment to quality.

Familiarise Yourself with Automation Tools

Since the role involves evolving automation capabilities, it’s a good idea to have some knowledge of tools like Playwright, Selenium, or Appium. Even if you haven’t used them extensively, showing enthusiasm for learning and growing in this area can set you apart from other candidates.

Communicate Clearly and Confidently

Practice articulating your thoughts on quality risks, test coverage, and release readiness. Being able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders is crucial. Consider doing mock interviews to refine your communication style and ensure you convey your ideas clearly.