Job Description
Job Title: Senior SDET – Full Ownership of QA Strategy
Location: Hybrid – Cambridge (2 days per week)
Salary: £85,000 + 15% Bonus + Benefits
About the Role
We're hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to lead the QA strategy for a growing, cloud-first SaaS company headquartered in Cambridge. This is a newly created, high-impact role focused on establishing robust, scalable quality practices across the engineering function.
As the Senior SDET, you’ll take full ownership of test automation architecture, define quality standards, and drive improvements across all layers of testing, from unit and integration to performance and contract testing.
You’ll work closely with engineering leadership to shape a modern QA roadmap that aligns with Agile delivery, DevOps principles, and continuous integration best practices.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and implement the end-to-end test automation strategy
- Build automation frameworks for UI, API, and integration tests
- Refactor and modernise the existing Cypress-based test suite
- Integrate testing into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps
- Lead adoption of shift-left testing practices and risk-based testing
- Collaborate with developers, DevOps, and product teams to improve quality across the SDLC
- Mentor engineers on testing principles and quality-first development
- Introduce tools and practices for load testing, monitoring, and contract testing where needed
Tech Environment
- Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript, C#, .NET Core
- Automation Tools: Cypress, Selenium, Rest#
- Performance & Contract Testing: JMeter, Azure Load Test, Pact
- Cloud & DevOps: Azure, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions
- Monitoring: Datadog
- Methodologies: Agile, CI/CD, Shift-Left Testing
Requirements
- Proven experience as a Senior SDET or QA Automation Engineer in a SaaS or cloud-native environment
- Strong background in test automation frameworks and architecture design
- Experience integrating test automation into CI/CD pipelines
- Working knowledge of Azure (or other cloud platforms like AWS/GCP)
- Familiarity with performance, load, and contract testing tools
- Excellent communication and leadership skills—able to influence process and culture
- Comfortable working in a hybrid Agile team and guiding engineering quality across squads
- Strong background in C# development
Location & Working Pattern
- Hybrid working model – 2 days per week in the Cambridge office
- Standard office day: Wednesday + one flexible day
- The rest of the week can be remote
Compensation & Benefits
- £85,000 base salary
- 15% annual performance bonus
- Private healthcare
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
- L&D budget and career progression support
- Strong engineering culture with high autonomy and trust
Application Process
- CV Review
- 1st Interview: QA Lead + Engineering Manager
- Take-home test (tooling of your choice)
- Final Onsite: test walk-through, short presentation, and architecture discussion
Apply now to take full ownership of QA in a modern, forward-thinking engineering team.
