Role: Lead Automation Test Engineer
Type: Long-term contract
Location: UK remote, with occasional UK client visits as required, travel expenses covered
Clearance required: Active SC, or SC + NPPV3
Summary
We’re building a network of remote based, SC cleared Lead Automation Test Engineers across the country for upcoming opportunities during 2026. This is not an immediate live vacancy, but a proactive market-mapping exercise to identify cleared professionals for future client demand. Roles could become active imminently or within 3 months. We are interested in speaking with senior automation testing specialists who can lead test automation activities, improve quality engineering practices, and support delivery across modern software environments. Candidates must already hold active SC clearance or SC clearance plus NPPV3. Clearance must be current, or within 3 months of expiry.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of automated test solutions across complex systems.
- Build and improve scalable automation frameworks for web, API, and service-based testing.
- Work closely with developers, analysts, and delivery teams to ensure quality is embedded throughout the software lifecycle.
- Review manual test cases and identify opportunities for automation and test optimisation.
- Execute automated functional, regression, and integration testing across evolving releases.
- Raise, track, and manage defects through to resolution, ensuring issues are clearly documented.
- Contribute to test planning, effort estimation, reporting, and release readiness activities.
- Support shift-left testing practices and help improve automation maturity within CI/CD environments.
Essential skills and experience
- Strong experience in test automation within enterprise or regulated environments.
- Hands-on experience with Selenium and strong working knowledge of C# and/or JavaScript.
- Experience designing and executing automated test cases for user interfaces and service-based apps.
- Experience building, maintaining, or improving automation frameworks.
- Strong understanding of defect management, QA processes, and software testing best practice.
- Able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Comfortable working independently and collaboratively within distributed teams.
Desirable skills and experience
- Experience with Playwright or similar modern automation tools.
- Experience with Azure DevOps and working within CI/CD pipelines.
- Experience with cloud-based test tools such as BrowserStack or equivalent.
- Knowledge of reporting frameworks such as Allure, Extent, or similar.
- Experience testing across UI, API, middleware, and database layers.
- Relevant certifications such as ISTQB or equivalent.
- Experience working with offshore or distributed QA teams.
Security clearance requirement
Applicants must already hold:
- Active SC clearance, or
- Active SC clearance plus NPPV3
Clearance must be live, or due to expire within the next 3 months.
This opportunity pipeline is not suitable for candidates who would need to obtain clearance from scratch.
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