Client Engagement: Regulated financial services environment (global investment banking)
Location: London, UK (Onsite 5 days/week)
Employment Type: Full-time
Experience: 6+ years
About the Business
Project Brains is working with a digital transformation and technology services company working with modern technologies and delivery methodologies. They are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace and are an equal opportunity employer.
Role Overview
We are hiring a Senior QA Automation Engineer to strengthen quality engineering on critical financial platforms. This role is hands-on and delivery-focused, with a strong emphasis on API automation, microservices testing, and scalable automation architecture. You’ll work closely with engineers to embed quality throughout the SDLC, improve release confidence, and increase delivery speed and reliability.
What You’ll Do
- Build and evolve scalable automation frameworks using Playwright with JavaScript/TypeScript, with a strong focus on API and integration coverage.
- Design, implement, and maintain automated tests for REST APIs, GraphQL services, and microservices-based systems.
- Validate contracts, schemas, and data integrity using approaches such as JSON schema validation and service-level assertions.
- Develop realistic end-to-end test scenarios aligned to financial workflows (e.g., payments, account management, KYC, ledger-related flows) with attention to accuracy and resilience.
- Execute and automate performance testing (load, stress, scalability) using tools such as k6 or Apache JMeter, and partner with engineering to diagnose bottlenecks.
- Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) and improve quality gates, reporting, and reliability of test runs.
- Reduce flaky tests and improve test maintainability through strong patterns, modular design, and pragmatic test strategy decisions.
- Communicate clearly and proactively: ask sharp questions early, align on acceptance criteria, and drive actions to unblock delivery.
- Contribute to continuous improvement, including evaluating AI-augmented testing techniques that reduce maintenance overhead and improve coverage (where appropriate and compliant).
Minimum Qualifications (Must-Have)
- 6+ years of QA/Quality Engineering experience with significant automation ownership.
- Strong hands-on experience with Playwright and JavaScript/Node.js or TypeScript for automation development.
- Proven API automation experience across REST and GraphQL, including strong understanding of JSON payloads and schema/contract validation.
- Experience testing distributed systems and microservices, including integration-level validation across services.
- Hands-on performance testing experience using Apache JMeter, k6, or similar tools, with the ability to interpret results and guide improvements.
- Strong understanding of automation design patterns and scalable test architecture.
- Experience working in Agile delivery teams; familiarity with modern QA practices including TDD and BDD concepts.
- Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and working effectively with DevOps workflows.
- Strong communication skills and a delivery mindset (credible, action-oriented, and proactive in raising risks and clarifying requirements).
Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)
- Prior experience in banking, fintech, or other highly regulated environments.
- Experience improving test observability (dashboards, reporting, failure triage workflows) and reducing end-to-end regression cycle time.
- Exposure to AI-augmented testing approaches (e.g., test case generation, synthetic data, visual regression, intelligent defect detection) in a controlled and compliant manner.
What Success Looks Like (Early Indicators)
- Builds trust quickly through credibility, clear communication, and pragmatic technical judgment.
- Asks high-signal questions, clarifies acceptance criteria, and identifies risks early.
- Delivers tangible progress fast (e.g., reliable API automation coverage improvements, CI pipeline integration, reduced test flakiness).
- Improves delivery speed and release confidence by strengthening quality gates and reducing escaped defects.
Working Model & Compliance Notes
- This role is onsite in London 5 days per week due to engagement and compliance requirements.
Please get in touch with us on info@projectbrains.io