We’re 1st Central, a market-leading insurance company utilising smart data and technology at pace. Rapid growth has been based on giving our 1.4 million customers exactly what they want: great value insurance with an excellent service. And that’s the same for our colleagues too; we won Insurance Employer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards 2024 and our Glassdoor score is pretty mega too!
W e’re on the hunt for experienced Quality Engineers to su pport the delivery of high-quality, secure, and high-performing software products by implementing robust test automation, driving BDD adoption, collaborating with cross-functional teams in a cloud-based development environment .
You ’ll pl ay a critical role in ensuring product quality aligns with business value across a federated value stream model. If you’ve a proven background in building and maintaining automation frameworks in Agile development environments, this exciting role could be what you’re lo oking for.
We value flexible working arrangements, so you can choose to work remotely or maybe you live within a commutable distance from one of our offices in Salford Quays, Manchester, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, or Guernsey, and want to work in the office occasionally.
Core skills were looking for to succeed in the role:
* 5+ years of experience in quality assurance and quality engineering
* Proven track record of building and maintaining automation frameworks in agile development environments
* Quality Engineering and test automation
* Test Automation – Strategy, design & delivery
* BDD Implementation
* CI/CD Integration
* Cloud Platforms & testing in cloud native and microservices environment
* Performance testing & tooling
* Security testing & tooling
* End to End Testing Strategy (design & implementation across API, UI & backend)
* Agile Dev Ops practices
* Test Management tools
* Test Data and Environment management
* Root Cause analysis & defect management and reporting
* Identification and management of risk
* Problem solving skills, with the ability to adopt a logical approach
* Experience working in a federated, cross-functional team model delivering business-critical applications
* Exposure to cloud-native testing, containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure as code is a plus
What’s involved:
* You’ll design, implement, and maintain scalable and maintainable automated test suites for UI, API, and integration layers
* You’ll apply BDD practices using tools like Cucumber working closely with business analysts and developers to create executable specifications and tests
* You’ll collaborate with developers, product owners, and other team members to ensure test coverage aligns with functional and non-functional requirements
* You’ll contribute to the integration of automated tests into CI/CD pipelines for continuous validation
* You’ll execute performance and security tests as part of the testing strategy, using tools like JMeter, Gatling, ZAP
* You’ll support test environment configuration, test data setup, and cloud-based testing
* You’ll participate in defect triage, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement of QA processes
* You’ll track and report on test progress, quality metrics, and risks
* You’ll support the 24/7 on-call rota to manage incidents, security alerts, and escalations as required.
* You’ll support the Focus application out of hour releases when required
* You’ll mentor junior QA engineers and contribute to best practice sharing across teams
* You'll stay up to date with industry best practices and emerging tools in quality engineering and testing.
* You’ll comply with the requirements, and act in accordance with, the Group Code of Conduct and Fitness and Propriety policies at all times
* You’ll ensure compliance with Company Policies, Values and guidelines and other relevant standards/ regulations at all times
Experience & knowledge
* Proficiency in test automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Appium)
* Strong experience in BDD with tools like Cucumber, Gherkin syntax, and collaboration in three amigos sessions
* Hands-on experience with API testing tools (e.g., Postman)
* Experience with performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter and security testing concepts
* Solid understanding of agile methodologies and DevOps principles (shift-left, continuous testing)
* Experience integrating test automation into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
* Good understanding of cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP) for test execution and environment provisioning
* Strong debugging and analytical skills with a proactive approach to problem-solving
* Effective communication and collaboration skills within cross-functional teams
Skills
* 5+ years of experience in quality assurance and quality engineering
* Proven track record of building and maintaining automation frameworks in agile development environments
* Quality Engineering and test automation
* Test Automation – Strategy, design & delivery
* BDD Implementation
* CI/CD Integration
* Cloud Platforms & testing in cloud native and microservices environment
* Performance testing & tooling
* Security testing & tooling
* End to End Testing Strategy (design & implementation across API, UI & backend)
* Agile Dev Ops practices
* Test Management tools
* Test Data and Environment management
* Root Cause analysis & defect management and reporting
* Identification and management of risk
* Problem solving skills, with the ability to adopt a logical approach
* Experience working in a federated, cross-functional team model delivering business-critical applications
* Exposure to cloud-native testing, containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure as code is a plus
* Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related discipline
* Relevant certifications preferred (e.g., ISTQB, Certified Agile Tester, BDD Practitioner, AWS Cloud Practitioner)
Behaviours
* A customer-centric approach. Collaborate and partner with a variety of stakeholders
* Ability to apply a product mindset
* Self-motivated and enthusiastic
* An organised and proactive approach
* Ability to work on one’s own initiative and as part of a wider team
* Strives to drive business improvements to contribute to the success of the business
So, if you’re up for the challenge and would like to join our vibrant and busy team, we want to hear from you today.
What can we do for you?
People first. Always. We’re passionate about our colleagues and know the best people deserve an extraordinary working environment. We owe it to them so that’s what we offer. Our workplaces are energetic, inspirational, supportive. To get a taste of the advantages you’ll enjoy, take a look at all our perks in full here .
Intrigued? Our Talent team can tell you everything you need to know about what we want and what we’re offering, so feel free to get in touch.
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