QA Automation Engineer

About UsHere at Travel Counsellors, our customers, communities and colleagues lie at the heart of everything that we do - and that’s what makes us special. For us, relationships come before transactions, and we are there for our customers, connecting with them on a deeply human level through the moments that matter.We’ve been changing lives for the past 30 years as the leading travel marketplace for self-employed travel entrepreneurs, empowering over 2,000 global independent travel agents to run successful leisure and corporate travel businesses. We pride ourselves in remaining a company that truly cares and one that has never wavered from its purpose; to redefine what personal means for a travel business.Our Travel Counsellors are supported by a team of over 400 super talented people in our Support Offices to help them create unique, inspiring and exciting experiences for their customers, whilst building lasting personal relationships that bring them back to us, time and time again.Our unique approach within the workplace – as well as towards customers – has seen us receive numerous awards and accolades, including being named as The Best Place to Work in Travel at the 2022 TTG Travel Industry Awards, placing in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list 2023 and 2024 (Large Company) as well as being the first travel company to be awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category!We are currently expanding at a phenomenal rate – on the back of what is our record year in terms of revenue (over £930m) - and so are looking for outstanding individuals to join our dedicated Head Office team, to help the company continue to flourish.Role DescriptionWe are looking for an experienced QA/Automation Engineer to join our growing technology team in Manchester, UK. Working as part of our dynamic technology function, you will directly contribute to an award winning digital platform that supports over 2000 entrepreneurial travel businesses. You will play a critical role in ensuring the quality and reliability of our technology platform through comprehensive testing methodologies with a focus on automation. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to understand requirements, develop test strategies, and implement automated test scripts to validate functionality, performance, and scalability across our product portfolio.Principal AccountabilitiesCollaborate with product owners, developers, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and define test strategiesDesign, develop, and execute automated test scripts using industry-standard testing frameworks and toolsImplement and maintain automated test suites for functional testing, regression testing, and performance testingIdentify, document, and track software defects using issue tracking systems and work closely with development teams to resolve themPerform manual testing as needed, including exploratory testing, usability testing, and ad-hoc testingContinuously improve testing processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency, reliability, and test coverageParticipate in code reviews, sprint planning, and release management activities to ensure high-quality software releasesStay updated on emerging trends and best practices in software testing and automationRequired ExperienceStrong C# coding skillsExperience writing automated, browser-based, end-to-end functional tests using the Selenium WebDriver, preferably with C# (APIs, as opposed to record/playback IDE)Hands on experience in API testing (Postman, BDD using SpecFlow preferred)Capability to cross test on various devices including laptops and mobile devicesExperience in Test Plan preparation, estimation, and status reportingExperience writing performance tests identifying areas of improvement across a platformExperience writing Component and Integration tests to identify issues earlier in the SDLC Life CycleProficiency in Git for version controlWorking knowledge of the software development lifecycleExposure of Agile Requirement designingExperience in Manual testing (UAT/System/Regression)Good working knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScriptWorking knowledge of CI/CD / Blue Green DeploymentsExperience of working within a fast-paced IT services environmentExperience with Dev/QA collaboration to derive Test Cases/ ScenariosWorking knowledge of testing Micro Services and the different types needed including Base, Unit, Integration, Load, Stress, Security, resiliency testingYou will work well under pressure, alongside colleagues to support the business communityWorking knowledge of Cloud computing (AWS)Proven track record of extensive work experience in a similar roleAny experience of supporting the travel industry (Desirable)Our BenefitsWorking here at Travel Counsellors, we value the hard work and effort that our colleagues put in. Because of this, you can expect a wide range of employee benefits including:A competitive basic salary + annual company bonus Flexible hybrid working model (2 days home, 3 days office) Career development and promotional opportunities25 days holidays (increasing to 28 after 5 years of service) A Moments That Matter day (annually) Enhanced Maternity / Paternity payHoliday buy and sell (up to 5 days per year)3 paid days charity leave Company events, socials, and incentives 3x annual salary death in service benefitCompany Pension scheme Costco Membership Salary sacrifice, company car scheme Cycle to Work SchemeEmployee Assistance ProgrammeFree breakfast, fruit, and hot/cold beverages Referral scheme Employee discountPrivate Medical Insurance (taxable benefit) or Healthcare Cash Plan (costs incurred by employees)