Senior QA Automation Engineer – Contract – Newcastle

About the role

We are supporting a client delivering a large‑scale digital platform and need an experienced Senior QA Automation Engineer to join an Agile delivery team in Newcastle. The role is hands‑on, focusing on building and maintaining automated test frameworks, validating complex user journeys, and driving quality throughout the software development lifecycle.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain automated test frameworks using Playwright.
• Create reusable utilities, fixtures and Page Object Model structures.
• Automate end‑to‑end user journeys across multiple browsers.
• Perform API testing (REST) including request/response validation and payload assertions.
• Integrate tests into Azure DevOps pipelines and manage test artefacts.
• Collaborate with developers and product owners to ensure quality in an Agile environment.

Required profile

• Strong automation experience with Playwright and TypeScript/JavaScript.
• Proven background as a QA Automation Engineer or SDET.
• Hands‑on experience testing modern web applications and complex, rules‑driven forms.
• Solid understanding of Agile delivery and software testing best practices.
• Experience with cross‑browser, accessibility and non‑functional testing.

Required skills

• Playwright
• TypeScript
• JavaScript
• REST API testing
• Azure DevOps
• CI/CD pipelines
• Page Object Model (POM)
• Cross‑browser testing
• Accessibility testing
• Non‑functional testing
• Next.js (nice to have)
• React (nice to have)
• .NET (nice to have)
• Event‑driven architecture knowledge (nice to have)
• AI‑assisted testing tools (nice to have)

What we offer

• Initial 3‑month contract, outside IR35.
• Daily rate of £500–£550.
• Start ASAP, onsite in Newcastle.