Senior Quality Assurance Engineer (12-Month Fixed-Term Contract)
My client based in Johannesburg are seeking a Quality Assurance Engineer who approaches testing as an engineering discipline rather than a final checkpoint before release.
This role will suit someone who enjoys being deeply involved in the software development lifecycle, working closely with developers, product teams, and stakeholders to ensure new features are delivered with confidence. You'll combine hands-on manual testing with automation, helping build quality into products from the earliest stages of development.
Responsibilities:
You'll work as part of a cross-functional product team, contributing throughout the delivery lifecycle from requirements through to release.
Quality Assurance & Testing
- Design and execute comprehensive testing strategies for new features and enhancements.
- Develop and maintain automated test suites to improve regression coverage and release confidence.
- Perform exploratory testing to identify defects, usability issues, and unexpected behaviours.
- Create and maintain test documentation, including test plans, test cases, and test evidence.
- Validate application functionality, integrations, and data accuracy across multiple environments.
- Investigate defects and provide clear, actionable information to support resolution.
- Participate in release testing and production validation activities.
Automation & Continuous Improvement
- Expand automation coverage across web, API, and integration testing layers.
- Identify opportunities to improve testing efficiency through automation and tooling.
- Contribute to quality metrics, reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support the integration of automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
- Help establish and evolve testing standards, frameworks, and best practices.
Collaboration
- Work closely with developers during refinement and delivery to identify risks early.
- Review requirements and user stories to ensure they are testable and clearly defined.
- Contribute to acceptance criteria and quality-focused discussions during planning sessions.
- Communicate testing progress, risks, and release readiness to stakeholders.
- Promote a shared ownership approach to software quality across the team.
Knowledge Sharing
- Support colleagues by sharing testing techniques, tools, and best practices.
- Participate in code reviews and test reviews where appropriate.
- Mentor junior team members and contribute to the development of QA capability across the organisation.
What We're Looking For
- 4+ years of experience in software quality assurance within a commercial software environment.
- Experience testing web-based applications and business-critical software systems.
- Strong understanding of both manual and automated testing approaches.
- Experience creating test plans, test cases, and test execution reports.
- Hands-on experience with modern test automation tools and frameworks.
- Experience validating data using SQL queries and database investigation techniques.
- Familiarity with Agile software development practices.
- Experience working with defect management and test management tools.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Technical Skills
Experience with several of the following:
- UI test automation frameworks (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, or similar)
- API testing tools and methodologies
- SQL and relational databases
- CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes
- Test management platforms
- Version control systems such as Git
- Cloud-hosted applications and environments
- Cross-browser and cross-device testing
Desirable Experience
- Experience testing SaaS products or enterprise software platforms.
- Familiarity with modern web application architectures.
- Exposure to performance, load, or resilience testing.
- Experience working within scaled Agile delivery environments.
- Understanding of software development technologies such as .NET, JavaScript, or similar ecosystems.
- Interest in emerging testing technologies, including AI-assisted testing tools.
- Experience supporting or mentoring less experienced QA professionals