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!
We’re on the hunt for experienced Quality Engineers to support 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 play 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 looking 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.