Senior SDET

Senior Software Engineer in Test (Contract) – Manchester | Automotive Giant

We’re partnering with a leading automotive organisation to hire multiple Senior Software Engineers in Test for a major digital programme across a cloud-based, connected data platform.

This isn’t a traditional testing role.

This is about owning quality from day one – not testing at the end.

What makes this role different?

• Automation-first mindset – focused on bug prevention over bug detection
• Working on cloud-native, event-driven systems (APIs, message queues, data platforms)
• A mature engineering environment where testing is embedded into delivery
• Opportunity to shape test strategy and influence architecture
• Part of a collaborative test community, sharing best practices across teams

The kind of problems you’ll solve:

• Improving and maintaining existing automation suites
• Embedding testing directly into CI/CD pipelines (not siloed test stages)
• Driving testability in design and refinement sessions
• Moving teams from reactive testing → proactive quality engineering
• Enhancing defect triage and cross-team quality processes
• Supporting integration with third-party systems and services

What we’re really looking for:

This is a genuinely senior role. We need engineers who:

• Think test-first, not “test after build”
• Have experience embedding tests into CI/CD pipelines
• Can influence engineers on testability and quality practices
• Bring strong opinions on modern testing approaches
• Understand backend/API and distributed systems

Tech environment:

• Python
• AWS (or similar cloud platforms)
• API & event-driven architecture (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS etc.) Beneficial
• CI/CD (GitLab or similar)
• Backend-focused (no UI-heavy testing)

The role:

• Hands-on automation engineering
• Driving quality strategy across squads
• Mentoring engineers and contributing to continuous improvement
• Collaborating closely with engineering and SRE teams

Location & setup:

• Manchester
• Hybrid – typically 1–2 days per month onsite
• 12 month contract (£400 a day) Inside IR35

Why join?

• Work on cutting-edge connected platforms
• Influence how software is built, tested, and delivered at scale
• Opportunity for long-term progression or permanent conversion
• Be part of a team that treats quality as an engineering discipline