Senior Test Automation Engineer - CREST Settlement Systems

Senior Test Automation Engineer - CREST Settlement Systems

Location: Hybrid (8 days onsite per month)
Contract: 12 Months
Engagement: Inside IR35
Industry: Financial Services / Capital Markets

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Test Automation Engineer with strong experience across CREST settlement systems, test automation, and financial markets to join a leading financial services organisation.

Working within Agile delivery teams, you will play a key role in defining the overall testing strategy, designing and executing automated and manual test cases, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality software across business-critical settlement platforms.

This is an excellent opportunity to work on complex post-trade and securities settlement systems while collaborating with highly skilled engineering teams in a modern Agile environment.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and own Test Strategies and recommend the most effective testing approach.
Present testing strategies and approaches to technical and business stakeholders.
Review functional and technical specifications to produce comprehensive test scenarios and test cases.
Execute both manual and automated testing across multiple applications.
Perform peer reviews of test artefacts to ensure quality standards are maintained.
Manage defects throughout the testing lifecycle, including investigation, analysis and defect triage.
Work collaboratively across multiple Agile squads and distributed teams.
Provide regular progress updates and manage stakeholder expectations throughout delivery.
Ensure high-quality testing deliverables are produced in line with agreed standards.
Contribute to sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives and other Agile ceremonies.
Support continuous improvement of testing practices and automation capabilities.Essential Skills & Experience

Extensive experience as a Senior Test Automation Engineer, Quality Engineer, or Senior QA Engineer.
Proven experience working within Agile software delivery environments.
Strong Financial Services or Capital Markets background.
Experience creating and delivering comprehensive Test Strategies and Test Plans.
Excellent SQL skills.
Strong automation experience using:
Selenium
Java
UFT
Experience using:
Azure DevOps
ALM (Application Lifecycle Management)
Experience with:
CREST settlement systems
CREST proprietary messaging
SWIFT messaging
ISO15022 / ISO20022 messaging
Windows
UNIX
Excellent defect management and root cause analysis experience.
Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
ISTQB or ISEB Foundation Certification.Desirable Skills

Playwright
BDD / TDD
Kafka
OpenShift
CI/CD pipelines
Jenkins
API Testing
Post-trade settlement platforms
Securities processing
Clearing and Custody systems

*Rates depend on experience and client requirements
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed