QA Automation Engineer - Stellenbosch (In Office / Hybrid)

About the position

ENVIRONMENT:

Our client, a fast growing AgriTech development company with offices Stellenbosch, is seeking an Operations Systems Analyst to join their team. They are on the hunt for an Intermediate Automation Test Engineer who will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the company. As an Automation Test Engineer, you will be at the forefront of ensuring the quality, reliability, and success of their software solutions by focusing heavily on automation. You will be responsible for defining and executing the QA Strategy Plan, building robust automation frameworks, and integrating them into the CI/CD pipeline. This role is critical in accelerating their release cycles and enhancing software stability through continuous, automated regression and coverage.

DUTIES:

Testing & Quality Assurance

• Design, develop, and refi ne comprehensive test plans and test cases for software functionality, performance, and usability.
• Execute both manual and automated testing to identify, document, and resolve software defects.
• Conduct comprehensive regression testing to ensure software updates do not compromise existing features.
• Perform usability testing to evaluate user experience and recommend improvements.
• Responsible for the QA Strategy Plan and executing test strategies, focusing on building frameworks, increasing test coverage, and improving release speed and stability through automated regression.

Collaboration & Communication

• Collaborate with developers, project managers, and stakeholders to understand product requirements and ensure alignment in testing strategies.
• Actively participate in release planning meetings, offering insights on product readiness and associated risks.
• Document and track issues in an issue tracking system, ensuring clear communication and timely resolutions.
• Providing release reports and ensuring test completeness prior to each release.

Continuous Improvement

• Stay current with industry best practices, tools, and emerging trends in quality assurance, integrating them into testing processes.
• Contribute to the enhancement of QA workflows, including the introduction and scaling of automation practices.
• Implementing process improvements, including customized ticket templates to standardise issue reporting and scoping.
• Mentor junior QA team members, sharing knowledge and reviewing their work to foster growth and development.

REQUIREMENTS:

Formal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related fi eld.
• ISTQB Foundation certificate.

Knowledge, Competencies and Skills

Automated Testing Stack: Demonstrated ability to design and implement end-to-end automated testing solutions using a modern Java stack. The successful candidate must be proficient in writing automated test scripts (Java preferred), structuring test execution (JUnit 5), and driving browser-based web testing via Playwright.

Build & Reporting: Practical experience utilizing Gradle for build automation and dependency management, alongside Allure for comprehensive test reporting and quality visibility.

Core Development: Strong proficiency in Java and a solid understanding of object-oriented programming (OOP).

Framework Experience: Proven experience building or scaling UI automation frameworks (Playwright experience is preferred; Selenium is beneficial).

API Testing: Solid understanding of RESTful APIs and how to test them programmatically.

Tools & Version Control: Familiarity with build tools like Gradle or Maven, and version control via Git.

 

ATTRIBUTES:

• Enhance the company culture with a high emphasis on values, diversity, and teamwork.
• A passion for or experience in agriculture, logistics, or technology industries is preferred.
• A proactive go-getter who can grow with the company and contribute to its success.

Desired Skills:

• QA
• Automation
• Engineer