Who are we?
Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.
People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.
Role: Senior Automation Test Engineer
Contract: 12 - 18 Month Fixed Term Contract
Location: Remote first; with fortnightly to monthly face-to-face in Gloucester.
Tech: C#, Azure, ADO, Playwright, Jmeter.
As one of the largest insurance groups in the world and the fifth largest employee-owned business in the UK, we manage premiums on behalf of millions of clients across a wide range of product offerings and our development team work on solutions that innovate and put the user’s needs at the forefront.
Role
As a Senior Test Automation Engineer, you’ll be a key member of one of our agile product teams, helping to shape the future of our digital platforms. You’ll use your expertise in C#, Playwright, and Microsoft Azure to build scalable, high-performing, and user-centric applications. Your role will be pivotal in driving a quality-first mindset, embedding test automation into every stage of the development lifecycle, and championing continuous delivery practices.
You’ll collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, and QA peers in a supportive environment that values knowledge sharing and cross-team learning. As a senior member of the team, you’ll also mentor and coach others, contribute to architectural decisions, and help raise the bar for quality and delivery across the board.
Key Responsibilities:
Design, build, and maintain robust automated test frameworks using tools like Playwright, SpecFlow, and Postman.
Collaborate with developers and product teams to define test strategies and acceptance criteria.
Promote a shift-left approach and embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
Participate in agile ceremonies and contribute to planning, refinement, and retrospectives.
Lead by example in implementing CI/CD practices and improving test coverage.
Mentor and support junior team members, helping them grow into senior roles.
Contribute to architectural and technical design discussions, presenting ideas to the wider team.
Continuously improve testing processes and introduce innovative practices.
About you:
You will have a strong understanding of the test pyramid and a myriad of testing techniques (Smoke, white-box, performance, exploratory etc).
You will have demonstrable experience working with C# or other object oriented language
Experience implementing end to end tests with testing frameworks such as Playwright, SpecFlow etc.
You are comfortable working closely with software engineers.
A keen eye for detail and a focus on putting end users first.
You have had exposure to cloud technologies (preferably Azure)
A strong communicator and facilitator.
An understanding of agile development methodologies
Genuinely believes in the value of continuous delivery practices and iterative development based on feedback.
Strong documentation skills in generating acceptance criteria, test plans, and test cases
Rewards:
We believe that great work and dedication should be rewarded, that’s why we offer:
25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pro-rated for part year service
A set of core benefits, designed with your health and financial protection in mind:
Life Assurance up to 4x salary, protecting your loved ones in case the worst should happen
Income protection, guaranteeing an income for up to 5 years in the event of an illness or injury
Contributory pension scheme – 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution, rising to 5% & 5% in April 2025
Access to a Healthcare Cashplan, which gives you access to a variety of health related benefits
Access to a host of lifestyle and financial benefits that you can choose from:
Discounts on gym membership across the UK
Salary sacrifice schemes – Travel Insurance, Cycle to Work, Car leasing, Technology purchase
Access to discounted personal health policies – Critical illness, private medical, dental plans
A range of insurance products available commission free, including home, motor, travel and specialist vehicles
Access to hundreds of high-street retailer discounts
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support employees outside of work
What do we offer in return?
A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:
Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new
We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges
We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond
Reasonable adjustments
We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.
If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.
*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.
Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)
