Junior QA Automation Engineer

Junior QA Automation Engineer Description: Clune Tech is a world-leading provider of international taxation, finance, and fulfilment services to clients in over 100 countries ranging from blue-chip financial service companies to individual investors & cross-border workers. Sprintax , part of Clune Tech, is a web-based tax return preparation software that provides a number of tax related services to non-residents in the United States. We help thousands of international visitors such as students, scholars, teachers, trainees, researchers, work and travel participants and other foreign individuals that are temporary in the United States each year with the preparation of their tax returns. About the role: The Junior QA Automation Engineer is an entry-level automation role focused on learning and applying automated testing techniques using Playwright as the team’s primary automation framework. Under the guidance of senior automation and QA colleagues, the role supports the creation, execution and maintenance of automated test scripts for web applications and APIs. The Junior QA Automation Engineer participates actively in team meetings and planning sessions, follows established automation standards and processes, and actively builds their technical skills, product knowledge and QA expertise. Responsibilities: Test automation analysis, design & implementation Review and analyse requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria to identify test conditions suitable for automation and define appropriate coverage. Design, implement and maintain automated functional and regression tests for web, API and other application layers in line with agreed standards and frameworks. Create and maintain reusable test components, data builders and utilities to support efficient automated testing. Estimate effort for automation tasks and provide input into release planning. Automated test execution, CI/CD & reporting Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines so that suites run reliably on every build and before releases. Monitor automated test runs, investigate failures and distinguish between product defects, script issues and environmental problems. Ensure test results and logs are clear, traceable and accessible, allowing quick identification of root causes. Provide regular reporting on automation coverage, pass rates and key quality indicators for assigned areas. Defect management & quality ownership Log defects identified through automated tests in the defect tracking system, with clear steps to reproduce, expected vs actual results and supporting evidence. Re-test fixed issues using both automated and targeted manual tests where required and verify that corrections have not introduced regressions. Take quality ownership for selected features, modules or flows, ensuring adequate automated and manual coverage across releases. Proactively identify gaps in automation and propose additional tests or improvements to existing scripts. Collaboration & communication Work as an active member of the development team, participating in team meetings, planning sessions and reviews as required. Collaborate closely with developers to understand technical implementation details, agree on testability and support faster defect resolution. Partner with Manual QA colleagues to define the right split between automated and manual testing and to keep regression packs current. Escalate significant quality concerns or blockers to the QA Team Leader in a timely, structured way. Framework, tooling & continuous improvement Contribute to the design, extension and refactoring of test automation frameworks to improve reliability, readability and maintainability. Promote good engineering practices in test automation (clean code, version control, code review, naming conventions, proper assertions). Evaluate and recommend new tools or approaches (for UI, API, performance or other test types) where they can add value. Help document standards, guidelines and examples for automation within the QA team and wider engineering organisation. Compliance & security Follow data protection and information security guidelines when working with test data, environments and tools. Ensure automated tests and pipelines comply with internal quality standards and agreed procedures. Requirements: 0–1 year of experience in software testing or quality assurance; a relevant internship, academic project or bootcamp experience in automation is an advantage. Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and the role of QA within development teams. Basic exposure to or strong interest in Playwright or a comparable test automation framework (Selenium, Cypress); willingness to learn Playwright as the team’s standard tooling. Basic knowledge of JavaScript or TypeScript (or another scripting language); ability to read, understand and make small changes to existing automation code. Familiarity with version control concepts (e.g. Git); exposure to CI/CD pipelines is an advantage but not required. Good analytical and problem-solving skills; able to understand requirements and translate them into basic automated test scenarios with guidance. High level of attention to detail and accuracy when implementing tests and analysing results. Experience with defect tracking and test management tools (e.g. Jira plus a test case management tool). Ability to write clear, maintainable test code and structured defect reports. Excellent written and spoken English. Good communication and interpersonal skills; able to work effectively with developers, Business Analysts and other stakeholders. Good organisational skills and ability to plan and prioritise own work to meet agreed deadlines. Preferred Skills: Any hands-on use of Playwright, Selenium or Cypress in a personal project, course or internship setting. Basic familiarity with API concepts and tools such as Postman for manual API exploration. Basic understanding of databases and ability to use SQL for test data preparation and verification. Basic understanding of databases and ability to run simple SQL queries for test data verification. Eagerness to contribute to team processes and continuous improvement within the QA function. Benefits: What’s in it for you? Flexible Working Policy with a combination of remote and office working* Multisport Cards 22 Annual Leave Days for all employees plus additional days with length of service Lifework days: ½ day each quarter to get your life work done Flex hours where you can work your 40 hours across 4.5 days Additional Health Insurance including dental and vision care Team Buildings & Parties Life Insurance Refer a Friend Bonus Discounts across various stores, theatres, restaurants Employee CSR Programme, CluneTech Cares, with one paid Volunteer Day per year CluneTech Life – corporate wellness program Monthly Food Vouchers Company Paid Trainings & Learning Accounts #OneTeam Awards and Annual Employee of the Year Awards Milestone Recognition Program Free Sports: Football, Tennis, Volleyball Employee Assistance Program Meeting Free Days – a specific no meeting day where we encourage no meetings so you (and your team) can focus on getting things done! Are you ready to join our new team and help people from all over the world? If our job offer is what you are looking for, please apply today — we want to hear from you! If you have a friend or two who may be a good fit for the position, please refer them. Thank you for taking the time to review and apply for our job. We will review all applications and invite for an interview all candidates we find to be a fit for the position. When applying for the position, you voluntarily submit your personal data and we will process it for the following purposes: selection of candidates for this position; selection of candidates for future positions occurring within the next 6 months, unless you explicitly state your disagreement; connecting with candidates in connection with the objectives of labor market selection and research; signing an employment or other type of contract. Personal data provided for these purposes will be retained for up to 6 months. You have the right to request the deletion, correction or blocking of personal data if the processing does not meet the requirements of the current legislation or exceeds the stated objectives. Division Sprintax Department Operations Locations Varna, Bulgaria Remote status Hybrid