Senior Automation Engineer

Senior Automation Engineer Apply Role specifics Salary range: market rate Reporting to: QA Lead Key stakeholders: Test Engineers, Director of Development, Platform and DX team, CTO Organisational Framework Level: 3 This is a remote-first role, with occasional team meetups About you/ Job Summary We are looking to recruit a Senior Automation Engineer to act as a deputy to our QA Lead, and operate as a sole contributor. This is a hands-on, automation-first role with a primary focus on building and expanding our automated test coverage across the platform. The role requires strong technical capability, natural leadership, and the confidence to step in and lead QA activities on days when the QA Lead is not working. You will play a key role in shaping our QA approach, tooling, and standards, while remaining deeply involved in implementation. This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys ownership, autonomy, and building high-quality, scalable test automation for cloud-based products. At Clue Software, we’re actively adopting AI to enhance our products and workflows. You'll bring curiosity and a willingness to leverage AI tools and approaches that drive innovation. Key Accountabilities Automation & Quality Engineering Design, build, and ongoing improvement of automated test coverage within our automation-first QA team. Develop and maintain automated UI and API tests using Playwright and Postman. Design and execute performance and load testing using JMeter, including analysis and reporting of results. Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and development workflows. Ensure automation is reliable, maintainable, and provides fast feedback to engineering teams. Quality Leadership & Ownership Act as deputy to the QA Lead, providing cover and decision-making when the QA Lead is unavailable. Operate confidently as a sole QA contributor, owning end‑to‑end quality for features and releases. Participate in planning, refinement, and release activities to ensure quality is built in from the outset. Work closely with engineering teams building and deploying services on Azure. Support testing of cloud‑native, distributed systems and web applications. AI ‑ Native Ways of Working Actively use AI‑assisted tooling to accelerate test creation, analysis, and maintenance. Able to evidence impact in previous roles. Work with the QA lead to explore and introduce AI‑driven approaches to test generation, optimisation, and defect detection where appropriate. Work with the QA lead to build modern, efficient QA practices that embrace AI as a productivity multiplier. Key role measures % Automation coverage for regression test pack Release test cycle time Release defect reports Experience and skills Our ideal candidate would have experience in the following areas: Extensive experience as a senior or lead QA engineer, in a SaaS or cloud-based environment. Strong automation-first mindset with hands-on expertise in: -Playwright -JMeter (or equivalent performance testing tools) -PostMan Proven ability to work effectively as a sole contributor. Experience providing technical leadership or acting as a number 2 for a QA Lead or Manager. Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines and how automated tests fit into them. Cloud experience, ideally Microsoft Azure. Comfortable working across UI, API, and performance testing. Demonstratable skills in security or non-functional testing. Desirable Skills Experience with API testing frameworks. Experience working in regulated or high-assurance environments. Contribution to test strategy, standards, or frameworks at team or organisational level. Personal Attributes Highly organised and able to prioritise effectively in a fast‑moving environment. Strong communicator, able to work closely with developers, product, and stakeholders. Curious, improvement-driven, and enthusiastic about modern QA practices. Confident, pragmatic leader who can take ownership when required. AI-native mindset – comfortable adopting new tools and ways of working. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway and tell us more about yourself. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. We believe that seeing the world from all sorts of angles makes life better for all. We want you to know that the things that make you an individual, like your identity, age, ethnicity, religion, ability and background, are things that we choose to celebrate and support. We are a scale-up company, and as we continue to grow, we are passionate that having a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace will remain at our core. We are creating an inclusive environment where our people can thrive. Our values are aligned and at the heart of everything we do. We are respectful, united, rigorous, relentless and ethical. Department Technology Locations Bristol Remote status Hybrid About Clue Software Clue provides software for a safer society. Investigations professionals use Clue to conduct enhanced end-to-end operations enabled by proactive threat detection and prevention, operational pace and confidence in decision-making. Clue is trusted by a diverse and global investigations community dedicated to preventing harm and bringing justice to victims in society, spanning government, corporate, law enforcement, not-for-profit and sports organisations. Founded in 1983 Co-workers 84