Lead Automation engineer

phone number removed) – Lead Automation Engineer

Lead Test Automation Engineer / Test Automation Engineer / SC Clearance required

Permanent | Hybrid – London or Leeds | 50% onsite | SC Clearance

At Peregrine, we're always seeking Specialist Talent that have the ideal mix of skills, experience, and attitude, to place with our vast array of clients. From Business Analysts in large government organisations to Software Developers in the private sector – we are always in search of the best talent to place, now.

The role

We are seeking experienced Test Automation Engineers and Senior Test Automation Engineers to join a large-scale technology environment, helping to develop and enhance automated testing capabilities across critical applications and services.

You will be responsible for designing, developing and maintaining automated test solutions, working closely with developers, architects, analysts and wider technology teams to ensure high levels of quality and reliability.

Depending on experience, there will also be opportunities to take ownership of automation strategy, lead other automation engineers, contribute to performance testing strategy and drive improvements to testing frameworks, tooling and processes.

Responsibilities

Design, develop and maintain robust automated test scripts and automation frameworks

Deliver automated testing across functional, system, integration, end-to-end, API and security testing

Develop and maintain API automation using tools such as Karate, Postman and SOAPUI

Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines and development workflows

Troubleshoot automation failures and identify opportunities to improve test coverage and reliability

Work closely with developers, architects, analysts and business stakeholders throughout the software delivery lifecycle

Contribute to the continuous improvement of automation frameworks, tooling and testing processes

Support performance testing and identify potential application bottlenecks

Work with cloud and containerised environments

Skills & Experience

Strong experience within Test Automation / Automation Testing / SDET environments

SC Clearance essential

Demonstrable experience designing, developing or maintaining test automation frameworks

Experience with automation tools such as Selenium and Karate

Strong API testing experience using tools such as Postman and SOAPUI

Programming or scripting experience using Java, Python and/or JavaScript

Experience with Cucumber / BDD

Strong understanding of software testing principles, methodologies and techniques

Experience working with CI/CD pipelines and tools such as Jenkins and GitHub Actions

Experience with version control systems

Knowledge of cloud platforms such as Azure

Exposure to containerisation technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes

Experience working within Agile software delivery environments

Experience across functional, integration, end-to-end, API and security testing

Experience with test data tools and test data management

Senior-level experience

For Senior Test Automation Engineer opportunities, we are particularly interested in candidates with:

Extensive hands-on test automation experience

Proven experience designing and implementing automation frameworks

Technical leadership, coaching or mentoring experience

Experience leading automation engineers or taking ownership of automation delivery

Performance testing experience using tools such as JMeter and LoadRunner

Experience contributing to automation and performance testing strategy

Strong experience across complex, integrated enterprise systems

Desirable skills

Kafka, IBM MQ and/or ACE

Performance and security testing

SonarQube, Fortify, Twistlock or Xray

Oracle and SQL

Control-M

Knowledge of technologies including XML, HTML, Web Services and SOAP

Banking or financial services experience

ISTQB, ISEB or equivalent testing qualification

About Peregrine

We build workforces that deliver tech and change programmes at leading UK organisations. By combining data science from Peregrine Intelligence, our industry-accredited Peregrine Academy, and market-leading attraction and diversity initiatives, we bridge capability gaps at all levels in public and private sector organisations. We work closely with our clients to understand their challenges and deliver flexible, long-term solutions that make a real difference. When you join Peregrine, you become part of a team that’s focused on growth, both yours, our clients’, and the sectors we support. You’ll also get access to a full range of benefits alongside your salary.

How Specialist Talent Works

As a permanent employee at Peregrine, you’ll be part of our Specialist Talent team. That means you’ll work on-site or remotely with our clients, supporting them on complex, high-impact projects in Data, Digital and Business Transformation. You’ll get the variety and challenge of consultancy work, with the stability and support of a permanent role. You’re not a contractor - you’re a valued member of our team, with access to all the same benefits, learning opportunities, and community.

Our Culture

We’re curious, open, and always learning. We believe in doing great work and doing it with integrity. We support each other, share ideas freely, and celebrate progress big and small. And we care about the impact we make, whether that’s helping clients solve tough problems or creating opportunities for people from all walks of life.

Diversity and Inclusion

We’re proud to be a diverse team, with 20+ nationalities represented across Peregrine. We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences, and we’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. Through our partnerships and internal initiatives, we’re working to improve social mobility, reduce our environmental impact, and help our clients build more inclusive teams too