QA Engineer (Automation)
Travis Perkins
QA Engineer (Automation)
Travis Perkins
UK building materials wholesaler and retailer
Department: Software Engineering
Location: Northampton (Hybrid: 2–3 days/week in office)
We are seeking a motivated, quality-focused QA Engineer (Automation) to join our Software Engineering team at Travis Perkins Group. You will play a key role in building and improving automated testing across ourcore enterprise systems and in-store retail trading platforms, helping ensure our critical business applications are reliable, resilient, and fit for purpose.
Working alongside internal engineers, Product Owners, technical SMEs, DevOps colleagues, and third-party QA engineers, you will develop scalable test automation that improves regression coverage, accelerates feedback, and increases confidence in software releases.
We are also looking for someone with practical exposure toAI and a curiosity about how it can improve QA and software engineering. You will bring ideas and experience to help us identify opportunities to use AI to improve test automation, defect analysis, and engineering productivity.
Design, build, and maintain a scalable automated testing framework for terminal-based interfaces (including Web Terminal) and modern web applications.
Develop robust regression suites covering critical retail trading journeys, core business processes, and connected systems.
Automate and validate data flows between core applications and connected enterprise systems to ensure data consistency and transactional integrity.
Utilize REST APIs to support test data creation, retrieval, validation, and environment setup.
Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using scheduled and containerized execution where appropriate.
Provide rapid feedback during development and deliver automated validation following deployments.
Work with Product Owners, system SMEs, developers, DevOps, and third-party QA engineers to translate business processes into clear test scenarios and maintainable automation.
Partner with external QA engineering providers to establish automation standards, review test solutions, share knowledge, and build a consistent capability.
Explore and apply AI tools to improve test generation, script optimization, test data creation, failure analysis, defect triage, and documentation.
Identify practical opportunities to leverage AI across QA and the wider software delivery lifecycle, sharing knowledge and successful approaches across teams.
Quality Shift-Left: Work with developers and Product Owners from the outset to identify risks, define acceptance criteria, and establish test coverage.
Defect & Incident Investigation:Investigate test failures and production incidents using logs and technical analysis to identify root causes and support release decisions.
Agile Teamwork: Participate in sprint planning, refinement, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
Standards & Optimization: Promote reusable or maintainable automation and secure practices. Monitor test coverage, execution times, and reliability (utilizing parallel execution and session health checks).
Education/Experience: Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent practical industry experience).
QA & Automation:Strong background in quality engineering with hands-on experience designing, developing, and maintaining automated test frameworks.
Languages & Tools: Good programming/scripting skills (ideally TypeScript or JavaScript). Experience with end-to-end testing tools, Page Object Models, and asynchronous test handling.
API Testing: Experience in testing web applications, APIs, and integrations using REST APIs, Postman, or equivalent tools.
DevOps Integration:Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated execution.
Soft Skills: Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with strong attention to detail and a collaborative mindset.
Experience testing retail, branch trading, cash operations, transactional systems, or order lifecycleworkflows.
Familiarity with terminal emulation or legacy/green-screen interfaces.
Experience with enterprise systems including ERP, middleware, PIM, or digital platforms.
Practical exposure to AI tools/technologies with a strong interest in applying AI to QA and software engineering workflows.
Hands-on experience with reporting tools (e.g., Allure) and cloud-based/containerized test environments.
ISTQB or equivalent software testing certification.
Experience using AI coding assistants, generative AI, or AI-powered testing tools to generate tests, analyze failures, optimize automation, or train engineering teams.
Software Engineering plays a vital role in protecting Travis Perkins Group's core revenue streams and business continuity. In this role, you will help establish a scalable automation capability across our core retail trading platforms and connected enterprise systems, reducing reliance on manual regression testing and embedding quality directly into our CI/CD pipelines.
You will also have the direct opportunity to shape how we adopt AI within QA and Software Engineering, bringing new ideas to deliver measurable improvements in delivery quality and team productivity.
UK building materials wholesaler and retailer
Travis Perkins is a large UK supplier of building materials and home improvement products. It grew from two family businesses (Perkins & Co and Travis timber importers) that merged in 1988 and expanded through acquiring many other businesses, including Wickes in 2005, to serve both tradespeople and DIY customers. Its operations center on distributing a wide range of products—timber, bricks, plaster, plumbing and heating, decorating, tools, and related building supplies—through a network of branches and direct-to-consumer channels, plus online ordering. The company differentiates itself by its scale, diversified portfolio of brands and outlets, and a strong emphasis on growth through acquisitions that widen its geographic reach and product offerings. Its goal is to remain a leading UK building materials and home improvement group by expanding its reach, product range, and service capabilities across both trade and consumer markets.
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