Test Automation Engineer III

Reference: PR000944-GN-1

Psybergate is an IT company that builds bespoke software solutions and provides highly skilled resources to its clients.
Our client, a leading organisation within the financial services sector, is looking for an experienced Test Automation Engineer III to join their technology team. This is a contract opportunity based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape.

We are looking for a senior test automation professional with strong experience designing, developing and implementing scalable automation frameworks across complex enterprise systems. The ideal candidate will have expertise in automation architecture, test strategy, API testing, CI/CD integration and advanced automation practices. Hands-on experience with mobile application automation using Appium and WebdriverIO across iOS and Android is essential, together with experience using cloud-based device testing platforms such as BrowserStack. Duties & Responsibilities What you will be doing:

• Design and architect enterprise-level test automation frameworks that are scalable, maintainable and reusable across product lines.
• Define and drive automation strategies aligned with organisational goals and technology roadmaps.
• Evaluate, recommend and implement automation tools, technologies and methodologies.
• Define and implement mobile application automation toolchains using Appium, WebdriverIO and cloud device farms such as BrowserStack.
• Establish coding standards, design patterns and best practices for automation development.
• Drive shift-left testing practices and integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Conduct proof-of-concepts for emerging automation technologies and present findings to leadership.
• Develop and maintain complex automation solutions for critical business systems.
• Optimise existing automation frameworks for performance, reliability and execution speed.
• Implement advanced testing patterns, including parallel execution, containerised testing and cloud-based test infrastructure.
• Design and implement comprehensive API and service-level automation testing strategies.
• Architect and maintain native mobile application automation solutions across iOS and Android using Appium-based frameworks integrated with WebdriverIO.
• Implement cross-platform device and gesture handling, including deep links, biometrics, OTP/push flows and application state resets.
• Design and manage cloud-based device testing strategies using platforms such as BrowserStack.
• Manage parallel multi-device execution, device and operating system coverage matrices, and real-device versus simulator/emulator testing.
• Drive test data management strategies and implement automated data provisioning.
• Integrate automation solutions with version control, CI/CD and reporting tools.
• Conduct code reviews of automation scripts to ensure quality and adherence to standards.
• Define, implement and track automation coverage metrics and key performance indicators.
• Develop automated reporting dashboards for test execution, coverage and defect trends.
• Analyse test results to identify recurring quality issues and recommend preventive measures.
• Report on automation return on investment (ROI) and efficiency gains to senior stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making.
• Act as the technical authority and escalation point for complex automation challenges.
• Mentor and develop Level I and Level II automation engineers.
• Conduct technical training sessions and knowledge-sharing workshops.
• Participate in the hiring and technical assessment of automation candidates.
• Collaborate with development leads and architects on software testability requirements.
• Represent the automation function in cross-team technical forums and architecture reviews.
• Drive defect prevention through root-cause analysis and trend identification.
• Implement automated quality gates within CI/CD pipelines.
• Define and enforce test automation standards across teams.
• Collaborate with development teams to improve software testability and quality.
• Lead post-mortem analysis of production defects that were not identified through automation.
• Perform manual testing when required.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field, together with a Test Automation Certification.
• 5–8 years of hands-on experience in automation testing, including designing and implementing automation frameworks at scale.
• Experience developing advanced automated test solutions across complex systems.
• Strong experience architecting and scaling native mobile application automation frameworks using Appium and WebdriverIO across iOS and Android.
• Experience with cloud-based device testing platforms such as BrowserStack.
• Advanced knowledge of automation frameworks, design patterns and scalable automation practices.
• Strong understanding of programming and scripting concepts used in test automation.
• Experience implementing and optimising CI/CD pipelines and integrating automated testing into delivery workflows.
• Experience with API and service-level testing in distributed architectures.
• Experience working with databases, data-driven systems and event-driven environments.
• Strong knowledge of system integration, APIs and event-driven architectures.
• Experience managing and provisioning test data in complex environments.
• Experience working with cloud-based and containerised testing environments.
• Knowledge of mobile application testing across iOS and Android, including device fragmentation, operating system versions, application lifecycle and permissions.
• Understanding of mobile CI/CD application build and distribution pipelines.
• Experience designing and executing non-functional testing, including performance and resilience testing.
• Knowledge of performance and load testing concepts.
• Understanding of cloud platforms and distributed system design principles.
• Strong understanding of DevOps principles and CI/CD practices.
• Deep understanding of database concepts, data management and validation techniques.
• Knowledge of quality engineering principles, standards and best practices.
• Experience defining automation strategies, standards and quality metrics.
• Experience conducting code reviews and improving automation framework quality.
• Technical leadership experience, including mentoring and developing automation engineers.
• Strong analytical, numerical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal, relationship management and collaboration skills.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to drive technical improvements.

Beneficial Certifications:

• AWS Certification.
• DevOps Certification.

Please note that if you do not hear from us within 3 weeks, consider your application unsuccessful.
Please note that most of our positions are remote; however, candidates should reside within travelling distance of the client site, as the working arrangements may change depending on business requirements.

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