Lead Automation Test Architect

Summary: The Lead Automation Test Architect role focuses on redefining Identity and Access Management (IAM) through a transformational program that spans over five years. The position involves creating and implementing an automation-first testing strategy, leading a team of engineers, and ensuring the quality of IAM solutions. The role requires extensive experience in automation testing and IAM, along with strong technical leadership skills. The position is hybrid, requiring three days in the office in Sheffield.

Key Responsibilities:

• Create an overall testing strategy where the focus is Automation First with minimal manual effort required.
• Plan, develop, execute, maintain and improve Automated Test Framework and Automated Test Scripts for Web and Graph Database applications.
• Jenkins pipeline creation and management for running automated tests, generating reports and notifying team about test results to streamline the CI/CD process.
• Lead, mentor, and manage other engineers within the team.
• Able to develop and execute test plans, test cases, test data, test scenarios, and other testing related plans and documentation based on the requirements and technical specifications.
• Test data generation.
• Accurately report and track testing related defects and issues, by writing or automating, effective and thorough bug reports, attend triage meetings and verify bug fixes.
• Identify process and application issues and provide suggestions to improve.
• Learn new technologies and adapt to them as needed.
• Communicate progress regularly to senior stakeholders and programme leads, understanding the level of information relevant to the recipient.
• Generate regulatory evidence as needed.
• FR / NFR traceability.
• Identification and collating test entry and exit criteria.
• Test case review/QA for coverage and traceability to requirements/design.
• Liaison with business areas/technical leads re SIT/OAT/UAT scenario definitions as required.
• Analysis of design and other documents for testability.
• Testing functions and decision points "As Code", such as Policy as code.
• Strong technical leadership and process improvement - Establish automation testing standards, best practices, and governance frameworks across the organization.

Key Skills:

• Extensive experience within Identity and Access Management.
• Solid experience of at least 5 years in a lead automation role, skilled in creating frameworks with strong coding experience e.g Java, Playwright, Python, Typescript, Cypher, Scala and API tooling (such as Insomnia, Apidog or Postman).
• Deep IAM domain knowledge.
• Testing functions and decision points "As Code", such as Policy as code.
• Graph and event-driven validation.
• Automation-first test experience.
• Layered test architecture.
• Risk-based test prioritisation.
• RBAC / ABAC / ReBAC / PBAC.
• OPA / Rego policy testing.
• Policy explainability validation.
• REST API automation, API Gateway testing, Batch ETL testing.
• Consumer-driven contract testing.
• Idempotency testing.
• Replay and reprocessing testing.
• Graph data validation (Neo4j).
• Containerised test execution.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and stakeholder engagement at all levels.
• Experience of using a range of automation tools and experience of test tool selection/recommendations based on assessment of the environment/landscape.
• Experience in creating an overall test strategy that fully defines the approach, environment, scope, risks and resources required.
• Experience of delivering within an Agile methodology.
• Cloud testing approaches and methodology, especially GCP, but also AWS, Azure, Entra, Ali Cloud and other systems such as ServiceNow, AD, ADLDS.
• Some knowledge of JMeter, Gatling, LoadRunner, NeoLoad or similar tools for load, stress, and volume testing including any licensing requirements, configuration, dashboards and reporting.
• Experience of testing graph database management systems (GDBMS) Graph platform engineering, Neo4j Basics.
• GDBMS Performance Analysis.
• Extensive experience using JIRA and Xephyr tooling.
• Good experience of executing defined test plans including coordination, tracking and reporting.
• Positive team player working as part of the overall test team.
• Any exposure to SailPoint IdentityIQ, Identity warehousing, and working with protocols and formats for data ingestion such as SCIM, REST API, LDAP, OIDC and CSV.
• Team Leadership & Management - Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage other engineers within the team.
• DevOps & CI/CD Integration - Experience of GitOps Repos. Ability to integrate automation tests into GitLab CI/CD pipelines and implement shift-left testing practices.
• Pub Sub and MQ.

Salary (Rate): £580 per day

City: Sheffield

Country: United Kingdom

Working Arrangements: hybrid

IR35 Status: outside IR35

Seniority Level: Senior

Industry: IT

Detailed Description From Employer:

Role Title: Lead Automation Test Architect
Location: Sheffield Hybrid Remote/Sheffield ; 3 days in office
Duration: 11-Dec-26
Rate £600

Role Description:

At the clients?we're?redefining Identity and Access Management (IAM) on a global scale?and launching a transformational programme?to?bridge?modern IAM technology?and solutions?with big bank scale and complexity. The IAM Transformation program is?forecast?to be 5 years plus with?significant change?to be designed, planned and implemented globally.?The?transformation encompasses all?aspects?of IAM from Authentication through to elevated access and will cover human and non-human identities.??
Key Responsibilities

• Create an overall testing strategy where the focus is Automation First with minimal manual effort required.
• Plan, develop, execute, maintain and improve Automated Test Framework and Automated Test Scripts for Web and Graph Database applications
• Jenkins pipeline creation and management for running automated tests, generating reports and notifying team about test results to streamline the CI/CD process.
• Lead, mentor, and manage other engineers within the team
• Able to develop and execute test plans, test cases, test data, test scenarios, and other testing related plans and documentation based on the requirements and technical specifications
• Test data generation
• Accurately report and track testing related defects and issues, by writing or automating, effective and thorough bug reports, attend triage meetings and verify bug fixes
• Identify process and application issues and provide suggestions to improve
• Learn new technologies and adapt to them as needed
• Communicate progress regularly to senior stakeholders and programme leads, understanding the level of information relevant to the recipient
• Generate regulatory evidence as needed
• FR / NFR traceability
• Identification and collating test entry and exit criteria
• Test case review/QA for coverage and traceability to requirements/design
• Liaison with business areas/technical leads re SIT/OAT/UAT scenario definitions as required
• Analysis of design and other documents for testability
• Testing functions and decision points ""As Code"", such as Policy as code
• Strong technical leadership and process improvement - Establish automation testing standards, best practices, and governance frameworks across the organization

Skills required:

• Extensive experience within Identity and Access Management
• Solid experience of at least 5 years in a lead automation role, skilled in creating frameworks with strong coding experience e.g Java, Playwright, Python, Typescript, Cypher, Scala and API tooling (such as Insomnia, Apidog or Postman)
• Deep IAM domain knowledge
• Testing functions and decision points ""As Code"", such as Policy as code
• Graph and event-driven validation
• Automation-first test experience
• Layered test architecture
• Risk-based test prioritisation
• RBAC / ABAC / ReBAC / PBAC
• OPA / Rego policy testing
• Policy explainability validation
• REST API automation, API Gateway testing, Batch ETL testing
• Consumer-driven contract testing
• Idempotency testing
• Replay and reprocessing testing
• Graph data validation (Neo4j)
• Containerised test execution
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and stakeholder engagement at all levels
• Experience of using a range of automation tools and experience of test tool selection/recommendations based on assessment of the environment/landscape.
• Experience in creating an overall test strategy that fully defines the approach, environment, scope, risks and resources required.
• Experience of delivering within an Agile methodology.
• Cloud testing approaches and methodology, especially GCP, but also AWS, Azure, Entra, Ali Cloud and other systems such as ServiceNow, AD, ADLDS
• Some knowledge of JMeter, Gatling, LoadRunner, NeoLoad or similar tools for load, stress, and volume testing including any licensing requirements, configuration, dashboards and reporting
• Experience of testing graph database management systems (GDBMS) Graph platform engineering, Neo4j Basics
• GDBMS Performance Analysis
• Extensive experience using JIRA and Xephyr tooling
• Good experience of executing defined test plans including coordination, tracking and reporting
• Positive team player working as part of the overall test team,
• Any exposure to SailPoint IdentityIQ, Identity warehousing, and working with protocols and formats for data ingestion such as SCIM, REST API, LDAP, OIDC and CSV
• Team Leadership & Management - Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage other engineers within the team
• DevOps & CI/CD Integration - Experience of GitOps Repos. Ability to integrate automation tests into GitLab CI/CD pipelines and implement shift-left testing practices
• Pub Sub and MQ