Senior QA Automation Engineer

About the Position

At Life is Hard, we build and deliver software solutions where quality, reliability, and continuous improvement are essential to creating great customer experiences. We're looking for a Senior QA Automation Engineer who combines strong automation expertise with a quality-first mindset. You'll design and evolve automation solutions and testing frameworks, contribute to testing strategies across the platform, and work closely with Engineering to identify risks and solve complex issues. You'll also have the opportunity to explore and use AI-assisted tools as part of the automation process, while helping us continuously improve our testing practices and product quality.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and build of the automated testing framework from the ground up: establishing the architecture, conventions, and tooling that the rest of engineering builds on
• Work as a human–AI pair: direct AI coding agents and LLMs to generate test scaffolding, scripts, and data, then rigorously review, correct, and harden their output. You are accountable for what ships, not the model
• Design end-to-end and API-level test strategies for the platform, with particular focus on the CoreServices insurance APIs, where correctness is contractual and billed to external consumers
• Build and maintain automated regression and contract tests that protect API stability across releases, catching breaking changes before they reach brokers or paying integrators
• Integrate automated testing workflows into the CI/CD pipeline so validation runs continuously rather than as a manual gate
• Debug and triage complex failures across the stack, distinguishing real defects from flaky tests and environmental noise; partner with engineering to confirm fixes
• Critically evaluate both manual and AI-generated test results, produce clear reports, and turn findings into concrete quality improvements
• Balance manual and automated approaches, judging where automation pays off and where exploratory manual testing is the right tool
• Identify, document, and track defects to resolution in close collaboration with development teams
• Continuously evaluate and integrate new testing tools and AI capabilities as the platform and the tooling landscape evolve
• Elaborate technical documentation on performed work according to industry standards and best practices, keeping the framework understandable and maintainable by others
• Champion a quality-first mindset across engineering, shaping testing strategy and standards through influence rather than authority

Requirements

• An adaptable person, willing to step outside their comfort zone as tools and requirements shift
• Watchful and observant: able to notice subtle changes, regressions, and things that "pass" but shouldn't
• A critical thinker who treats AI-generated code and tests with healthy skepticism: verifying before trusting, and able to tell a meaningful test from a green-but-empty one
• Confident in coming up with options for problems and poised to see them sorted
• Communicative and friendly, able to engage in open and honest communication, interested to connect with local and remote peers
• Independent, capable of managing tasks influenced by a third party, tracking progress and ensuring delivery on schedule and to expectations
• Aware of customer needs and business value, curious about the product's purpose and the customer's way of thinking
• Curious about the problem domain: you're eager to learn how brokers, insurers, and regulation shape what "correct" means
• Able to foster a quality-first mindset, helping shape and implement testing strategies that align with broader project goals
• Displaying a positive work ethic: disciplined, consistent, and honest. Cares about the work they produce, going a step above and beyond the minimum of expectations on quality

Skills

• Strong experience as a QA Engineer, with a solid focus on test automation and demonstrated technical judgment
• Proven ability to design test strategy and framework architecture, not just author individual scripts
• Strong experience testing APIs and web services: you know what a correct API contract looks like and how to prove it
• Demonstrated ability to use AI coding agents and LLMs as force multipliers. Able to review, critique, and correct their output at a senior level, including across unfamiliar code and stacks
• Solid programming ability in at least one of Java, JavaScript/TypeScript, or Python: enough to read, judge, and refactor generated code, not only to write it
• Hands-on experience with automation tooling such as Postman, Playwright/Cypress, Selenium, and JMeter (breadth and the ability to pick up new tools matter more than mastery of any single one)
• Proficiency with modern web fundamentals: HTTP(S), JSON, XML, and RESTful services
• Load/performance/stress testing experience (e.g., JMeter)
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines

Bonus Points

• Experience with security testing for web applications, especially multi-tenant data-isolation testing
• Exposure to contract testing and API mocking/service virtualization
• Familiarity with the insurance domain or other regulated, compliance-heavy environments
• Familiarity with object-oriented programming concepts

We Offer

At Life is Hard, you'll have the opportunity to shape how quality is built into our software products. You'll work closely with Engineering, influence testing practices, introduce better tools and approaches, and help us continuously improve how we build reliable solutions. Along with the opportunity to make a tangible technical impact, we offer:

• Competitive salary package, aligned with experience and performance
• Continuous learning and development opportunities
• Private medical insurance with access to Regina Maria
• Electronic meal vouchers
• Vision care voucher
• An additional paid day off to celebrate your birthday

About the Company

At Life is Hard, we build and deliver software solutions where quality, reliability, and continuous improvement are essential to creating great customer experiences. Join us to be part of a team that values quality and innovation in every aspect of our work.

Apply now