Automation Test Engineer – Securities Lending & Borrowing (SLB)

Location: Johannesburg (Hybrid)
Contract Type: Contract

Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced Automation Test Engineer / Quality Engineering Specialist to lead the design, implementation, and governance of a comprehensive test automation capability for a large-scale Securities Lending & Borrowing (SLB) System Replacement Programme.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing an end-to-end Quality Engineering function that drives automation across the testing lifecycle, targeting a minimum of 85% automation coverage across business processes, system integrations, and regression testing activities.

This role requires a highly skilled automation professional with strong experience in financial services, complex systems integration, CI/CD environments, and enterprise-scale automation frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

Test Strategy & Quality Engineering Governance

• Develop and implement a comprehensive Test Automation Strategy aligned to programme objectives.

• Establish governance structures, quality gates, standards, and reporting frameworks across the SDLC.

• Define and track KPIs including automation coverage, defect leakage, test execution efficiency, and cycle time reduction.

• Collaborate with Business, Technology, Delivery Teams, and Implementation Partners to drive quality outcomes.

Test Automation Framework Development

• Design and implement scalable, reusable, and maintainable automation frameworks.

• Develop automation solutions supporting:

  • Functional Testing

  • Integration Testing

  • System Testing

  • Regression Testing

  • End-to-End Testing

• Ensure automation frameworks support future releases and platform scalability.

• Implement automated test data management and provisioning capabilities.

Integration & Interface Testing

• Automate testing across multiple interfaces and platforms, including:

  • Custodian systems

  • Market data providers

  • Collateral management platforms

  • Trading and settlement systems

• Validate data integrity and transaction processing across integrated systems.

CI/CD Enablement

• Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.

• Enable continuous testing and validation throughout the delivery lifecycle.

• Collaborate with DevOps teams to ensure seamless deployment and quality controls.

Non-Functional Testing

• Implement automated performance, scalability, reliability, and security testing solutions.

• Conduct performance testing and identify system bottlenecks.

• Support security testing and vulnerability validation activities.

• Ensure solutions meet operational resilience requirements.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure testing activities comply with:

  • South African banking regulations

  • Data privacy requirements

  • Internal governance standards

  • Financial sector regulatory obligations

• Support audit and compliance reviews where required.

Knowledge Transfer & Capability Building

• Provide mentorship and training to internal teams.

• Develop documentation, standards, and best practices.

• Facilitate knowledge transfer to ensure sustainable automation capability after project completion.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Relevant testing certifications advantageous:

  • ISTQB Advanced

  • ISTQB Test Automation Engineer

  • Certified Agile Tester

  • Certified Quality Engineering certifications

Experience

• 8+ years of software testing experience.

• 5+ years of automation testing experience.

• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise test automation frameworks.

• Experience working in Banking, Financial Services, Capital Markets, or Investment Banking environments.

• Experience working on large-scale system implementation or replacement programmes.

Technical Skills

Test Automation

• Selenium

• Playwright

• Cypress

• Appium (advantageous)

Programming Languages

• Java

• C#

• Python

API Testing

• Postman

• Rest Assured

• SOAP UI

• REST and SOAP Services

CI/CD & DevOps

• Jenkins

• Azure DevOps

• GitLab CI/CD

• GitHub Actions

Cloud & Infrastructure

• AWS

• Kubernetes

• Amazon EKS

• Docker

Performance Testing

• JMeter

• LoadRunner

• Gatling

Test Management Tools

• Jira

• Xray

• Zephyr

• ALM / Quality Center

Preferred Experience

• Securities Lending & Borrowing (SLB)

• Capital Markets

• Custody Services

• Trading Systems

• Equities

• Derivatives

• Treasury Platforms

• Market Data Integrations

• Financial Messaging and Settlement Platforms

Key Competencies

• Quality Engineering Leadership

• Test Automation Strategy

• Framework Design & Architecture

• Stakeholder Management

• Analytical Thinking

• Problem Solving

• Governance & Risk Management

• Communication & Influencing Skills

• Continuous Improvement Mindset

• Coaching & Mentoring

Success Measures

• Achievement of 85%+ automation coverage.

• Reduction in manual testing effort.

• Reduced defect leakage into production.

• Faster test execution cycles.

• Improved delivery quality and programme outcomes.

• Sustainable automation capability embedded within the organisation.

Contact information

Yandiswa D