Test Automation and Performance Specialist

Howdens Joinery ,
Northampton, Northamptonshire
Job Type: Full-time

Overview

As part of our digital transformation, Howdens Joinery are recruiting a Test Automation and Performance Specialist to join us in our office in Northampton in Brackmills Industrial Estate. At the end of 2020, this role will be moving to our new and purpose-built offices in Raunds, Northamptonshire. Working as part of the System Team you will define our automation and performance testing strategies. As a Test Automation and Performance Specialist, you will provide the technical expertise and guidance to our agile delivery teams to ensure they are able to successfully adopt and implement those strategies. As a Test Automation and Performance Specialist, you will enable more frequent and higher quality software releases by ensuring that teams have the self-service and automated tooling, knowledge and frameworks to test the various component parts of a solution and that they are of a high quality and meet the customer’s needs. Operating within the Scaled Agile Framework, you will also seek to improve our processes and tooling, continuously exploring, researching and recommending new opportunities for increasing the quality that is delivered and working with the wider System team to create automated Continuous Integration (CI) and Delivery (CD) pipelines. As a Test Automation and Performance Specialist, you’ll possess a keen mind for solving tough problems partnering with various team members along the way. There is a great opportunity for a high performer with a strong desire to implement change, growth, and maturity, within a department that’s fast-paced, dynamic, and quickly growing in all areas. Key skills and experience required: Excellent experience of developing with automation test tools such as Selenium, Microfocus toolset (incl. UFT & LoadRunner), JMeter, Cucumber, Gherkin etc. to test client and web based applications, containerized solutions, RESTful services, etc. Disciplined developer with understanding of test-driven and behavior driven development and clean code principles with experience in major languages such as Java and .Net using C# 4.0 or higher Good understanding of Source control: Azure DevOps / Git Good technical knowledge, including an understanding of infrastructure, environments, continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines (e.g. Azure DevOps/Jenkins), feature switching, gradual exposure, branch handling, etc. Experience of Setting up load generation using one of the market leading tools (e.g. Apache JMeter, LoadRunner, NeoTest, Visual Studio, Azure DevOps) and performance testing of containerised applications an advantage. Awareness of Application Lifecycle Management tools like Azure DevOps, Jira and Microfocus ALM, including pipelines and continuous integration Strong communication and documentation skills An ability to drive goals and milestones while valuing and maintaining a strong attention to detail. Excellent judgment, analytical thinking and problem-solving skills Self-motivated individual that possesses excellent time management and organizational skills. Familiar with software security best practices. Experience of Scalable Agile Framework (SAFe) v5.0 an advantage. Experience in the Retail/Trade Sector an advantage. Howdens Joinery is a highly successful business, with more than 700 depots nationwide and more than 10,000 staff. Last year our sales reached circa £1.5 billion and we continue to experience significant growth and success. Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values. We have a very competitive salary and benefits package including 25 days holiday, company bonus and pension, free refreshments and snacks, onsite car parking, great social events and a friendly and supportive working environment. As well as the opportunity to develop within a high-profile FTSE 250 company , you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For .