Automation Lead

About the Role

Join us as an Automation Lead at Barclays where you will spearhead the evolution of our digital landscape, driving innovation and excellence. You will harness cutting-edge technology to revolutionize our digital offerings, ensuring unparalleled customer experience. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of our applications. With a strong background in Test automation, you will drive the testing strategy, mentor the testing team, and ensure the delivery of high-quality software.

To Be Successful As Automation Lead You Should Possess

• Hands-on experience in software testing & expertise in designing, developing, and implementing robust test automation frameworks for both front-end (e.g., React.js) and back-end applications (e.g., Java Spring Boot), ensuring high-quality and maintainable test solutions.
• Proficiency in automation tools like Playwright, Selenium, Cypress, TestNG, or RestAssured (preferably Playwright).
• Strong programming skills in Java and JavaScript for writing automated test scripts.
• Experience with API testing and integration testing using tools like Postman or RestAssured.
• Ability to define and implement testing strategies and best practices, and leading a team of test automation engineers.
• Experience writing SQL queries to validate data integrity and accuracy.

Some Other Highly Valued Skills May Include

• Experience in testing workflows orchestrated by Camunda BPM, including BPM 2.0 process models, task assignments, and process state transitions.
• Exposure to testing event-driven systems using Kafka or other message brokers.
• Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI.
• Proven experience in testing applications in the Financial Crime (e.g., AML, Fraud Detection) or Wholesale Banking domain.

You may be assessed on key critical skills relevant for success in the role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking, and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

Purpose of the Role

To design, develop, and execute testing strategies to validate functionality, performance, and user experience, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve defects, and continuously improve testing processes and methodologies, to ensure software quality and reliability.

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of comprehensive test plans and strategies to validate software functionality and ensure compliance with established quality standards.
• Creation and execution of automated test scripts, leveraging testing frameworks and tools to facilitate early detection of defects and quality issues.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams to analyze requirements, participate in design discussions, and contribute to the development of acceptance criteria, ensuring a thorough understanding of the software being tested.
• Root cause analysis for identified defects, working closely with developers to provide detailed information and support defect resolution.
• Collaboration with peers, participation in code reviews, and promotion of a culture of code quality and knowledge sharing.
• Stay informed of industry technology trends and innovations, and actively contribute to the organization's technology communities to foster a culture of technical excellence and growth.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

To advise and influence decision-making, contribute to policy development, and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/business divisions.

Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well-developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives, and determination of reward outcomes.

If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviors to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialization to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/or projects, identifying a combination of cross-functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.

Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues. Identify ways to mitigate risk and develop new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda. Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.

Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organization sub-function. Collaborate with other areas of work, for business-aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.

Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practices (in other areas, teams, companies, etc.) to solve problems creatively and effectively. Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience. Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Key skills/competency

• Automation Lead
• Test Automation Frameworks
• Playwright
• Selenium
• Java
• JavaScript
• API Testing
• SQL
• CI/CD
• Financial Crime Testing