Senior Automation Consultant - Java, API

Senior Java Automation Consultant - Permanent

Location:

UK (Security Clearance Required)
Recruiter:
Walter Everett (in partnership with a Global Consultancy)

Walter Everett is partnering with a global consultancy to recruit a highly skilled Automation Consultant. This role involves working on a Government project, so Security Clearance or Eligibility is essential.

• Work closely with Product Owners and Software Engineers to define acceptance criteria and testing Definition of Done for user stories within a Java microservices environment
• Collaborate with developers to design, review, and implement automated tests at unit, component, and API layers
• Perform comprehensive API testing across distributed microservices using RESTful services
• Contribute to and support consumer-driven contract testing practices (e.g. Pact) to ensure reliable service integration between microservices
• Develop and maintain automated tests using Java-based frameworks to ensure robust regression and integration coverage
• Perform exploratory testing across microservices, APIs, and integrated systems
• Support test-first and TDD approaches using Java and JUnit
• Design, implement, and maintain test stubs, mocks, and service virtualisation to enable isolated testing of microservices
• Validate both functional and non-functional requirements (NFRs), including performance, reliability, and resilience of APIs and services
• Ensure full traceability between requirements, test cases, and automated test coverage
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, ensuring automated tests execute reliably within build and deployment workflows
• Work collaboratively within Agile teams, participating in sprint planning, estimation, retrospectives, and continuous improvement activities
• Provide clear reporting on test progress, quality metrics, and test coverage
• Promote a strong quality-first engineering culture throughout the software development lifecycle

• Strong experience as a QA Automation Engineer / SDET within Java environments
• Proven experience testing REST APIs and microservices architectures
• Strong Java programming skills and experience building automated test frameworks
• Experience working with microservices-based systems (Spring Boot preferred)
• Experience with consumer-driven contract testing tools such as Pact (or strong understanding of contract testing principles)
• Experience with API testing tools such as REST Assured or Postman
• Experience working within CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, Git Lab CI, etc.)
• Strong understanding of Agile, TDD, and automation-first development practices
• Experience with Docker and containerised environments
• Experience using Git-based source control systems
• Strong understanding of software testing principles, automation design patterns, and quality engineering practices
• Experience implementing or working with Pact contract testing frameworks
• Experience with Wire Mock or service virtualisation tools
• Experience testing Spring Boot microservices
• Experience with AWS cloud environments
• Experience with performance and non-functional testing tools
• Experience contributing to test strategy and automation architecture

You're a detail-oriented Automation Framework Consultant with strong Java skills, you understand both the technical and architectural aspects of software systems and can design tailored automation solutions that fit complex enterprise applications. You're just as comfortable writing clean code as you are leading technical discussions with clients or mentoring junior engineers.

You thrive in collaborative environments and are passionate about building robust, maintainable test automation systems that support long-term product quality.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in the workplace, please let us know — we’re here to support you.

Walter Everett is committed to helping our clients createa more diverse and inclusive workforce. Equality and inclusion are at the heart of our mission.
We will only work with clients that employ people based on fairness
. This means that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without any regard to race, colour, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status.