Kestra Financial

The Advisor Platform Engineering organization at Kestra is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Test Engineer, Automation (P2 level) to join our on-site team in Southwest Austin, TX. In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain automated test suites for our web-based systems using Playwright, TypeScript, and SQL. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, product owners, and QA peers to ensure the reliability and quality of our advisor-facing applications.

You will play a key role in supporting agile delivery by building robust automation that accelerates feedback and mitigates risk across frequent releases. You will also have opportunities to improve our automation processes and advocate for quality best practices throughout the software development lifecycle.

This position requires on-site presence Monday through Thursday, with the option of working remotely on Fridays. If you're ready to "Make it Happen" and embody our core values of "One Team" and "Serve," we encourage you to apply.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, this individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily:

• Design, implement, and maintain automated test cases for web applications using Playwright and TypeScript.
• Develop and maintain SQL scripts for test data setup and validation.
• Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines to enable continuous testing.
• Collaborate with developers, QA team members, and product owners to understand requirements and define test strategies.
• Analyze test results, identify defects, and communicate findings clearly to the team.
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback related to testability and quality.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of test frameworks, tools, and processes.
• Document automation approaches and test coverage.
• Support manual and exploratory testing efforts as needed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND/OR ABILITIES: To perform this job successfully, individuals should have the following skills and abilities:

• Experience developing automated tests for web applications.
• Proficiency with Playwright or similar browser automation tools (e.g., Selenium, Cypress).
• Proficiency with TypeScript or JavaScript for test development.
• Ability to write and understand SQL queries for test data validation.
• Familiarity with version control (e.g., Git).
• Understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines (desired).
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps, Jira, or similar tools (desired).
• Experience working in the financial services industry (desired).

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: No supervisory responsibilities.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Typically 2-5 years of relevant professional experience in software test automation.
• Experience with Playwright, TypeScript, and SQL as described above.
• Additional certifications in software testing or quality assurance (desired).

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• ISTQB Foundation Level certification (desired).
• Microsoft, Playwright, or other relevant technical certifications (desired).

PHYSICAL DEMAND: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to sit or stand at a computer workstation for extended periods while using a keyboard, mouse, and multiple monitors.
• Frequent, repetitive hand-finger motions for typing, writing, and handling small peripherals or cables.
• Near-vision sufficient to read electronic documents, review code, and distinguish basic on-screen colors (e.g., for UI verification).
• Clear spoken communication and active listening for in-person and virtual meetings, incident bridges, and phone calls.
• Ability to walk short distances, navigate a standard office environment, climb one flight of stairs, and stand during white-boarding or presentations. Sit-stand desks and other ergonomic furniture are available upon request.
• Ability to lift and move equipment or boxed materials weighing up to 20 lbs (e.g., laptops, small servers, office supplies).
• Hybrid roles: Primary work performed on-site at the Encino Trace campus (Southwest Austin, TX) Monday–Thursday; optional remote work on Fridays.
• Fully remote roles: Primary work performed from the employee’s home office within approved locations; reliable high-speed internet and an ergonomically safe workspace are required.
• Participation in overnight or weekend on-call rotations and critical production releases may require work outside standard business hours.

OTHER DUTIES: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a complete comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.