Senior Test Developer

Catch the Wave with Us

Ride the next wave of quality at SkillsWave as a Senior Test Developer (Automation) , where you'll help power high-confidence releases and scalable automation across our platform. You'll join a fast-moving, collaborative product and engineering crew, partnering closely with developers to embed quality into every stage of the build — not as a gatekeeper, but as an enabler.

In this hands-on individual contributor role, you'll design and evolve modern test automation frameworks, shape our quality engineering practices, and make it easier for teams to write meaningful automated tests as part of their everyday workflow. You'll bring deep technical judgment, curiosity, and craftsmanship to create reliable, scalable, and developer-friendly test solutions that help us ship great software faster.

If you're passionate about automation, love improving systems and patterns, and enjoy influencing how teams build with quality from the start this is your wave.

Your Location, Your Workspace, Your Wave

We are looking for the right person to join our team. This position offers a remote option along with a hybrid option if you are located in the Kitchener/Waterloo area and want to enjoy our amazing space at Catalyst Commons. We can't wait to welcome exceptional individuals that will bring their skills and passion to our team

How Will You Make an Impact:

• Building and supporting high-quality, high-performing, scalable, and secure software through robust automated testing
• Designing, implementing, and maintaining automated integration and end-to-end tests, with a focus on validating real-world workflows and system behavior across our platforms. Our end-to-end test suite is currently built using Playwright, and you will help evolve and scale this capability over time
• Owning and evolving test automation frameworks and tooling to ensure they are intuitive, maintainable, and widely adopted by development teams
• Contributing as a key member of a cross-functional agile development team including developers, designers, product managers, and a development manager
• Integrating automated integration and end-to-end test suites into CI/CD pipelines to provide fast, reliable feedback and support continuous delivery
• Collaborating closely with developers to ensure code is testable and that automated testing fits naturally into the development workflow
• Identifying gaps in test coverage, anticipating risks, and proactively addressing quality issues before they reach production
• Investigating test failures and production issues, identifying root causes, and driving improvements to prevent recurrence
• Supporting released software as required by validating fixes, strengthening regression coverage, and continuously improving automation effectiveness

AI at SkillsWave

At SkillsWave, we use AI like a great surf tool in your kit, powerful when the conditions are right, but not something you force on every wave. There's no AI mandate here. If it helps you paddle faster, read the break better, or ride cleaner — use it. If not, leave it on the beach.

What matters most is your curiosity and your willingness to explore new gear and new swells. Know what the tool is good at, where it can wipe out, and how to use it with judgment. Prior experience is awesome, but the real win is bringing a learner's mindset and being ready to keep leveling up your toolkit as the tide changes.

What You Need to Be Successful:

• 6+ years of relevant experience in software testing or quality engineering, with a strong emphasis on test automation
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a similar technical discipline or equivalent practical, professional, or hands-on experience in a comparable field.
• Proven experience testing web-based and API-driven applications
• Experience working in agile development teams alongside developers
• Familiarity with modern development stacks and cloud platforms (e.g., JavaScript-based systems, AWS, microservices)

Your Super Skills and The Wave-Riding Expertise We Need:

• Strong hands-on experience building, maintaining, and scaling automated test suites in fast-moving delivery environments
• Deep knowledge of modern test automation tools and frameworks for web and API testing
• Proven ability to weave automated tests smoothly into CI/CD pipelines
• Comfort working in cloud-based and microservices environments
• Solid grounding in core software testing principles with an automation-first approach
• Ability to design frameworks and patterns that developers actually want to use — smooth rides, not choppy waters

What You Will Bring to the Team:

• Enthusiasm and an entrepreneurial spirit
• Demonstrated success testing web and API-driven applications
• Experience collaborating closely with developers in agile product squads
• Familiarity with modern development stacks and cloud platforms (like JavaScript ecosystems, AWS, and microservices architecture)
• A builder's mindset, someone who helps the whole crew ship cleaner, stronger releases with confidence

Who You Are:

• You Own It: You approach every challenge with the mentality of a surfer tackling a perfect wave—taking full ownership of your work and responsibilities, driving projects forward with confidence and initiative.
• You Learn It: You believe that improvement is key, constantly refining your skills. Growth and learning are always top of mind.
• You Collaborate Assertively: You engage confidently in team discussions, share your expertise, and ensure that everyone is paddling in sync toward success.
• You Work with Velocity and Quality: Whether you're racing towards the shore or patiently navigating the break, you strike the perfect balance between speed and delivering top-notch results.
• You Care Deeply: You care deeply about your work and the lasting impact it makes—on your team, the company, and beyond.

Surf's Up Dive Into Our Benefits:

• Competitive Salary
• Vacation and Rest Days
• Health & Wellness
• Retirement Savings Plan
• Professional Development

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The salary for this position is in the range of $110,000 to $120,000 CDN.  The salary range is based on the minimum level of work experience and qualifications as listed above. This salaried position requires a minimum of 40 hours of work per week.  More senior candidates may apply but note that the salary for the position has been set at the range listed.

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Background Check Notice

As part of our hiring process, SkillsWave may conduct a background check to ensure the safety and security of our workplace.

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