QA & Test Automation Engineer

A QA & Test Automation Engineer, also known as a QA automation engineer or test automation engineer, is a software quality professional. They organise software checks, develop scripts to automate some of them and report defects to developers. Their work helps the team understand the effects of a change and prevent regressions.

QA stands for “quality assurance”. Testing assesses the product, while quality assurance includes preventing defects through the way work is organised. The role therefore combines thinking through risks with the technical work of testing. It involves more than running through a checklist or writing scripts.

Checks may cover an individual component, interactions between components, the complete system or software acceptance. The balance depends on the project. Quality remains a shared responsibility. The test strategy informs a decision: presenting it for approval does not give the QA engineer the authority to decide on a release alone.

QA engineer, developer and product manager: who does what?

• The QA engineer prepares scenarios, organises their execution and makes the results useful to the team. They also maintain the scripts and their integration into the delivery pipeline.
• The Software Engineer works on development and defect fixes. Unit testing is normally part of developers’ work.
• For the product manager’s role, specify who in your organisation clarifies the intended uses and who agrees the acceptance criteria with the QA engineer.

Reporting lines and autonomy should reflect the organisation’s structure and the complexity of its projects. When recruiting, identify the person responsible for approving the strategy, those responsible for fixes and those involved in release decisions.

Testing gives the business information about software quality and the effects of changes. For a business leader, the aim is to have understandable results when deciding on a release. A result only makes sense alongside the requirements checked, the conditions in which the tests ran and the defects still open. Preventing regressions remains an objective, without any guarantee of error-free software.

The candidate profile should reflect the work actually expected. Defining a strategy requires the ability to link risks to priority checks. Automating the tests set out in that strategy also requires programming, data management and script maintenance. Recruiting solely on knowledge of a tool can leave one of these responsibilities unaddressed. Describe the expected deliverables before setting selection criteria.

Fictional example: a team changes a user journey in its application. Tests flag a discrepancy between the expected and observed results. The QA engineer gathers the information needed to reproduce it and passes it to the development team. After the fix, they check the behaviour concerned and look for regressions. This work provides evidence for the shared release decision.

Automation also requires resources for setup and maintenance. As the product evolves, scripts, their versions and test data need to be maintained. Plan who will do this work and how results will be reported to the team. Integrating tests into the delivery pipeline also calls for clarity on collaboration with the DevOps Engineer.

One mistake when defining the role is to ask the QA engineer to take sole responsibility for quality. It is better to clarify shared responsibilities and approval arrangements. The role can then inform decisions about defects and risks.

• Analyse requirements and risks to establish testing priorities.
• Define scenarios, environments and test entry and exit criteria.
• Present a reasoned test strategy to those responsible for approving it.
• Execute test cases, retaining evidence and observed results.
• Document defects so that developers can understand and reproduce them.
• Check fixes and look for regressions.
• Develop test scripts and organise their execution in continuous integration.
• Maintain script versions and the data needed for testing.
• Report on test progress and discrepancies that require a decision.

The computing education pathways listed by Onisep include the French BTS, BUT, licence professionnelle, master and diplôme d’ingénieur. They can provide programming and software engineering knowledge useful for testing. This variety does not establish a single compulsory qualification for the role. Look at what the candidate has learnt to design, program and explain.

A relevant course should enable someone to move from a requirement to a verifiable result. Look for the ability to design test cases, compare expected and observed results, then write a clear defect report. For automation, add programming, version control and data organisation. A script accompanied by details of the conditions in which it runs makes these skills clearer than a simple list of technologies.

A professional certification in software testing can give this learning a structure. The M2I programme described by France compétences combines, among other things, defining the scope of testing, execution and automation, with practical exercises and deliverables. It is one possible route, without being a general recruitment requirement.

ISTQB CTFL certification covers testing fundamentals, risks, techniques and management. Preparation can involve training or independent study. It does not replace a demonstration of programming skills.

When assessing experience, distinguish between responsibilities already held: executing prepared cases, designing coverage, maintaining a suite or securing approval for a strategy. A background in development can be examined from this perspective by asking which testing activities the candidate actually carried out. The level of autonomy sought should remain tied to the role being filled.

GetPro’s common assessment framework

GetPro structures assessment around a grid of criteria linked to the role. It distinguishes information about a candidate’s background that can be verified from points to explore in greater depth at interview, with an assessment method for each criterion. Interviews use open questions and concrete examples to examine key skills.

Advice on adapting assessment to a QA role

For a QA & Test Automation Engineer, the steps below offer advice to adapt to the role’s responsibilities and level of autonomy. They suggest criteria and exercises specific to the profession.

1. Define the criteria before interviews

Distinguish test design, programming, investigation and communication of results. For each skill, specify what the person will need to do independently and where support will be provided. Select criteria relevant to the software concerned, without requiring mastery of every tool mentioned in an application.

Prepare a shared assessment grid for interviewers. Record what you observe and the points that still need clarification. An explanation linked to the role’s requirements is a positive sign. An answer consisting solely of tool names calls for a more concrete check.

2. Examine a past piece of work

Ask the candidate to present a test campaign or automated suite they have worked on. Have them clarify their personal role, the requirements covered and the responsibilities of others involved. Accept an anonymised presentation when deliverables cannot be shared.

Ask how they reported defects, checked fixes and maintained scripts. Look for clear links between the decisions made and the risks addressed. A precisely described contribution helps you assess autonomy. Difficulty distinguishing their work from the team’s calls for further exploration.

3. Offer an exercise relevant to the role

Fictional example: you give the candidate a requirement from your application and a simplified test script. Ask them to design cases, specify the expected results and explain their order of priority.

Add a failure to analyse. Observe what information they ask for before drawing a conclusion and how they compare the expected result with the observed result. Then ask how they would update the script if the requirement changed.

Assess the coherence of their reasoning and the readability of their code. An approach that makes its assumptions explicit is a positive sign. Changing a test without explaining what it should check calls for discussion. Keep the exercise proportionate to the role’s actual responsibilities.

4. Assess communication and coordination

Ask the candidate to present their findings from the exercise to a non-technical person. Observe whether they explain the defect, the checks carried out and the remaining uncertainties. Ask them to specify what decision they expect from that person.

For a coordination role, ask how they would allocate testing activities and obtain approval for the strategy. If the role includes management, explore previous people management responsibilities separately. Look for a reasoned discussion of priorities. A presentation that attributes every problem to another team deserves further exploration.

5. Cross-check observations and references

With the candidate’s agreement, ask a referee about the responsibilities discussed and situations involving collaboration. Compare this feedback with the evidence gathered, without asking the referee to confirm a general impression.

If your business lacks the necessary technical expertise, involve a testing and automation professional in reviewing the exercise. Give the person responsible for recruitment the task of bringing together the technical and interpersonal observations. Document any support needed before concluding whether the candidate is suited to the role.