Senior QA Automation Engineer / SDET

Why Groupama?

For over 15 years, Groupama has been a driving force on the Bulgarian insurance market through our two highly successful entities: Groupama Zastrahovane EAD and Groupama Zhivotozastrahovane EAD. As a proud part of the international Groupama Group—a leading French insurance giant boasting 12 million members and 32,000 employees across Europe, Asia, and Africa—we blend global stability with local innovation.

In Bulgaria, we are the exclusive insurance partner of DSK Bank AD, delivering top-tier Credit Protection, Accident, Property, and Motor insurance solutions to millions of customers. We leverage advanced technologies and digital transformation to provide personalized, modern protection in an ever-changing world.

At Groupama, we believe our people are our greatest asset. We cultivate an environment that celebrates innovation, fosters team spirit, and rewards collective success.

We are seeking an experienced Senior QA Automation Engineer / Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) to take a leading hands-on role in establishing and expanding automated testing capabilities across our enterprise software platforms.

The role involves building automation frameworks from scratch, developing reliable automated regression testing for a business-critical Oracle-based legacy system and implementing test automation for a new platform built with Python and .NET.

Working closely with the QA & Test Automation Lead, development teams and existing manual testers, the successful candidate will play a key role in implementing automation solutions and transferring practical automation skills across the QA function.

Key Responsibilities

Automation Framework Design & Development

● Design, develop and maintain scalable, reusable and reliable automated testing frameworks.

● Build automated UI, API, integration, functional, end-to-end and regression test suites.

● Develop automation solutions using technologies such as Playwright, Selenium, pytest or equivalent frameworks.

● Write maintainable, well-structured automation code using Python, C# or other appropriate programming languages.

● Develop reusable test utilities, fixtures, data preparation routines and automation components.

● Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.

● Investigate test failures, resolve automation issues and continuously improve test stability and execution performance.

● Participate in proof-of-concept activities and technical evaluation of automation technologies.

Legacy System Automation

● Analyse legacy application functionality and identify feasible automation approaches.

● Develop and maintain automated regression tests covering P1 business-critical processes.

● Translate manual functional test scenarios into maintainable automated test cases.

● Implement UI, Webservice integration or database-level automation depending on available system interfaces.

● Develop data validation and integrity checks using SQL and Oracle-related technologies.

● Collaborate with developers and business analysts to understand critical workflows and expected system behaviour.

● Support the establishment of a reliable automated regression baseline for ongoing system maintenance.

Quality Engineering for the New Platform

● Develop automated API, integration, functional and end-to-end tests for Python and .NET-based applications.

● Collaborate with developers to support unit and component testing practices.

● Apply automation coding standards, test design patterns and maintainability principles.

● Support automated quality gates within CI/CD processes.

● Contribute to early identification of testability issues and technical quality risks.

● Promote reliable, efficient and reusable automation practices.

Technical Coaching & Knowledge Transfer

● Provide hands-on technical mentoring to existing manual testers developing automation skills.

● Conduct pair programming sessions, practical workshops and automation code reviews.

● Help testers develop programming, debugging, test design and automation maintenance skills.

● Guide the conversion of manual regression scenarios into automated test cases.

● Establish reusable automation examples and documentation supporting knowledge transfer.

● Encourage increasing technical independence among existing QA team members.

Collaboration & Quality Improvement

● Work closely with the QA & Test Automation Lead, Software Architect, Developers, Product Owners and Business Analysts.

● Contribute to automation implementation plans, prioritisation and technical standards.

● Report automation progress, execution results, reliability and technical risks.

● Participate in continuous improvement of test automation frameworks and development practices.

Required Qualifications & Experience

● 5+ years of professional experience in software testing, automation engineering or quality engineering.

● At least 3 years of substantial hands-on test automation development experience.

● Strong programming skills in Python, C# or a comparable language used for automation development.

● Proven experience designing and implementing test automation frameworks from scratch.

● Practical experience with Playwright, Selenium, pytest or equivalent test automation frameworks.

● Strong experience with API automation, UI automation, integration testing and regression testing.

● Good understanding of REST APIs and API testing techniques.

● Solid SQL skills and experience validating complex database-driven applications.

● Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD pipelines.

● Familiarity with Git, test execution reporting and defect management tools.

● Strong understanding of maintainable automation code, reusable test components and software testing principles.

● Ability to work independently on complex technical automation challenges.

● Experience mentoring junior testers or supporting manual-to-automation transitions.

● Strong analytical, debugging and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

● Experience with Oracle Database and SQL/PLSQL testing.

● Experience with legacy monolithic enterprise applications.

● Familiarity with .NET testing frameworks such as NUnit or xUnit.

● Experience with Python testing frameworks such as pytest.

● Experience with performance testing using k6, JMeter or equivalent tools.

● Familiarity with Azure DevOps, Xray, TestRail or equivalent test management solutions.

● Experience in insurance, banking or financial services.

● Relevant ISTQB or test automation certifications.

Expected Outcomes — First 6–12 Months

● Established a reliable, maintainable test automation framework.

● Implemented automated regression tests covering prioritised P1 legacy business scenarios.

● Automated testing integrated into relevant CI/CD workflows.

● Developed reusable automation utilities, standards and documentation.

● Implemented automated testing for selected features of the new platform.

● Improved automation reliability, maintainability and execution efficiency.

● Supported practical automation upskilling of existing manual testers.

Ideal Candidate

A strong, hands-on automation engineer who combines advanced programming skills, practical framework development experience and the ability to coach and mentor others.

Someone who enjoys building automation solutions from scratch, solving complex technical challenges, improving test reliability and helping existing QA teams develop automation expertise.

This is a highly technical, hands-on engineering role with significant responsibility for automation implementation and knowledge transfer.

What We Offer in Return

● Rewards: Competitive salary and performance-based bonus system.

● Health & Wellness: Premium additional health insurance, food vouchers, and an extra paid day off to celebrate your birthday.

● Work-Life Balance: A flexible, modern hybrid work model and a progressive paid annual leave policy that increases with your tenure.

● Growth: Access to specialized leadership academies and international training programs.

● Environment: A vibrant, conveniently located office and a collaborative team culture that feels like family.

● Referral Program: An attractive internal referral bonus scheme.

If our offer is interesting for you and you feel that you meet the above requirements, please apply by sending your CV. Only short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

All applications will be treated with strict confidentiality under the provisions of the Law for Protection of Personal Data.