QA Engineer

The Opportunity

We are partnering with a highly innovative, well-funded AI startup operating in the global e-commerce and supply chain tech space. They have developed a cutting-edge, proactive platform that identifies and resolves complex retail and logistics issues. As they scale their local engineering team, they are now looking for their foundational QA Engineer in Australia. This is not a standard maintenance role. You will be the first dedicated QA hire, giving you the autonomy to take total ownership of the quality bar, influence system design, and build the automation infrastructure from the ground up.

What you will be doing:

• Owning the Quality Strategy: You will define and implement the QA processes from day one, shifting quality left and embedding testing early in the software development lifecycle.
• Building Frameworks from Scratch: Architect, build, and scale robust end-to-end automated testing frameworks using Playwright or Cypress (with TypeScript or Python).
• Testing Next-Gen Tech: Go beyond standard web UI testing. You will be testing complex asynchronous workflows (Temporal), event-driven architectures (Kafka), and evaluating non-deterministic LLM-driven AI agent behaviors.
• Balancing Automation & Exploratory Testing: While automation is key, you will also utilize your strong manual testing instincts to uncover edge cases that scripts might miss.
• Collaborating at a High Level: Work closely with developers, product managers, and leadership to decide what gets tested, how deep to go, and provide the final quality sign-off for major releases.

What you bring to the table:

• Proven Automation Experience: Strong background as a QA Engineer or SDET with hands-on experience building test automation frameworks entirely from scratch (not just maintaining existing ones).
• Strong Coding Skills: High proficiency in either TypeScript, JavaScript, or Python.
• Modern Tooling: Deep expertise with modern testing tools like Playwright or Cypress, alongside robust API testing capabilities (Postman, RestAssured, etc.).
• Backend & Systems Testing: Experience or a strong understanding of testing complex backend systems, event-driven architecture, or data-heavy platforms.
• Startup Mentality: You thrive in fast-paced, agile environments where you can operate autonomously, make architectural decisions, and set the standard rather than just follow a checklist.
• Working Rights: You must hold full working rights in Australia (PR or Australian Citizenship), as sponsorship is not available for this position.