SDET / Automation Tester | Contract (12 months+) | SC Clearance Required | Inside IR35

SDET / Automation Tester | Contract (12 months+) | SC Clearance Required (Active/Lapsed) | Inside IR35 Location: Remote-first, UK Contract: Initial 12 months (potential to extend) Clearance: SC Clearance Required (Active/Lapsed) Role Overview We are looking for an experienced SDET / Automation Tester to support a major programme within a complex and highly regulated environment. The successful consultant will bring strong hands-on test automation experience, with particular expertise in Playwright and Robot Framework, helping to build, maintain and improve automated testing capability across enterprise applications. You will work closely with development, engineering and wider testing teams to embed effective automation throughout the delivery lifecycle and ensure solutions are delivered to a high standard of quality. Key Responsibilities Design, develop and maintain robust automated test frameworks and test suites. Build automated tests using Playwright and Robot Framework. Automate functional, regression and end-to-end testing across enterprise applications. Develop automated testing for web applications and APIs. Work closely with developers and engineers to embed automated testing throughout the delivery lifecycle. Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines. Analyse automated test results, investigate failures and support defect resolution. Identify opportunities to increase automation coverage and improve test efficiency. Support wider functional and integration testing activities where required. Produce appropriate test documentation and provide knowledge transfer to internal teams.Essential Experience Strong hands-on experience as an SDET, Automation Tester or Test Automation Engineer. Strong practical experience with Playwright. Experience with Robot Framework. Strong experience designing, developing and maintaining automated test frameworks. Experience automating web application, API and end-to-end testing. Experience integrating automated testing within CI/CD pipelines. Strong understanding of software testing principles, test strategy and the wider SDLC. Experience working within complex enterprise environments. Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.Desirable Experience Experience working with IBM Maximo / Maximo Application Suite (MAS). Experience testing enterprise asset management or other complex business applications. Experience with Azure DevOps and associated CI/CD pipelines. Experience within defence, government or UK public-sector programmes. Experience within highly regulated or security-critical environments. Experience working within Agile and DevSecOps delivery models