Senior Automation QA Engineer

We are looking for you! 

We are looking for a hands-on QA contractor to support testing of a backend, multi-service application built around asynchronous communication patterns.

This is not a UI-focused role. The main focus is end-to-end and integration testing of message-driven workflows across multiple services. The right person must be able to contribute from day one: independently spin up services locally using Docker Compose, write and maintain automated tests in Python with pytest, validate MQTT or other broker-based communication flows, and ensure those tests are embedded in CI/CD pipelines.

We are looking for someone practical, autonomous, and experienced in testing real distributed systems.

Skills and experience you can bring to this role! 

Qualifications & experience:

• 5+ years of QA experience
• Strong backend and integration testing experience
• Strong hands-on Python experience for test automation
• Strong hands-on experience with pytest
• Strong experience testing MQTT or other message broker-based systems
• Proven experience designing and executing end-to-end tests for asynchronous workflows and multiple interacting services
• Strong practical experience with Docker Compose, including independently starting and troubleshooting local environments
• Experience embedding automated tests into CI/CD pipelines
• Experience debugging failures across distributed systems, including logs, service interactions, and environment setup
• Ability to work autonomously and contribute immediately with minimal ramp-up
• Clear written and verbal communication skills

Nice to have:

• Direct experience testing MQTT-based applications
• Experience with API and service-level testing
• Experience validating database state where needed
• Familiarity with logs, observability tools, and debugging in distributed environments
• Experience working in agile development teams 

What impact you will make

Test Strategy & Planning

• Define practical test plans for backend, integration, and end-to-end testing across multiple services
• Identify test scope, critical flows, edge cases, and success criteria together with developers and stakeholders
• Focus test coverage on asynchronous workflows, broker-based communication, service interactions, and regression risk
• Help establish lightweight, effective QA practices that improve confidence in releases without unnecessary process overhead

Test Execution & Automation

• Design, build, and maintain automated tests in Python using pytest
• Create end-to-end and integration test coverage for MQTT or other message broker-based communication patterns
• Validate asynchronous workflows involving multiple services, including message publishing, consumption, retries, timeouts, and error handling
• Independently spin up, manage, and troubleshoot local test environments using Docker Compose
• Execute manual and exploratory testing where useful, especially around timing issues, race conditions, and multi-service failure scenarios
• Validate service behavior through APIs, broker interactions, and data checks where relevant
• Ensure automated tests are reliable, maintainable, and suitable for execution in delivery pipelines

Quality Assurance & Reporting

• Document, track, and communicate defects clearly, including reproduction steps, impact, and supporting evidence
• Investigate issues across logs, containers, broker traffic, and service interactions
• Work closely with developers to reproduce problems, verify fixes, and confirm resolution
• Provide clear feedback on quality risks, test coverage gaps, and release readiness
• Support the integration and ongoing maintenance of automated tests in CI/CD pipelines

What you’ll get

Regardless of your position or role, we have in place a wide array of benefits, including flexible working (hybrid/remote models) and generous time off policies (unlimited vacations, sick and parental leaves) to make it easier for all people to thrive and succeed at Star. On top of that, we offer an extensive reward and compensation package, intellectually and creatively stimulating space, health insurance and unique travel opportunities.

Your holistic well-being is central at Star. You'll join a warm and vibrant multinational environment filled with impactful projects, career development opportunities, mentorship and training programs, fun sports activities, workshops, networking and outdoor meet-ups.