Software Engineer in Test at Hostelworld Group

Hostelworld Group, the global hostel-focussed online booking platform, inspires adventurous minds to meet the world and come back with life-changing stories to tell. Our customers are not your average tourists, they crave cultural connection and unique experiences that we make possible by providing an unbeatable selection of hostels in unmissable locations – all in the palm of their hand.

It is the social nature and community feel of hostels and their environment, that enable travellers to embrace journeys of discovery, adventure and meaning. We have more than 13 million reviews across 17,800 hostels in more than 179 countries, making the brand the leading online hub for social travel. The website operates in 19 different languages and our mobile app in 13 languages.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Dublin, Hostelworld has a growing, high-calibre team of 230 people within Technology, Product, Global Markets, HR, Finance & Legal and Marketing Teams across our Dublin, London, Porto, Shanghai and Sydney offices. Hostelworld is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Dublin Euronext. You can read more about our story here.

 

This role is based in Portugal. We have an office hub in Porto available for those who prefer a hybrid model where you can spend time with colleagues in-person. You will need to be able to commute to our office hub as required from time to time.

 

The Software Engineer in Test works with a dedicated team of Software Quality Engineers to consistently ensure high quality in the software and infrastructure that comprise the Hostelworld platform. You will work closely with other technology groups and business owners to refine quality standards and processes for software design, development, and deployment. The purpose is to ensure we have an efficient, robust, secure, and performant platform to support our business growth.

As a skilled professional you have a minimum of 4+ years’ experience in Software Quality Assurance, with a strong focus on Test Automation, for high transaction volume customer facing platforms. You have worked on significant enterprise level projects delivering robust, fast paced solutions always focused on continuous improvement.

You will be expected to perform hands-on technical work day-to-day, expanding and maintaining our test automation suites with a focus on delivery by you individually and collectively by your team. You support your team to succeed, to improve quality of deliverables, ensuring pace of delivery and long-term technical excellence.

• Build, maintain and monitor our Playwright Automation suites for the Hostelworld web sites and applications.
• Define and gather metrics and KPIs on the performance of the suites and report on them, Adapt and modify working practices based on analysis of the metrics gathered.
• Support junior and less experienced team mates on automations skills and best practices.
• Take ownership of the automation suites that are the responsibility of the squad.
• Support estimating, prioritizing, planning, and coordinating Quality Assurance activities within Software Development teams.
• Implement the most effective best practice tools and delivery processes to ensure quality standards are maintained effectively
• Maintain and execute test cases and/or regression test suites.
• Provide production support and patch/hot-fix management: creating and executing tests to validate issues and fixes.
• Bug reporting and issue tracking to resolution: reporting, updating, and tracking issues through to resolution using Jira. Creating reproducible scenarios for all stakeholders.
• Support regulatory/audit/security QA internally and with external partners as needed
• Support sufficient test coverage across customer facing channels (web, mobile web and mobile apps) and internal web tools.
• Work closely with product management and technical leadership and peers to create roadmaps for improving quality levels, estimate work packages and set priorities for your team aligned with company strategy.
• Contribute to a rewarding working environment that aligns with the company culture.
• Keep stakeholders up to date on all activities that may affect their individual goals.

 

• Minimum of 4+ years’ experience in Software Quality Assurance.
• Strong automation skills, deep understanding of automation frameworks and knowledge of best practices.
• Demonstrable experience of Coding patterns like POM or ScreenPlay.
• Experience of gathering automation metrics and adapting the approach to maintain efficiency and effectiveness of the suites
• Experienced working in a team of dispersed QA Engineers, supporting and ensuring high quality and on-time consistent delivery of software in Cloud environments
• Adaptable working in a diverse technical working environment including Google Cloud Platform. Tools/languages used include Playwright and TypeScript, Cucumber, LambdaTest, TestRail, Jenkins, Docker, NodeJS, Python, Java.
• Strong people skills, helping team members to excel in a culture of collaboration and openness.
• Ability to work with software vendors independently to resolve issue, complete Proof of Concept on new tools and new tool features.
• Excellent organisation and time-management skills, able to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Ability to handle customer/stakeholder escalations & multiple competing priorities.
• Communicate clearly and with purpose, working effectively with team members and stakeholders across the organisation.
• Knowledge of modern quality approaches, for example BDD, is a bonus.

 

• Competitive salary & benefits 
• Enhanced annual leave plus 3 Wellbeing Days per year 
• Paid family leave (maternity, paternity, surrogacy & adoption) 
• Agile working (plus a Working from Abroad Policy!) 
• Support for your ongoing growth & development 
• Inclusive people policies (sickness, menopause, compassionate and fertility leave) 
• A chance to give back to your local community with 5 paid volunteering days

 

• Grow others - We fundamentally believe that investing in growing others benefits everyone, whether it's helping them develop hard or soft skills. We want learning and growing to be part of our DNA to help makes us a better team, together.
• Master it - We are obsessed with our area of expertise and enjoy developing our skills. We rarely take things at face value; we investigate, interrogate, and always look for ‘the why,’ and wherever possible, we use data to find the best solution.
• Collaborate - We are in it together, for the tough stuff and the celebrations too. To achieve the best results, we need expertise from all areas of the organisation, and we wholeheartedly welcome diverse thinking.
• Adapt - We work fluidly, adapting to new information and the evolving environment while staying committed to our goals. Innovation and experimentation fuel our projects and we’re never afraid to pivot.
• Deliver - Our focus is always on the end result; we value outcomes over activity. We collaborate to deliver work at speed without dropping any of our other behaviours.

 

We believe in talented and diverse teams that reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we operate. Everyone brings different perspectives and experiences. We lay out the above requirements to guide applicants to the experiences that we believe will allow you to be successful in the role. If you don’t meet them all, please consider applying if you think you can still perform the role as described.