CareersJob Title:Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer
Reports to:Delivery Manager
Direct Reports: N/A
Location:Porto
About Azakaw
azakaw is a RegTech SaaS platform serving financial institutions with compliance-critical workflows. We handle regulated data, PII, and complex business logic where quality, security, and auditability are non-negotiable.
Role Summary
We're looking for a Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer who is ready to get their hands dirty from day one — and stay hands-on long term.
This is not a strategy-only or people-management role. We have a real testing backlog and an evolving platform. You will spend most of your time executing tests, validating complex workflows, and building automation, while also helping us mature our QA practices over time.
You will own quality across the platform: writing test cases, executing tests, building automation, diagnosing failures, and ensuring every release is production-ready and audit-defensible.
Bottom line:If you want to lead without doing, this isn't the role. If you enjoy building and executing, you'll thrive here.
What You'll Actually Do
Hands-On Testing (60–70% of your time)
Execute functional, regression, integration, and exploratory testing
Work through and continuously reduce an existing test backlog
Validate complex workflows including onboarding, transactions, compliance rules, and scoring engines
Test REST APIs using Postman or similar tools
Write and execute SQL / T-SQL queries to validate backend data integrity
Coordinate and support UAT with internal and external stakeholders
Produce clear, reproducible defect reports with risk assessment
Note:Test execution is a core, ongoing responsibility, not a temporary cleanup phase.
Automation & Tooling (20–30% of your time)
Design, build, and maintain API test automation (primary focus)
Develop UI automation for critical user journeys
Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines
Own and evolve the automation approach — not just scripts
Select and implement tools pragmatically (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium — tool choice is flexible)
Debug failing tests using logs, test output, and basic source-code understanding
Quality Strategy & Process (10–20% of your time)
Define and enforce release readiness criteria and quality gates
Establish test coverage metrics, dashboards, and reporting
Improve defect triage and root-cause analysis processes
Document QA standards, test strategies, and best practices
Promote a shift-left testing mindset within the engineering team
Ensure test evidence and results support auditability and regulatory expectations
Your First 90 Days
Days 1–30
Deep product understanding, execution of backlog tests, documentation of critical test scenarios, identification of high-risk areas
Days 31–60
Baseline test coverage for core modules, API automation framework in place, defined release checklist
Days 61–90
Measurable backlog reduction, automated smoke tests running in CI/CD, quality metrics presented to leadership
Required Skills & Experience
Experience
5+ years in Software Quality Assurance
Proven hands-on experience testing web applications and REST APIs
Experience with SaaS platforms (FinTech / RegTech / Banking strongly preferred)
Hands-on exposure to Azure-based environments
Comfortable operating in fast-paced, backlog-heavy environments
Technical Skills
Test Design: Test planning, case design, defect lifecycle management
API Testing: Postman or equivalent, REST validation, schema & response checks
Database: SQL / T-SQL for backend and data integrity validation
Automation: Hands-on experience with at least one framework (Playwright, Cypress, Selenium)
CI/CD: Familiarity with pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar)
Performance: Basic load and performance testing knowledge
Security: Understanding of access control, data isolation, PII handling
Engineering: Comfortable reading logs and basic source code to diagnose issues
Tools: JIRA (or equivalent), Git basics
Nice to Have
Experience with multi-tenant SaaS architectures
Exposure to AML / KYC / regulatory compliance workflows
ISTQB certification (practical experience matters more)
Experience working with distributed or international teams
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field
Strong English communication skills (written and verbal)
Who You Are
Execution-focused: You take pride in clearing backlogs and shipping quality
Hands-on by default: You test, automate, and debug yourself
Detail-oriented: You spot edge cases others miss
Pragmatic: You balance ideal processes with real-world constraints
Proactive: You raise risks early and propose solutions
Adaptable: Comfortable switching between manual and automated work
Quality-driven: You understand quality is everyone's job — and you champion it
This Role Is Not for You If
You want to manage testers instead of testing yourself
You expect a greenfield QA environment with no backlog
You prefer rigid processes over practical execution
You are uncomfortable operating with evolving requirements
What We Offer
Competitive salary and benefits package
Opportunity to own and shape QA at a growing RegTech company
Exposure to international clients and compliance-driven systems
Collaborative, low-bureaucracy environment
Clear growth path as the platform and team scale
A chance to work on the latest tools and technologies