Quality Assurance Automation Engineer

Frontend Quality Assurance EngineerLocation: Chicago, ILJob Type: Full-Time OpportunityResponsibilities: Perform hands-on manual and exploratory testing of web-based applications supporting financial operations and instrument management validating critical user workflows, functionality, usability, responsiveness, and accessibility across internal and customer-facing interfaces.Develop, execute, and maintain detailed test cases covering standard functionality, complex scenarios, and edge cases.Identify defects and work closely with development teams to troubleshoot, document, and resolve issues.Partner with Product and Engineering teams to establish and maintain comprehensive quality standards.Contribute to test strategy and planning for new features, products, integrations, and system enhancements.Monitor application behavior, data integrity, system performance, and security requirements.Analyze test results and communicate defects, risks, and quality trends to technical and business stakeholders.Help drive continuous improvements in QA processes, automation, and overall testing effectiveness.Required Skills:Bachelor's degree with 3+ years of experience in software quality assurance, software testing, or test automation.Hands-on experience with modern web application testing and automation.Experience with Playwright, Cucumber, and JUnit or comparable testing frameworks.Experience with both manual and automated testing methodologies.Working knowledge of Java and Python.Experience with SQL and database validation.Familiarity with REST APIs and WebSocket testing.Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD environments.Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with exceptional attention to detail.Preferred Skills: Experience in financial services, capital markets, FinTech, trading, or exchange technology.Familiarity with FIX protocol or other financial messaging technologies.Knowledge of financial markets and instruments, including futures and options.Experience testing high-performance, high-volume, or low-latency applications.Exposure to performance, security, accessibility, or load testing.Experience testing complex workflows across distributed systems.