Senior QA Engineer (AU, Advertising, Remote)
Summary
Senior QA Engineer who owns test strategy and acts as the release gate for two squads of an Australian publisher, working remotely from the Philippines (Mon-Fri, 6AM-3PM PHT). Builds and runs Playwright/Cypress TypeScript end-to-end and API tests in GitHub Actions across WordPress, commerce APIs, Piano paywall and Google Ad Manager/Prebid.
Schedule: Monday to Friday (6AM - 3PM PHT)
Positive Overview and Purpose
The QA Engineer owns testing for two of our four engineering squads: either Commerce & Affiliates with Membership & Engagement, or Sites & Experience with Ad Tech. The role builds and runs the automated tests every release must pass before it reaches readers, and is the release gate for both squads. Most of the work is on Express, our WordPress multisite on WP Engine behind CloudFront, and the services around it: the AreLink, AreDeals, ArePrice and AreProduct commerce APIs, Piano, Google Ad Manager and Prebid. The role works with the other QA Engineer so both pairings use the same framework and standards.
Key Responsibilities
Leading & Enterprising
- Owns the test strategy for both squads: risk-based coverage, what is automated and what is tested manually, test data, and entry and exit criteria for release
- Sets test code standards with the other QA Engineer (Cypress and Playwright with TypeScript, page objects, fixtures, naming and review) so there is one framework across the estate
- Coaches developers in both squads to write testable code and add tests with their changes, and reviews test coverage in pull requests
- Works in both squads' refinement and sprint planning to make sure acceptance criteria are testable before work starts
- Supports Editorial, Product and Ad Ops with UAT, and communicates release windows and known issues
- Works with WP Engine, The Code Company and Piano on environment issues, upgrade testing and support escalations
- Covers for the other QA Engineer during leave and peak release periods
- Triages defects and production issues to root cause across the stack: browser, WordPress, CloudFront cache, third-party scripts and APIs
- Uses Beacon and Lighthouse CI to catch performance and tag regressions introduced by a release, and compares LCP, INP and CLS on key templates before and after
- Reports quality for both squads: escaped defects, critical-journey coverage, flaky test rate and change failure rate
- Feeds recurring failures, flaky tests and test debt into each squad's backlog
- Builds and maintains end-to-end automation in Playwright (Cypress where suites already exist) for both squads' critical journeys, running in GitHub Actions as a release gate so a failed build does not reach production
- Commerce & Affiliates: API and contract tests for AreLink, AreDeals, ArePrice and AreProduct; checks affiliate links resolve with the right tracking parameters and that prices and products shown match the source feeds
- Membership & Engagement: Piano journeys end to end - registration, Piano ID login, metering and paywall, subscription purchase and cancellation - including iOS Safari, where ITP affects login and paywall cookies; newsletter sign-up and member-only content
- Sites & Experience: article, gallery, homepage and archive templates across brands, navigation, Gutenberg blocks in the editor and on the front end, the video player, and visual regression on shared components
- Ad Tech: ad slots render with the correct names and GPID, lazy load and refresh fire as configured, targeting key-values reach Google Ad Manager, Prebid returns bids, consent choices are respected, and ads do not add layout shift
- Runs regression on WP Engine staging for WordPress core, PHP and plugin upgrades before they go live, and smoke tests production after every deploy, including checking CloudFront is serving the new release
- Keeps test data and staging usable: seeded content, test Piano accounts, test ad setups, and staging kept in line with production
- Stays current on Playwright, WordPress releases, and browser privacy changes that affect ads and login (ITP, third-party cookie restrictions)
- Uses AI-assisted tools to speed up writing and maintaining tests, with every change reviewed
- Builds working knowledge of Google Ad Manager, Prebid and Piano to test them in depth
Essential
- 5+ years in QA and test automation for web applications, including 2+ years on WordPress or PHP sites
- Strong Playwright or Cypress with TypeScript or JavaScript: building a framework, page objects, fixtures, test data management, parallel runs and dealing with flaky tests
- Automated tests running as release gates in CI/CD (GitHub Actions or similar) REST API and contract testing (e.g. Playwright API tests, Postman/Newman or Pact)
- Working WordPress knowledge: themes, plugins, the block editor and WP-CLI, and testing core, PHP and plugin upgrades
- Testing logged-in and subscription journeys, including cookies, sessions and the difference between cached and logged-in pages
- Confident with browser dev tools: network, console and performance panels, and reading HAR files
- Working SQL for test data and validation
- Understanding of Core Web Vitals, accessibility testing (axe-core) and web security basics (OWASP) Git, Jira and Confluence; clear defect reports with steps, evidence and environment details
- Able to support two squads at once and prioritise testing across them
- Testing ad tech: Google Ad Manager, Prebid, ad slot rendering, lazy load and refresh
- Testing Piano or similar paywall and subscription platforms
- Visual regression (Playwright screenshots, Percy or similar) and Lighthouse CI
- Understanding of CDN caching (CloudFront) and cache headers when verifying releases
- Cross-browser and real-device testing (e.g. BrowserStack), especially iOS Safari
- Testing APIs and services hosted on AWS
- Experience with WP Engine
- Load testing with k6 or JMeter
- ISTQB certification
- Experience working with offshore or distributed teams
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field
- Fully Remote Arrangement
- Medical, Dental Coverage and Life insurance from day 1 of employment
- Paid Vacation and Sick Leave (with Quarterly Sick Leave Conversion)
- Competitive salary package and annual appraisal
- Financial Assistance Program
- Mandatory Government Benefits and 13th Month Pay
- Complimentary Sleeping Quarters, Coffee at no cost
- Complimentary Office Fitness and Wellness Facilities at no cost
- Regular Company Events, Work Life Balance, and Career growth opportunities
- Accessible location at the heart of Metro Manila --- the Mega Tower, EDSA
ConnectOS is certified as a Great Place to Work and is a top-rated Philippines employer of choice.
#ConnectOSCareers #JoinConnectOS #ConnectOSTech
Equal Employment Statement
Employment decisions at ConnectOS will be conducted without consideration of factors such as age', race, color, religion, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, and marital status. ConnectOS ensures the full confidentiality of the data it processes.