Senior Quality Engineer

Southern Cross is guided by purpose, powered by people and technology. We exist to help our members live well for longer.

We serve almost one million members across Aotearoa New Zealand – which means the work we do carries real scale, real responsibility, and a genuine opportunity to improve health outcomes for our nation.

As we grow to be a more proactive partner in our members’ health, we’re building something new: a digital health and wellbeing experience designed to help members build healthier habits.

We’re looking for a Senior QA Engineer to help a brand-new squad ship with confidence – and to shape how quality is built into a new product from the very beginning.

About the role

You’ll be joining a new squad, which gives you a rare opportunity: rather than inheriting a testing approach, you’ll help define it.

We see quality as the whole squad’s responsibility, not a gate at the end. You’ll bring the practices that make that real – a healthy testing pyramid, automation where it adds lasting value, and testing that’s built into our CI/CD pipelines so releases can be frequent and safe.

You’ll focus effort where the risk to members is greatest, and give the squad clear, evidence-based insight into whether something is ready to go. You’ll work alongside engineers, product, design and business colleagues, and be connected to the wider engineering community across Digital Platforms.

What you’ll do

Lead the test approach for a new product, from planning through to release

Apply risk-based testing that focuses on the areas of greatest member, operational and regulatory risk

Work with engineers to shift testing left – building quality into stories, acceptance criteria and code from the outset

Design and build test automation that runs in our CI/CD pipelines and creates sustainable value

Test across services, integrations, data flows and end-to-end member journeys

Bring performance and security testing into the squad’s everyday practice

Explore how AI can make our testing smarter and faster

Identify and clearly communicate defects, risks and dependencies – and their potential impact on members

Give objective advice on release readiness and residual risk, backed by clear, traceable evidence

Share practical guidance that lifts testing capability across the squad

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who treats quality as an outcome rather than a phase – and who can bring engineers and stakeholders along with them.

Significant experience in testing and quality engineering within complex technology environments

Hands-on experience building and maintaining test automation, ideally integrated with CI/CD pipelines

A strong grasp of the testing pyramid, risk-based testing and shift-left practices

Experience testing APIs, integrations and end-to-end business processes

Exposure to performance and security testing

Experience with test management, defect management and automation tools relevant to modern delivery teams

Experience working in Agile, product-led teams where the squad owns what it builds

Curiosity about how AI can improve testing, balanced with a pragmatic view of what’s worth adopting

Clear communication, including the ability to explain quality risks to non-technical people

The confidence to work independently, juggle priorities and adapt as a new product evolves

Why join us

We’re investing – in people, in technology, and in the mission. At a time when the market is hesitant, we’re continuing to strengthen our foundations and build new capabilities. This is a genuine build role: a new product, a new squad, and the chance to set the quality bar from day one.

We’re building something worth joining. Our teams are growing, our employer brand is gaining real traction in market, and the way we show up for our members and each other is being noticed. This momentum has also been reflected externally – in 2026, Southern Cross placed 8th in the Kantar Corporate Reputation Index and 5th in New Zealand for Trust.

Who we are

Ngākau nui. Āhurutanga. Tikanga.

Join a proud, diverse team that’s always there, always real, always true. If you thrive in a caring, honest and open culture, we think you’ll love working with us.

We know our team’s culture and wellbeing drive us forward. That’s why we prioritise not only professional development but opportunities to thrive personally. We offer exceptional work/life balance, and our people are encouraged – and rewarded – for living well.

Southern Cross employee benefits include

Five days of wellbeing leave per year

Health insurance for you and your immediate whānau

Life insurance cover and discounts on pet and travel insurance

Extra parental leave benefits and financial wellbeing support

Participation in our workplace wellbeing programme

The option to purchase flexi leave for study, volunteering, or supporting your whānau

* An annual volunteer day to contribute to a cause with your team

This is a permanent, Auckland-based role. While we appreciate interest from candidates in other locations, we’re not able to consider remote options at this stage. If this sounds like the kind of work you want to help shape, we’d love to hear from you. Have questions? Check out our FAQs for help with the application and recruitment process.