Test Automation Engineer (Border Systems)

We are seeking Test Automation Engineers to work across our critical border products.

These span large bespoke applications, legacy applications, cross-agency products, and more modern Azure cloud-based applications.

Many of these applications are 24 / 7.

Our Test Automation Engineers will actively help take us on a journey towards fully integrated and fully automated testing functions that covers our border product stacks to optimise our path to production and reduce the risk of defects.

You will also be working across agencies to provide evidential assurance that what is being delivered to the customer is meeting functional and non-functional requirements, and are secure, stable and fit-for-purpose.

Within Digital & Technology, our product delivery teams enable NZ Customs to protect our community, and our vision is for a modern, digital, and streamlined border.

This supports seamless travel and trade and improves the safety and security of New Zealand by managing risks associated with the international movement of goods, people and mail.

These are full-time permanent roles.

Preference for these roles is to be based in Wellington.

About this role | Mo tenei turanga mahi

Reporting directly to our Product Managers you will be part of collaborative cross-functional teams working on understanding our customer and user needs, maintaining and increasing coverage of our automation suites, managing testing delivery, and driving testing improvements across the teams.

The Test Automation Engineer role is pivotal to ensuring we can deliver value to our customers earlier and more often, and that we do this in a safe and confident manner.

In the short to medium term, we are wanting the Test Automation Engineers to align and plan across product delivery teams to grow our testing capability, lead an automation first test approach, and leverage best practice methodologies and tooling.

This includes enhancing unit testing capability, regression suites, and performance testing to ensure our end-to-end testing is fit for purpose.

You also will ensure quality assurance delivery for our teams committed quarterly plan to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of both our test practice and the products themselves.

To be successful as Test Automation Engineer the following knowledge, experience, skills and personal attributes are required :

• Hands-on experience with all stages of the product life cycle of large scale, high availability systems.
• Experience architecting test approaches for technical implementations, applying appropriate structural test design techniques
• Strong experience in test automation fundamentals, programming languages, SQL, database concepts, web services, API testing, web UI and mobile app test automation, service behaviour testing, non-functional requirements, and experience executing and maintaining test suites in different automation frameworks.
• Proficiency in programming skills, knowing various programming concepts, recognizes risks in code and software architecture and create test plan elements to mitigate those risks through static analysis and dynamic analysis
• Demonstrated understanding of Testing best practices and approach differences when releasing to different environments within the SDLC and via a CI / CD pipeline.
• Significant experience with DevOps implementations and continuous delivery (to reduce the manual test-effort); as well as assisting Developers to build improved Unit tests
• Experience to continuously evolve and improve, migrating manual tests to test automated pyramid model or similar and other best practices.
• Ability to assist and produce Test Plans and Test Exit reports consumable by both technical and business audiences

Ideally has (but not essential) :

• familiarity with Agile, Product Management and ITIL methodologies, and tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Selenium

Note : this role may require on-call support, and out of normal business hours work on occasion.

Working at Customs | Mahi ki te Mana Arai o Aotearoa

We aim to create a great place to work, where our people have a sense of belonging and the capability and desire to meet our future challenges.

We are an organisation that is clear about our mission, and this is underpinned by Te Pou Tokomanawa (the Foundations) and our Whanonga Pono (Values).

Our work really matters to the safety and success of New Zealand.

We care about well-being, personal growth, and job satisfaction, which is supported through :

• Fostering inclusive and supportive team environment with vibrant social and cultural groups
• Supporting flexible working - talk to us about how we can help you achieve your flexible working goals, within our operational requirements
• Providing discounted health insurance, and free on-site gyms (in some locations)
• Three days of service holidays, in addition to four weeks of annual leave

Requirements to apply | Nga paearu hei tono

To join Customs in any role you must be a New Zealand citizen or NZ permanent resident.

• This means :
• a New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided continuously in New Zealand for the last 5 years and resides in NZ at time of application; OR
• a New Zealand Citizen or New Zealand Permanent Resident who has resided in New Zealand for the last 5 years and resides in NZ at the time of application.

You may have been absent from New Zealand for periods of six or more months within the past five years, preferably in one or more of the following countries : either Australia, Canada, UK or the USA.

You will be required to provide overseas police certificates for these periods spent outside of New Zealand.

You must have a background history that is verifiable and can be assessed as appropriate by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service towards a recommendation of suitability for security clearance at a higher level.

Due to the nature of Customs work, you must have a clear Police record.

The successful applicant will also be required to pass a drug test.

How to apply | Me pehea te whakauru

We cannot accept emailed applications so please apply online via Apply Now below.

Please upload an up-to-date CV and tell us why you are interested in this role and your previous skills and experience relevant to this position.

A cover letter is not required.

Applications close at 11pm, Monday 22 September 2025.

If you have any technical related questions, please contact Scott Kelly (Manager Digital Trade and Protection) at

• or for any recruitment related questions, please contact Suzanne Leahy (Senior Recruitment Advisor) at

Please note Customs will be managing this recruitment independently in-house and will not be engaging with recruitment agencies at this stage.

New Zealand Customs Service | Te Mana Arai o Aotearoa is a member of Diversity Works New Zealand and is committed to developing a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities and welcome applications from everyone who can meet the requirements of the role.

We also offer flexible working arrangements.