Who Are We?

Western National Insurance Group is a private mutual insurance company with over 120 years of experience serving policyholders' property-and-casualty insurance needs in the Midwestern, Northwestern, and Southwestern United States. Known as “The Relationship Company®,” we have always defined success as a measure of the relationships we’ve built over time. In everything that we do, we know that delivering a friendly and helpful interaction makes for a better experience for everyone involved. That’s the power of “nice”. At Western National, nice is something we work to bring to every person and organization with whom we partner and serve.

Does This Opportunity Interest You?

Western National is seeking a Lead Automation Engineer to join our team!

The individual in this role will have the opportunity to play an important part in our company’s architecture of the Guidewire test automation. Our ideal candidate will have experience with creation of automation frameworks and leading those efforts.

You will contribute by:

• Architect an automation framework and strategy using Guidewire framework aligned with CI/CD efforts. Analyze and program on top of existing code and from scratch.
• Effectively collaborates and communicate with multiple streams across the company, scrum teams, implementation partner, and leadership.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship in automation best practices.
• Review others code and provide points for improvement.
• Contribute to developing enhancements of quality standards and procedures.
• Creation of metrics and reporting capabilities.
• Responsible for maximizing test coverage and reducing testing time.
• Bring a shift left mentality to the quality practices of the company.
• Provide clear and timely communications regarding QA activities, deliverables, and related processes across various levels of the organizations.
• Apply feedback and take ownership of tasks at hand, ability to self-prioritize tasks, identify, and execute deliverables within given timeline. Ask for and offer help when needed.

What you will need to succeed:

• 5+ years of coding experience with Java or JavaScript.
• Experience with TestCafe, Cypress, or Selenium.
• Experience with developing Features, Test Scenarios and Step-Definition for BDD (Behavior Driven Development) using Cucumber (Gherkin).
• Experience in API testing using Karate Framework.
• Experience with version control tool Git and Git branching models.
• Experience on either Gitlab, Bitbucket, or GitHub.
• Experience with CI/CD platforms like Jenkins or TeamCity.
• Experience working within an Agile transformation environment.
• Thorough understanding and experience of applying QA software quality standards, metrics, methodology, and best practices.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Performance testing and planning experience is preferred.
• Jira or similar issue tracking software is preferred.
• Xray or similar testing tool software experience is preferred.
• Guidewire certification preferred.
• Insurance knowledge is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, experience in lieu of degree is acceptable.

Compensation Overview

The hiring range for this role is $119,600 - $138,000 annually. However, the base pay offered may vary depending on the job-related knowledge, skills, credentials, and experience of each candidate as well as other factors such as the scope and location of the role. Candidates looking for compensation outside of the posted range are encouraged to apply and will be considered based on their individual qualifications and/or may be considered for other positions.

Culture and Total Rewards

Western National has long been known as “The Relationship Company®”, and caring for our employees is part of that relationship commitment. We value connectiveness, empowerment, and accountability, and we believe that our employees are our biggest assets. Nearly half of our employees choose to stay at Western National for ten years or more!

Currently ranked as the 37th largest private company by revenue in Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal), Western National has earned accolades year-over-year as an employer of choice and garnered multiple awards for wellness in the workplace. Western National was also named a Star Tribune Top Workplace in 2021 and 2022. The Group is consistently recognized as a Ward’s 50 property-and-casualty insurance company for its outstanding financial results.

Western National offers full time employees a significant Total Rewards Package, including:

• Medical insurance Plan options and other standard employee benefits, including dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and more!
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flex Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) Plan (plus company match)
• Wellbeing Program, including onsite fitness studio
• Time Off – including vacation, volunteer, and holiday pay
• 100% company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework and access to The Institutes (Risk & Insurance Education)
• Paid parental leave
• Bonus opportunities

Western National believes in supporting balance between work and life by providing a flexible work environment, with includes a variety of hybrid and remote work arrangements designed to balance individual, job, department, and company needs.

Western National provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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