🔧 What I Bring to the Table
- ✅ Expert in API, database, and headless browser testing
- ✅ Build-from-scratch test automation frameworks (Playwright)
- ✅ Maintain/convert existing ones (Selenium, Cypress, Puppeteer)
- ✅ High-volume performance & load testing (k6)
- ✅ Proven experience in test strategy & management across Agile, Iterative, and Waterfall
- ✅ Strong in test planning, execution & reporting
- ✅ Skilled in defect triage & management (JIRA, Azure DevOps, GitHub)
- ✅ DevOps/CI-CD pipeline experience (Bitbucket Pipelines, TeamCity, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
- ✅ Cross-functional Agile leadership & clear stakeholder communication
- ✅ National Police Check ready & happy to complete any required probity checks
👀 What I’m Looking For
- ✅ 3+ month engagements
- ✅ Brisbane CBD or surrounds (end-of-trip facilities a plus)
- ✅ 3–5 billable days per week
- ✅ No travel
- ✅ Rate: $1,200/day + GST (negotiable for longer engagements)
- 🚫 No mobile app testing roles, please
- View my work: alisterscott.github.io
📅 Recent Relevant Experience
👨💻 Senior Test Engineer at Translink Digital @ Qld Govt Dept Transport & Main Roads
Duration: March 2023 – June 2025
I was the sole test engineer for the Translink Digital team, solely responsible for ensuring quality of numerous customer-facing digital systems, APIs, and apps.
🧩 When I Started (March 2023)
- ❌ No automated tests for CMS admin tasks
- ⚙️ Tests scattered across multiple languages and tools (C#, Python, XML, Selenium, JMeter)
- 🖥️ Tests couldn’t run in headless mode—took full control of keyboard/mouse and required a dedicated Windows VM
- ⏱️ No Production Verification Tests (PVTs)—quick post-release checks were manual and error-prone
- 🐌 No parallel test execution; test runs took hours and diagnosing failures required reruns
- 🚫 No Azure DevOps pipelines, CI/CD, or agents in place
- 📆 Test results were highly data-dependent—e.g., school service tests failed during school holidays
- 📉 Load tests underestimated peak usage by a factor of 2x
🛬 When I Finished (June 2025)
- ✅ Tests were written in TypeScript using modern frameworks like Playwright and k6
- 🧪 Tests runs fully headless and cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac), with parallel execution (8x locally) and built-in debugging/tracing
- ✅ Full test coverage of CMS admin to guard against regressions
- 🔁 Tests run via Azure DevOps pipelines, including PVTs, with trace captures and html reports
- 🔄 Reduced test data dependencies by intercepting/modifying known API responses in-browser
- 📈 Load tests now model real-world peak usage more accurately