Graduate Test Engineer

About Auto Trader

You’ve probably heard of Auto Trader, but do you know what we’re all about?  

We’re the UK’s leading automotive marketplace, a heritage brand, and a tech darling of the stock market. We bring together vehicle buyers and sellers to give them real choices. Cars may be what we're best known for but we’re also the place for pretty much everything else on wheels, from e-bikes to caravans. 

In the automotive world, change is a constant, that’s why we take our job of untangling the complex car-buying journey very seriously. 
 
At our core, we’re all about people. We go our own way while embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. We dedicate ourselves to the idea that we work better together. 

Auto Trader is a beautiful, surprising and vibrant place to work. We might not be for everyone, but we could be perfect for you. 

About the job

We are looking for a Graduate Test Engineer to join our Product and Tech Community. 

As a Graduate Test Engineer, you’ll be working in cross-functional teams alongside developers, product leads, and designers. You'll gain exposure to a wide range of technologies and methodologies while helping to develop insight-driven, market-leading digital products and services. 

Our Test Engineers play a key role across multiple stages of software development. Using automated testing tools, exploratory testing, and other techniques, they ensure our software functions effectively and performs optimally. Beyond identifying potential issues, they also find opportunities for improvement to create a seamless user experience. 

To learn more about the work of our tech community, take a read of our Engineering blog and check out our tech stack.

Our graduate programme starts on the 6th of October 2025.

What we're looking for

• You'll be a graduate in any degree discipline (or hold a level 6 qualification) with a passion for software testing, coding and technology. 

• You will be passionate about testing and driven to build a successful career as a Test Engineer. 

• You will have some coding experience, whether that be through personal technology projects or university/community hacks you've attended. 

• As a digital business, we're constantly evolving, so the ability to adapt and be comfortable with change in an ever-changing landscape is a must. 

• Our Product and Tech community values collaboration and teamwork, so you’ll be eager to learn from the people you work with and embrace the opportunities that come your way. 

You might assume that our name, "Auto Trader," means you need to be a car enthusiast to work here. But that's not the case. We're looking for people who are passionate about their work and thrive in a collaborative environment.

We believe every candidate brings a unique blend of talents. If you find yourself ticking some, but not all, of the requirement boxes, we'd love to hear from you.

To help you submit your best application, you can check out our application top tips video here.

Auto Trader's Graduate Academy 

Our graduate programme is designed to fast-track your career and develop your skills. It’s a 2-year programme with a permanent role from day one. Your journey starts with a 6-week Academy Foundation alongside other graduates, learning about our company, culture, products and customers. You'll then focus on your specific role while working on practical projects as a cohort, with support from mentors, your dedicated line manager and the Early Careers team. For full details, visit our early careers blog here.

Benefits and more

We’re offering a salary of £28,000, plus an additional 10% of your salary awarded to you in shares each year. These awarded shares will become yours in yearly instalments over the next three years, and you can choose to either sell them or keep them as shares. And you'll receive 29 days holiday, plus bank holidays and comprehensive private medical cover. 

That’s not all. We have employee pension contributions up to 7%, enhanced family leave provisions, a car salary sacrifice scheme, share-save options, and much more. 

We always want to give you the support you need and help prioritise your wellbeing, that’s why we provide access to 24/7 online GP and dentist, as well as specialist support for assisted fertility, gender dysphoria, menopause, period care plans and lots more.  

On top of all that, our hybrid model, Connected Working, combines the best of both worlds – office and home working. You’ll have two fixed weekly office days for team collaboration and one more of your choice to suit your work-life balance.  

Additionally, during July and August, along with two weeks in December, we have our remote first periods. During these times, you can work remotely, whether that's from another location in the UK or even from certain locations abroad.