Akan Antia
QA TEST ENGINEER | Automation & Manual Testing (Cypress, Playwright, & Katalon- |-| https://www.linkedin.com/in/akan-antia | Manchester, UK
Professional Summary
ISTQB-certified QA Test Engineer with 12+ years of experience designing and executing manual and automated tests
for complex software applications across web, e-commerce, and enterprise environments. Skilled in using Cypress,
Playwright, and Katalon to develop and maintain automated test procedures, identify defects early, and troubleshoot
performance and integration issues. Adept in API, regression, and exploratory testing, with hands-on experience
supporting Agile delivery teams and embedding QA into CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, and
Jenkins. Known for improving release confidence, speeding up test feedback loops, and ensuring seamless
collaboration between developers, testers, and product owners.
Core Skills / Technical Proficiencies
Automation Frameworks: Cypress, Playwright, Katalon Studio, Postman, Appium, WebdriverIO and JMeter.
Programming / Scripting: JavaScript, TypeScript, Gherkin (BDD), HTML and CSS.
Testing Expertise: Functional, Regression, Smoke, Exploratory, UAT, Accessibility and Performance Testing.
Databases: Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Mobile Testing: Android and iOS.
Enterprise Software & Cloud: Docker, Node.js, Apache HTTP Server and Adobe Experience Manager.
AI-Powered & Modern Tools: ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot and Gemini.
CI/CD & DevOps: Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, TestRail and Jira.
Methodologies: Agile (Scrum/Kanban), BDD, TDD and Shift-Left Testing.
Operating Systems: Windows and macOS
Cross-Browser & Cloud Testing Platforms: BrowserStack and LambdaTest
Professional Experience
QA Automation Engineer – One Sky Collective - Remote
06/2025 to present
Environment: API (Node.js, Swagger), WebDriver IO, Appium, BrowserStack, GitHub Actions, Slack, TypeScript
Key Achievements:
Designed and implemented end-to-end mobile and web UI automation using WebDriver IO with Appium across
Android and iOS platforms.
Set up cross-platform test execution via BrowserStack, improving regression coverage by 60%.
Built an API testing framework integrated with Swagger documentation for backend validation.
Defined and maintained test plans, acceptance criteria, and test cases within Agile sprints, collaborating via
Slack.
Introduced GitHub Actions CI pipeline for automated nightly runs and Slack notifications of test results.
Independent QA Consultant – uTest (Crowdtesting Platform)
04/2023 to 04/2025
Environment: Cypress, Playwright, Katalon Studio, Postman, JMeter, GitHub, Azure DevOps, Google Cloud
Key Achievements:
Delivered end-to-end QA consulting services across fintech and e-commerce products, covering web, mobile,
and API layers.
Designed and implemented automation frameworks using Cypress and Playwright (JavaScript/TypeScript) with
CI/CD integration.
Integrated AI-assisted tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot to streamline test case design and
documentation.
Earned professional certifications in Katalon Studio, JMeter, Postman, Cypress, Playwright, and Google Cloud
Fundamentals.
QA Test Engineer (Contract) – Dept. for Planning Inspectorate | Via Kin + Carta
01/2023 to 03/2023
Environment: Cypress 10+, Cucumber (BDD), JavaScript, TypeScript, Azure DevOps and view con
Key Achievements:
Upgraded the existing Cypress test framework from v9 to v10+, introducing a new BDD plugin and modular
Page Object structure to improve maintainability.
Contributed to Planning Inspectorate’s Cypress framework on GitHub – View Contributors
Defined test strategy, created reusable scripts, and executed tests.
Used Jira, Azure DevOps, GitHub, and Docker in a Kanban workflow.
Increased test coverage by 40% in 2 sprints through automated regression packs
Utilised ChatGPT for rapid test script creation and improving test efficiency.
QA Automation Engineer (Contract) – e4enable LTD, Manchester, UK
08/2022 to 10/2022
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Projects & Responsibilities: End-to-end testing of the e4enable Salesforce website to streamline sales processes and
enhance user experience.
Created automation testing strategy using Cypress.io/Typescript on a ReactJS/.NET platform.
Worked across Azure Test Plans, VS Code, Azure CI/CD, Node.js, and Azure Git.
Logged and tracked defects in Azure DevOps.
Documented actual vs expected results, providing clear feedback and insights to stakeholders.
Collaborated in a Scrum environment to ensure quality delivery.
Senior Test Analyst (Fixed-term contract) – Unity Partnership LTD, Oldham, UK
06/2021 - 02/2022
Projects & Responsibilities: Unity Partnership (NHS D2A Referral App – Northern Care Alliance)
Led end-to-end testing using Katalon Studio and Azure DevOps
Conducted automated web and mobile testing on ReactJS/.NET 5 platform
Mentored junior testers and introduced best practices, leading to 25% fewer QA rework cycles.
Coordinated UAT with business users
Delivered a proof of concept showcasing Katalon Studio’s capabilities
Worked in an Agile Scrum team with HL7, Swagger, and VS Code integration
QA Test Analyst (Contract) – Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
03/2021 - 06/2021
Projects & Responsibilities: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust (Trak Care Integration):
Performed manual end-to-end system integration testing for patient ordering and SCM systems
Reviewed manual test cases and managed test execution in JIRA
Provided daily progress updates in Agile ceremonies.
Senior Test Analyst (Contract) – DEFRA | Warrington
Projects & Responsibilities DEFRA (APHA Work Management Suite):
Executed functional and regression testing for mobile field inspection workflows
Used Katalon Studio, JMeter, BrowserStack, Azure DevOps, GitHub
Applied risk-based testing, defined acceptance criteria, and ran sprint planning sessions
Led Agile three-amigo sessions to enhance cross-team collaboration
02/2018 to 06/2020
Test Analyst (Contract Roles) Various Organisations
2010 – 2017
NETbuilderDigital – Manchester | Davies Group, Ltd – Stoke-on-Trent | Capital – Sheffield | Argos – Stafford | Atos
Origin – Manchester (TfGM – Ticket System) | SystemC (McKesson) – Warrington | Building Block – Manchester
| Ardentia – Stafford | Brewin Dolphin LTD – Newcastle | Co-operative Bank – Skelmersdale
Certifications
Automation Tools:
Playwright 101 & 102 Certificates – LambdaTest (Valid until 2026 & 2027)
Cypress 101 Certificate – LambdaTest (Valid until 2026)
Postman API Expert Badge – Postman (2025)
Katalon Studio Certifications – Practitioner, Professional & Expert (Valid until 2026)
Performance Testing:
JMeter Pro Certification – 90%, 2024
Blaze Meter Pro Certification – 93%, 2024
Testing, Project Management & Business Analysis:
BCS Foundation Certificate in Agile – Certificate No:-
PRINCE2 Foundation Certificate – APMG International
BCS Certificate in Business Analysis – Certificate No:-
BCS ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management – Certificate No:-
ISTQB Foundation in Software Testing – Certificate No:-
Key Achievements and Strengths
Boosted regression test coverage by 40% in 2 sprints via Cypress automation.
Reduced rework by 25% by introducing test governance and mentoring.
Created BDD automation templates adopted by multi-team projects.
Enabled shift-left QA via pairing, 3 Amigos, and CI integration.
BSc (Hons) Agriculture - University of Ilorin, NG
Education
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