Who are we?

Western National Insurance Group is a private mutual insurance company with over 120 years of experience serving customers' property-and-casualty insurance needs in the Midwestern, Northwestern, and Southwestern United States. Known as “The Relationship Company®,” we define 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 an Automation Engineer II to join our team!

The individual in this role will collaborate with product teams to implement, test, and validate software application modifications. This position plays a key role in advancing test automation, improving product quality, and ensuring efficient, reliable deployments while contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

What are the responsibilities and opportunities of this role?

• Collaborates with product teams to test and deploy application modifications based on defined requirements. 
• Participates in work refinement and estimation processes. 
• Prepares and executes testing on new and modified code according to team and organizational standards. 
• Develops, executes, and contributes to test automation using various tools, frameworks, and programming languages. 
• Identifies opportunities to incorporate testability into design and development phases. 
• Conducts and participates in code reviews to maintain quality standards. 
• Identifies defect-prone areas and designs appropriate test coverage. 
• Actively participates in defect resolution, providing documentation and recommendations. 
• Assists in troubleshooting and resolving production issues. 
• Creates and maintains documentation for support processes, system functionality, and team practices. 
• Communicates project status, delays, and risks effectively with team members and leadership. 
• Contributes to process improvement discussions and initiatives at the team level. 
• Flexes across non-core responsibilities (e.g., analysis, deployment, facilitation) to support delivery as needed.

What are the must-have qualifications for a candidate?

• Coding experience with JavaScript. 
• Experience with Cypress or Selenium.
• Experience with version control tool Git and Git branching models.
• Experience with either GitLab, Bitbucket, or GitHub.
• Experience with CI / CD platforms, such as Jenkins or Gitlab.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Experience with Jira or similar issue tracking software is preferred.
• Experience with Xray or similar testing tool software is preferred.
• Relevant education and / or training (e.g., bachelor’s degree, associate degree, bootcamp certificate); experience in lieu of education acceptable.

What will our ideal candidate have?

• Ability to write automated tests independently. 
• Experience in troubleshooting and resolving pipeline issues. 
• Exposure to multiple testing tools, frameworks, and automation techniques. 
• Knowledge of code versioning and development best practices. 
• Property-and-casualty insurance industry experience or education. 
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with a continuous improvement mindset.

Compensation overview

The targeted hiring range for this role is $83,100 - $114,290, 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.

Western National Insurance Group reserves the right to fill this position at a level above or below the level included in this posting.

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 asset. 

Currently ranked as the 41st 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 has also been named a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune for consecutive years. In addition, 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 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) Plan (participants are eligible for 100% matching on the first 6% of their contributions)
• Wellbeing Program, including onsite fitness studio
• Paid Time Off – including holiday, vacation, and volunteer
• 100% company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework and access to The Institutes (Risk and insurance education)
• Paid parental leave
• Bonus opportunities

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

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

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.