Michael James Associates

About the Company

MJA was founded in 2011. Its main aim was to provide integrity to the recruitment market having seen certain important flaws in the industry. After seeing the effect of the recession on firms and employers alike, we wanted to form a personal executive search company to give companies a trusted agency, which would build relationships, and provide a devoted professional account manager.
As a team of experts we have developed a good eye for the right candidate fit to a specific client. We believe this comes down to trust which is so important today. Our clients believe in our work and our judgment with regard to the candidates we choose for them. This means we can make a real difference by building strong and effective teams.
From a candidates perspective we encourage long term relationships, and most importantly we always try to spend time with our candidates by taking their calls, assisting them with their CV's, interview preparation, and helping to choose the next steps in their careers. We pride ourselves on being available at all times.
MJA specialise in recruiting at all levels for a variety of industries, and genuinely enjoy working with candidates and clients alike, and building relationships with them. For us honesty is of the utmost importance.
Our team of knowledgable experts ensure they are absolutely clear on requirements and expectations, which is so crucial in making correct and successful placements.
We hope that you will give our company a chance to provide you with our services.

Listed Jobs

Company Name

Michael James Associates

Job Title

Scrum Master

Job Description

Job Title: Scrum Master Role Summary: Facilitate Agile delivery for two key programmes—data‑centric and regulatory—within an insurance brokerage environment, ensuring effective sprint planning, daily stand‑ups, and ceremony execution while collaborating with US‑based teams through Azure DevOps. Expactations: Experienced in Scrum Master roles within insurance or financial services, adept at managing distributed teams, skilled in Agile frameworks, and proficient with Azure DevOps or equivalent tools. Key Responsibilities: • Lead all Agile ceremonies (sprints, retrospectives, planning, daily stand‑ups) for two concurrent programmes. • Coordinate cross‑functional and distributed teams, including US-based stakeholders. • Manage sprint backlogs, prioritize work, and track progress in Azure DevOps. • Remove impediments and foster continuous improvement. • Coach teams on Agile best practices and promote a culture of accountability and transparency. • Collaborate with program management to align goals and deliverables. Required Skills: • Proven Scrum Master experience in insurance or financial services. • Strong command of Agile delivery frameworks (Scrum/SAFe). • Expertise in facilitating ceremonies and managing remote/distributed teams. • Proficient with Azure DevOps (or similar tools). • Excellent communication, facilitation, and conflict‑resolution skills. • Self‑motivated, proactive, and able to work in a high‑pressure environment. Required Education & Certifications: • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or related field. • Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent Agile certification.

London, United kingdom

On site

29-10-2025

Company Name

Michael James Associates

Job Title

Product Owner

Job Description

Job title: Product Owner Role Summary: Data‑focused Product Owner leading translation of insurance domain requirements into actionable user stories across multiple data and technology programs for a specialty insurance client. Expectations: - 6‑month contract with potential extension to 12 months. - Daily‑rate engagement. - Collaboration with senior stakeholders and end users. Key Responsibilities: - Partner with senior stakeholders and users to capture and refine business problems. - Translate problems into detailed, prioritized user stories and acceptance criteria. - Coordinate across multiple data and technology initiatives to ensure alignment with product backlog. - Facilitate backlog grooming, sprint planning, and review meetings. - Communicate progress, risks, and scope changes to stakeholders. Required Skills: - Proven experience as Product Owner in data‑centric environments. - Deep familiarity with the London or Lloyd’s insurance market. - Proficiency with Microsoft SQL Server, Excel, MS Word, MS Visio, and PowerPoint. - Experience with Azure Cloud data lake technologies highly advantageous. - Strong stakeholder engagement, communication, and prioritization abilities. Required Education & Certifications: - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, Finance, or related field. - (Optional) Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or equivalent product‑management certification.

London, United kingdom

Hybrid

12-11-2025

Company Name

Michael James Associates

Job Title

Permanent Automation Test Lead role - The City, London

Job Description

Job Title: Automation Test Lead Role Summary: Lead automation testing efforts for an insurance organization, ensuring software quality through hands-on testing, validation, and strategy. Collaborate with development teams to deliver high-quality applications. Expectations: 5+ years in automation testing, insurance sector experience, proven proficiency in Playwright, Selenium, Java, and database QA testing. Strong OOPS knowledge required. Key Responsibilities: Develop/test automation strategies, write/execute test scripts for application/database integrity, identify and document defects, ensure compliance with quality standards. Required Skills: Playwright automation, Selenium, Java/C# programming, OOPS concepts, database testing. Required Education & Certifications: Not specified.

The city, United kingdom

On site

Senior

22-12-2025

Company Name

Michael James Associates

Job Title

Permanent API Tester/QA Analyst - Largely Remote - London

Job Description

Job title: Permanent API Tester / QA Analyst Role Summary: Execute functional, integration, and regression testing of RESTful API services for an insurance organization, ensuring accurate data exchange, proper error handling, and compliance with OpenAPI/Swagger specifications. Expactations: - Deliver high‑quality, defect‑free API releases by applying rigorous testing practices. - Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to development and business stakeholders. - Maintain an up‑to‑date test repository and contribute to continuous improvement of testing processes. - Support automation initiatives and scaling of test coverage as new services are added. Key Responsibilities: - Design, implement, and maintain manual and automated API test cases using tools such as Postman, Insomnia, or REST Client. - Create and execute test scripts written in Python, JavaScript, or Bash to validate endpoints, payloads, and authentication flows. - Validate HTTP methods, status codes, and request/response structures against OpenAPI/Swagger contracts. - Perform data integrity and cross‑service validation for core insurance data pipelines. - Log defects, conduct root‑cause analysis, and work with devs to verify fixes. - Monitor and report on test harness metrics, test coverage, and API performance trends. - Collaborate with product owners and backend engineers to clarify acceptance criteria and identify potential API exposure points. Required Skills: - Hands‑on experience with API testing tools (Postman, Insomnia, REST Client, or equivalent). - Proficiency in scripting for API automation (Python, JavaScript, or Bash). - Strong understanding of HTTP methods, status codes, and request/response payloads. - Experience validating and consuming OpenAPI/Swagger specifications. - Familiarity with backend service patterns and data flows in an insurance context. - Ability to interpret business requirements and translate them into effective test scenarios. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Required Education & Certifications: - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, OR equivalent industry experience. - Relevant certifications such as ISTQB Certified Tester – Foundation Level or API testing credentials (preferred but not mandatory).

London, United kingdom

On site

05-01-2026