Tools QA Analyst

The Role

Creative Assembly are looking for an Tools QA Analyst to join our team based at our studio in Horsham, in the heart of West Sussex.

A Total War QA Analyst is an exemplary and technical QA practitioner who has specialised knowledge in a particular field of game development QA. They have proven testing experience and in-depth understanding of game systems and development processes. They are able to interrogate game systems using debug tools and automation to find a wide variety of bugs, with an emphasis on their chosen specialisation.

As an Associate level Tools QA Analyst there will be an emphasis on onboarding with the suite of in-house Total War tools, building relationships with the Core Tech development teams, and working towards taking ownership of areas of Tools QA testing.

Primarily assigned to the Tools QA team you will be testing and validating new in‑house tools and pipelines before they are deployed across the wider development teams. In this highly collaborative and technically focused role, you will work closely with the Core Technology development and QA teams to build a deep understanding of our toolchain, technical workflows, and user requirements.

This position is ideal for an experienced technical software tester who is confident working within agile methodologies, rapidly adapting to new technologies, and contributing to the evolution and improvement of our internal tooling ecosystem. You will be expected to work across both manual and automated testing, influencing testing strategies and supporting the long‑term quality and reliability of our pipelines.

What you’ll be doing

On a day-to-day basis, you will:

• Perform detailed testing of new and updated tools, covering installation, UI/UX behavior, workflow integration, performance, and stability.
• Design, execute, and maintain comprehensive test plans tailored to each tool or pipeline component.
• Conduct full and partial tool and pipeline sweeps, proactively identifying regressions, performance drops, or workflow blockers.
• Collaborate with developers to identify automation opportunities and integrate automated checks into QA process.
• Diagnose and triage complex technical issues, providing clear, actionable bug reports and supporting root‑cause investigations.
• Work closely with multiple disciplines—including Engine, Tech Art, Tools Teams, and QA—to understand their workflows, dependencies, and pain points.
• Act as a point of contact for tool testing queries, offering guidance and best practices to internal stakeholders.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of testing frameworks, documentation standards, and QA methodologies.

What we are looking for

Essential

• 3+ years in QA preferably at a games development studio or full experience of software development lifecycle from production to post-release support.
• Ability to self-manage and generate tasks to drive testing in an area.
• Proficient time management and organisational skills, able to prioritise accordingly.
• Excellent communication skills. Experience writing documentation.
• Previous technical QA experience working in video games or other related software testing fields.
• Ability to follow set process and utilise a methodical approach when investigating issues.
• A passion for video games and a desire to be part of the creative process involved in developing them.

Desirable

• Experience playing a variety of Total War titles.
• Experience using bug and task tracking software such as JIRA or Testrail.
• Experience working within an Agile development environment.
• Experience testing across multiple platforms.
• Experience in test automation.

ABOUT CREATIVE ASSEMBLY

We care deeply about the experiences we create and put our players at the heart of our decisions. We are all game makers; no matter our role we are empowered to make significant contributions to our games, supported by skills development and growth opportunities.

Most roles at Creative Assembly are hybrid; what this looks like will be discussed during the interview process. For many teams, this is 3 days a week in the studio. CA has the right to change requirements based on the needs of the business.

We offer many benefits to support you and your family including:

• Work from Anywhere for a temporary period each year (restrictions apply such as VISAs)
• Enhanced holiday allowance, maternity and paternity breaks, flexibility with our core hours, and no-notice holidays
• Bespoke relocation package for you and your dependents
• Private medical and dental insurance, life insurance, permanent health insurance, critical illness cover and free health care screening
• Additional benefits ranging from free games and work parties to discount on technology
• Wellbeing support and virtual confidential counselling

We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. Our studio sites have disabled access.