Skip to main contentSenior Test Engineer
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 27th September 2023
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Information Technology
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About the job
Job summary
Are you an engaging leader?
Do you want to work within an exciting Test Engineer community?
Do you want to find new ways to solve problems, achieve big things and make an impact?
Then get in touch.
Come and help us deliver one of the biggest digital transformation projects in Europe, as part of a diverse team of experts.
Help transform how we work by finding new ways to adapt testing processes and help others embrace new ways of working.
Our work is integral, we design and build test solutions that deliver and support better services for our agents, colleagues and claimants.
You will need excellent attention to detail, a commitment to quality, a belief in the benefits of faster feedback and the ability to make decisions to manage a well assured service.
You will be able to collaborate with others, actively seek input from colleagues and value a multi-disciplinary team over hierarchy.
Please note- this role requires you to pass a security clearance check. For further information on this please see Selection process details.
Job description
As a Senior Test Engineer, you will:
• Lead Test Engineers across several teams, providing technical leadership and guidance.
• Drive collaboration across engineers of different roles both within your team and the wider teams to solve problems and enable consistent solutions and strategies.
• Build automation test solutions that help to assure the quality of our products, contribute towards their design, and look for way to improve the value automation adds.
• Ensure that usability, accessibility, security, stability, and capacity are embedded in the development of services.
• Drive teams to take a risk based, context driven approach to agile testing assessing and understanding the risks to drive decisions.
• Lead the adoptions of Continuous Integration/Delivery pipelines to run a full range of tests against our products and assure our builds.
• Lead the traceability of testing, risks, defects, and report progress to appropriate stakeholders across several teams.
• Be willing to challenge assumptions and current processes to help us improve. Reusing and evolving our strategies and tooling.
• Drive the identification of tooling and solutions to aid constant improvements, ensuring we build the right product in the right way.
• Proactively share knowledge, solutions and support our internal communities along with mentoring, coaching, and supporting your peers.
Person specification
The essential criteria for this role are:
• Demonstrable skills in a modern programming language and software engineering practices and aptitude to learn more.
• Experience building and maintaining comprehensive, robust, and reliable automated tests against UI’s and API’s including driving improvements to frameworks.
• Experience leading testing across multiple teams in the lifecycle from understanding business needs to delivery into production. Including technical leadership, test generation, reporting and defect management.
• Adaptable team player who understands agile ways of working, can influence others and has experience of shift left principles including CI/CD.
• Experience of conducting and enabling non-functional testing such as Performance, Security and Accessibility – including test types, test tools, and standards.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact richard.hanley@dwp.gov.uk.
Please note- This vacancy could be extended past the original closing date stated. Please submit your application as soon as possible as Sifting and Interviewing is taking place at regular intervals throughout the campaign being live.
Benefits
• An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Salary for this role is from £52,412 (Band min) to £63,517 (Band max).
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Applications must include:
1. A completed Personal Details application form.
2. A curriculum vitae including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements.
When giving details in your CV you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.
When giving details of your CV, you should therefore include details of the work and projects that you have been involved in, and your role therein.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit our blog Getting Hired at DWP Digital .
Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.
Important information
When uploading your CV, do not include personal information that identifies you. This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity. Take out references to your name/title, Educational institutions, age, sex, email address, postal address, telephone number or nationality/immigration status.
• Please attach your redacted CV as a separate additional document in either PDF or word format.
• If your CV contains any personal details your application may be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.
Interview dates will be confirmed as they will be taking place throughout the campaign.
Further information:
Find out more about Working for DWP
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency of 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via digitalrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Richie Hanley
- Email : richard.hanley@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : digitalrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.
