Senior Test Engineer
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
As a Senior Test Engineer, you will adopt an engineering approach to achieving quality. You will be involved in assuring, measuring, and building quality into every phase of the software development life cycle. In doing so, you will seek to implement product level Test Engineering approaches which are in line with the portfolio Test engineering approach and QAT Test Engineering principles.
You will be involved in solving engineering challenges of QAT approaches adopted in projects that you work with. This involves developing and running scalable tests and processes that are faster, frequent, and continuous. You will be expected to build relationships with Software engineering, DevOps, Product and Project delivery partners to help make sure QAT is embedded by default into the development approach.
You will seek guidance and support from other members of the Test Engineering community to help develop your own technical and delivery management skills.
You'll lead the test engineering strategy for your product area, embedding quality throughout the software development lifecycle. You'll define and implement test approaches that align with portfolio-wide standards and Quality Assurance and Testing (QAT) principles.
You'll be responsible for ensuring quality is built in from the start-measuring, assuring, and continuously improving it at every stage. You'll stay current with emerging tools and techniques, evaluating their potential to enhance delivery outcomes.
This role also involves mentoring others and actively contributing to the QAT Test Engineering community. You'll champion the value of quality assurance across the wider GDaD profession, helping to shape a culture of excellence.
Quality Engineering Tools and Technologies we use:
We have a wide portfolio of projects, and our vast estate covers a whole range of tools. The below is sample snapshot of some tools we use:
- Frameworks: Serenity BDD (Selenium + RestAssured), and several bespoke frameworks.
- DevOps: AWS, Jenkins, Drone, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform.
- Performance testing: JMeter.
- Other tools: Browserstack, Axe, ZAP, SonarQube.
- Observability and Monitoring: ELK, Grafana, Dynatrace.
Your tasks and responsibilities will include (but not limited to):
Your main day to day responsibilities will be:
- Actively maintain existing test frameworks or help develop new ones when required. You will also undertake code refactoring where necessary.
- Develop tests that are predictable, repeatable and implement automated verification of acceptance criteria to the greatest possible extent. Review test automation code and test utility code, and configure, monitor, and trigger tests to run on demand as well as continuously evaluating the efficacy of this process.
- Determine tools and approaches for virtualisation, data mocking , contract testing or other automated integration testing techniques and determine tools and approaches for automated test data management, test results aggregation and release management. Enable precise, real-time reports of automation test runs.
- Manage test infrastructure usage and determine approach to running distributed, parallel tests. Use container & Cloud technology to orchestrate faster, scalable tests.
- Interpret data from code scan, code quality and observability tools. Agree quality thresholds and provide actionable feedback in aiding quality improvement.
- Participate in the QAT Test Engineering community to help grow it.
Watch this video to hear from members of the team talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here., Quality Assurance and Testing (QAT) is an important part of the Home Office mission. Everyone is responsible for quality, and we have a team of skilled people who make sure quality is delivered in the most effective way. This means getting fast feedback, understanding how a service performs, and helping the development team to make more informed decisions. We value automating as much of the test effort as possible allowing our team of specialists and domain experts to undertake better evaluations., * A 30-minute technical exercise that will assess the candidate's proficiency in using industry standard test engineering tools.
- This will be followed by a 60-minute panel interview.
The technical exercise will involve live coding using Java, during which you will be expected to create/refactor one API automation test using a test framework. This will also involve questions on how you can improve the given framework. You will also be expected to write a test case (in plain text) for testing Infrastructure as Code in AWS., You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years. This is because this post requires the successful candidate to have Security Check (SC) clearance and individuals 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. These checks will only take place after the job offer has been accepted.
Visa Sponsorship
We are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License.
Capability Allowance
The advertised role is part of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession. This role has access to a Digital Capability-Based Allowance. Applicants who are successful at interview will be invited to complete a Capability and Skills Assessment post-interview. Any allowance awarded will be based on the assessment of your capability against the six skills advertised for this role. Please see the attached candidate pack for more information.
The allowance values are set by the Home Office, subject to remaining in a qualifying role, and are non-pensionable. This allowance is non-contractual, subject to an annual review and could be withdrawn at any time.
For both new entrants and existing civil servants, the total compensation offer is a combination of base salary and, if applicable, a capability-based allowance. New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the pay range minimum. For existing civil servants, our policies on level transfer and promotion will apply.
Job offers to this post are made on the basis of merit. We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same competencies and essential skills.
Working at the Home Office
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks. Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home Office 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
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up.
For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers, If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes., * UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Requirements
Do you have experience in Virtualization?, You'll have a demonstrable passion for Test Engineering, with the following skills or some experience in:
- Programming using Java to write secure, reusable, and maintainable automated tests and test utilities. You should be familiar with concepts like thread management, synchronisation, resource, and memory management, and scripting languages like bash or PowerShell (Lead essential criteria). Using tools like Selenium for front-end automation, RestAssured for API testing, Serenity BDD, build tools like Maven or Gradle and using Git to manage branches and merge requests through distributed version control.
- Working with unit test frameworks like Junit, assertion libraries and data serialisation tools, leveraging tools like Wiremock, to aid automated testing.
- Working with POM test design pattern and SOLID code design principle. Implementing coding guidelines and standards and using BDD tools like Cucumber for developing automated tests.
- Using CI/CD tools while having a good understanding of release pipelines and jobs and familiarity with containerization platforms like Docker.
- Using code quality tools like SonarQube., * Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Strategic Planning (ITSP) - Level 3
- Domain Experience - Level 3
- Test, Analysis, Design and Execution - Level 3
- Automation and Tooling - Level 3
- Performance Testing - Level 3
- Integration and Assurance - Level 3, This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills., In the event of a high number of applications received, an initial sift may be held on the lead essential criteria - "programming using Java to write secure, reusable, and maintainable automated tests and test utilities. You should be familiar with concepts like thread management, synchronisation, resource, and memory management, and scripting languages like bash or PowerShell", in your personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift., Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .
Benefits & conditions
£44,720 - £48,720 New entrants to the Civil Service will start their role on the salary band minimum:
National roles : £44,720
London roles : £48,720
You may be eligible for an additional non-pensionable allowance, pending a Capability and Skills Assessment, with a value of up to £12,680.
New entrants to the Civil Service will start their role on the pay range minimum.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £44,720, Home Office contributes £12,955 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Why work for us...
- A highly competitive pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- 25 days annual leave on appointment rising 1 day per year up to 30 days, plus 8 days public holidays and 1 day for the King's Birthday.
- Flexible working options to enable you to achieve the work life balance that is right for you including; Full time, part-time, flexi time, compressed hours and job sharing.
- A hybrid working model of a minimum 60% of your contracted hours in the workplace and 40% remote.
- Training and development opportunities tailored to your role, including access to technical and professional accreditations.
- Access to funded qualifications (subject to approval)
- A capability allowance reviewed annually.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- Enhanced parental leave schemes.
- Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards.
This link is to a short guide to employee benefits: Benefits - Home Office Careers
Why join our QAT Community in the Home Office?
The QAT Testing Team won the best Team of the Year at the 2024 European Software Testing Awards! This prestigious win reflects our dedication to excellence and innovation in Quality Assurance and Testing.
This is a huge opportunity to be a part of our growth journey and build your capability and expertise., If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
