Senior Test Engineer(SC Cleared & NPPV3)

As a Test Lead, you will be responsible for leading the testing function across a major UK government digital transformation programme. You will oversee test planning, strategy, execution, and reporting, ensuring that high-quality software is delivered consistently and efficiently. You will guide a multidisciplinary team of testers and engineers, fostering a culture of quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement. This role requires strong leadership, deep technical testing expertise, and the ability to coordinate testing activities across multiple teams, systems, and stakeholders., * Lead the end-to-end testing life cycle, including planning, estimation, execution, and reporting.

• Define and maintain test strategies, frameworks, and quality standards across the programme.
• Oversee the design and maintenance of automated test suites using JUnit, Cucumber, and Selenium.
• Coordinate system, integration, regression, and end-to-end testing across distributed and microservice-based applications.
• Ensure robust Back End validation and data integrity checks using PostgreSQL.
• Oversee the use of WireMock for service virtualisation and integration isolation.
• Lead performance and load testing activities using JMeter, ensuring results are analysed and communicated effectively.
• Manage test resources, priorities, risks, and dependencies across multiple workstreams.
• Facilitate workshops, show-and-tells, defect triage sessions, and stakeholder reviews.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring to testers and automation engineers.
• Ensure defects, issues, and risks are clearly communicated and driven to resolution.
• Champion continuous improvement in testing processes, tooling, and delivery practices.

• Extensive experience leading testing teams in complex, multi-system environments.
• Strong hands-on background with JUnit, Cucumber, and Selenium WebDriver.
• Deep understanding of Spring applications, microservices, and distributed architectures.
• Strong proficiency with PostgreSQL, including advanced query writing and validation techniques.
• Experience with WireMock for mocking and stubbing external services.
• Strong expertise with JMeter for performance and load testing.
• Proven ability to define test strategies, manage test phases, and coordinate cross-team delivery.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and modern engineering practices.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and reporting skills.
• Experience with Git, Jira, Confluence, and similar delivery tools.

Desired Skills and Experience:

• Experience leading testing in government or consultancy environments.
• Exposure to containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Understanding of BDD/TDD and quality-driven engineering practices.
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Grafana, Prometheus, ELK).
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple teams and workstreams.
• Passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing high-performing test teams.
• Experience with contract testing, API testing frameworks, and service-level validation.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives across large delivery programmes.

What We Are Looking For:

• A confident and proactive Test Lead who can drive quality outcomes across complex delivery environments.
• Someone who can build strong relationships with developers, product owners, and senior stakeholders.
• A leader who can manage risks, influence decisions, and ensure high-quality delivery at pace.
• A champion for automation, efficiency, and modern testing practices.