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# Lead Test Engineer

- **Company:** DWP Digital
- **Location:** Blackpool, United Kingdom (Remote available)
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** £75,026 - £90,627
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Automation of Tests, Data as a Services, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Data Systems, Database Testing, Python (Programming Language), Enterprise Messaging Systems, Systems Development Life Cycle, Strategies of Testing, Performance Testing, Integration Tests, Data Analytics
- **Published:** November 3, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.jobs.service.gov.uk/jobs/6ae88bcbc0bcb2f38224f6f8/apply

## About the Role

* Proven experience leading testing across multiple teams, defining and delivering testing strategies for cloud-native, open-source and commercial data platforms, while embedding quality standards, governance, test automation, and best practices across the software delivery lifecycle.
 * Extensive experience designing and implementing functional and non-functional testing strategies, including performance, accessibility, reliability and integration testing for APIs, messaging platforms and modern data services.
 * Proven success leading, recruiting, coaching and developing high-performing Test Engineers, driving continuous improvement and engineering excellence.
 * Expert-level experience in Python-based test automation, with a strong track record of implementing automated API and data testing within cloud CI/CD pipelines, using shift-left approaches to deliver quality early and at scale.

## Description

Join us at a pivotal time as we drive forward our ambitious 2030 Data Strategy. We're looking for an experienced Lead Test Engineer to play a key role in shaping and assuring the quality of data products and services across a complex digital landscape that supports millions of users.

Working closely with stakeholders across Data & Analytics and the wider DWP Digital community, you'll provide expert testing leadership, influence strategic decisions, develop recommendations, and ensure robust quality assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle.

You'll lead the development of testing strategies, champion best practice, and drive test automation across both existing and future data solutions. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the future of data testing while delivering products and services that make a real difference., As our Lead Test Engineer, you'll set the standard for quality engineering across DWP's Data & Analytics services. Acting as the senior technical authority for testing, you'll provide leadership and direction to test engineers embedded in agile delivery teams, ensuring quality is built into products and services from the outset.

You'll work closely with Product Managers, Architects, Delivery Managers and Engineering teams to shape testing strategy, influence technical decisions and embed quality throughout the software delivery lifecycle. Supporting a broad portfolio of data and analytics platforms, you'll help assure solutions spanning data movement, integration, storage, analytics and insight generation.

Drawing on deep expertise in modern test engineering practices, you'll champion automation, continuous testing and quality by design. You'll provide assurance across functional, performance, accessibility, security and operational testing, helping teams deliver resilient, reliable and trusted services.

Working across a complex technology landscape spanning cloud and on-premise environments, you'll identify delivery risks, drive continuous improvement and evaluate emerging tools and approaches to strengthen engineering quality across the organisation.

You'll also play a key role in developing our Test Engineering profession, supporting recruitment, mentoring engineers, building capability and helping shape a high-performing testing community.