IT Student Systems Tester

Birmingham City University; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Pension

Wellbeing support

Staff benefits

Generous leave

Job summary

Birmingham City University is seeking an IT Student Systems Tester within the IT Services department to ensure the quality, reliability and resilience of student systems across the University. You will develop and execute end-to-end test plans, create test cases, manage data securely and work closely with stakeholders to implement improvements while adhering to information governance and ITIL practices.

This is a permanent, full-time role with hybrid working and opportunities for development.

Qualifications

• Develop and execute comprehensive test plans for student systems.
• Create test cases, maintain schedules, and report testing outcomes.
• Ensure data handling complies with information security requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute end-to-end test plans covering functional and non-functional testing.
• Create and maintain test cases, defect registers, and traceability.
• Collaborate with IT Student Systems Team and stakeholders to ensure smooth transition to production.

Skills

Test planning

End-to-end testing

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Education

NVQ Level 3

Tools

Version management

Data validation

Information governance

Job description

Department Service Location Joseph Priestley Building Salary £32,006 to £35,331per annum Permanent Post Type Full Time Release Date 10 September 2026 Closing Date 23.59 hours BST on Friday 25 September 2026 Reference I126010

About Birmingham City University

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world-class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

Role Summary

We are seeking an IT Student Systems Tester to join our IT Services department, supporting the delivery of high-quality, reliable and resilient student systems across the University.

In this role, you will play a key part in ensuring that enhancements, new functionality, configurations, customisations and upgrades to student systems are thoroughly tested and quality assured before being introduced into production. You will work closely with the IT Student Systems Team and University stakeholders to develop and execute test plans, identify and resolve defects, and ensure systems meet business, data quality and information security requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute comprehensive end-to-end test plans covering functional, non-functional, unit, integration and system testing.
• Create test cases and maintain test schedules, results, defect registers and traceability records, analysing and reporting testing outcomes and issues.
• Ensure test environments and data are appropriately managed, including the use of representative, anonymised data in line with information security requirements.
• Work collaboratively with the IT Student Systems Team and stakeholders to resolve issues, support user acceptance testing and ensure new functionality is successfully transitioned into production.
• Relevant vocational qualification, such as NVQ Level 3, or equivalent work experience and relevant skills.
• Experience of using and testing corporate student systems, including experience of technical environments, version management and data validation.
• Understanding of systems development lifecycles, Agile methodologies, ITIL best practice and information governance.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and attention-to-detail skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders.

Further Information

If you are excited by the opportunity to help ensure the quality, resilience and continuous improvement of the University's student systems, we would love to hear from you. This is an opportunity to play an important role within IT Services, working collaboratively with colleagues across the University to deliver reliable systems and services that support our students and staff.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Richard Block at [e-mail]. Please note that this contact is available for informal enquiries about the role and its responsibilities only. For any queries relating to the application process, please contact Nelia [e-mail].

Interviews for this role are scheduled to take place on 28 October 2026.

• Work–life balance – Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
• Career development – Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
• Reward and wellbeing – Competitive pay, pension, wellbeing support and staff benefits.
• Inclusive culture – A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route, subject to meeting the relevant criteria. For further information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

Disability Confident Employer

Birmingham City University is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company, BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to re-enter the scheme may do so and will be employed directly by the University.