Lead Test Engineer

Public Sector Resourcing; England; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK public sector organization is seeking a Lead Test Engineer for a 12-month contract. This hybrid role requires a strong background in test strategy design for microservices and automation testing. Ideal candidates will have experience in contract testing, non-relational databases, and CI/CD pipelines. The position promotes collaboration and quality assurance within teams operating in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and implementing test strategy for distributed microservices.
• Experience in contract testing and component testing such as API.
• Strong technical automation skills to write maintainable tests.
• Experience in non-functional testing including performance and accessibility.
• Experience working with CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement strategy for building automation test solutions.
• Ensure alignment with overarching strategy of the service.
• Deliver quality assured and secure services.
• Adhere to best practices within the team.
• Assess impact of changes being made.

Skills

Designing test strategy for microservices

Contract testing and component testing

Non-relational databases (e.g., MongoDB)

Technical automation skills (Java or TS/JS)

Performance testing tools (Gatling, K6)

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

On behalf of DWP we are looking for a Lead Test Engineer for a 12 month (Inside IR35) contract. Hybrid working with 3 days per week in either Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield or Blackpool.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. As such, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Working with DWP, you will be helping us to drive our priorities to:

• Help people to move into work and support those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation
• Help people to plan and save for later life, while providing a safety net for those who need it now
• Provide effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of claimants who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society
• Improve experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayer.

As a Lead Test Engineer you will define and implement the strategy for building automation test solutions that help to assure the quality of products that make up DWPs digital services providing leadership, guidance and technical expertise to the test engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Set direction for your service/capability and teams that is in line with overarching strategy (which you have the ability to influence).
• Ensure that your teams work aligns to standards.
• Have a clear focus on delivering quality, assured and secure services.
• Ensure that your team follow best practice.
• Be aware of and assess impact of any change that you are making.
• Have an outward facing viewpoint, understanding where your team and products fit into the bigger picture.

Essential

• Have experience in designing and implementing test strategy for distributed microservices from Monolith service across multiple teams.
• Experience in contract testing and component testing such as API, message based asynchronous testing such as Kafka or similar technology.
• Experience in non-relational databases I.e. mongo db or similar.
• Strong technical automation skills with the ability to write well-structured reusable maintainable tests and test utilities (Java or TS/JS preferred).
• Have experience in non-functional experience such as performance testing (Gatling, K6) and accessibility testing.
• Have experience in CI/CD pipelines.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, DWP guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

DWP guarantees to interview veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex‑military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".