Senior Test Engineer

DWP Digital; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexible hours

Generous pension contributions

Job summary

DWP Digital is seeking a Senior Test Engineer to join a community of tech experts. You will provide technical leadership across multiple agile delivery teams, defining automation testing strategies that ensure secure, scalable, high-performing products.

You’ll champion risk-based testing and quality-by-design principles, while embedding tests into CI/CD pipelines. Location offerings include hybrid working across hubs in Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield.

Qualifications

• Lead criteria: data transformation and Python expertise.
• Experience designing, building and maintaining comprehensive tests with pytest.
• Experience leading testing across multiple delivery teams in agile environments.
• Experience across full software lifecycle including test generation and defect management.
• Experience with CI/CD and pipelines in cloud environments.
• Experience in performance, security or scalability testing.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across agile delivery teams for automation testing.
• Define and implement automation testing strategies ensuring secure, scalable products.
• Embed testing into CI/CD pipelines and manage test risks and defects.
• Mentor and line-manage Test Engineers and promote best practices.

Skills

Data transformation

Python

Test automation

Test strategy

CI/CD

Cloud infrastructure

Non-functional testing

Tools

pytest

Job description

Pay up to £78,250, plus 28.97% employer pension contributions, hybrid working, flexible hours, and great work life balance.

DWP. Digital with Purpose.

We are looking for a Senior Test Engineer to join our community of tech experts in DWP Digital.

We're using fresh ideas and leading-edge tech to build and maintain digital solutions that will be used by nearly every person in the UK, every day and at key moments in their lives.

DWP is the UK's largest government department. We help people into work and make payments worth over £195bn a year to support and empower millions of people.

The scale of what we do is extraordinary, and our purpose is unique. We'd love you to join us.

What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?

• Lead criteria: Demonstrable skills and experience in the data transformation space and python programming language with the aptitude to learn/adapt to others.
• Experience designing, building and maintaining comprehensive, robust, and reliable tests using pytest including driving improvements to frameworks.
• Experience leading testing and test strategy across multiple delivery teams, understanding agile ways of working and how to influence others.
• Experience across the full software lifecycle from understanding business needs to delivery into production. Including technical leadership, test generation, reporting and defect management.
• Has experience in shift left principles including CI/CD and using pipelines configured within cloud infrastructure.
• Experience of conducting and enabling non-functional testing, e.g. performance, security or scalability - including test types, test tools and standards.

You and your role

You'll provide technical leadership across multiple agile delivery teams, defining and implementing automation testing strategies that ensure secure, scalable, high-performing and reliable products. Working closely with Software Engineers, DevOps, Architects, and Product teams, you'll champion risk-based testing, data validation, continuous testing, and quality-by-design principles.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll shape automation frameworks, embed testing into CI/CD pipelines, manage test risks and defects and help teams deliver with confidence. You'll also mentor and line manage Test Engineers, share best practices and help build a strong engineering culture focused on collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.

If you have experience in Test Automation, Quality Engineering, Agile Delivery, CI/CD, Continuous Testing, Data Validation, Risk-Based Testing, Performance Testing, Security Testing, DevOps, and Engineering Leadership, we'd love to hear from you.

Location:

You’ll join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield, whichever is most convenient for you.

Hybrid Working:

We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.

Pay:

We offer competitive pay of up to £78,205.

Pension:

You’ll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth over £16,000 per year.

Holidays:

A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time.

You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You’ll also get all the usual public holidays.

We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving
• Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'
• Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it's even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.

And we have an award-winning environment and culture:

• DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
• Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024
• Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025
• Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Tech Employer Awards

Process:

We know your time is valuable, so our application and selection process is just two stages: