Test Engineer

DVSA.GOV; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 44,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government agency is looking for a Test Engineer to enhance their digital services supporting road safety. This role includes leading both manual and automated testing activities, designing reusable test frameworks, and collaborating with various teams to improve testing processes. The ideal candidate will have experience with large-scale systems and proficiency in programming languages such as JavaScript and Java. The position offers generous benefits including significant pension contributions and flexible working options.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 28.97%

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in test automation frameworks and reusable tools.
• Ability to analyze complex test results.
• Mentoring and coaching colleagues on testing practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead manual and automated testing activities.
• Design scalable test automation frameworks.
• Collaborate with teams on testing priorities.

Skills

Testing across large-scale digital systems

Proficiency in JavaScript

Collaborating within Agile teams

Experience with CI/CD pipelines

Tools

Docker

Job description

Overview

Test Engineer

Location: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Oldham, Swansea

Salary: £44,241 (National) £48,581 (London) Plus an additional allowance of up to £14,552

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th February 2026

About the job

The Strategy, Policy, Digital & Technology Directorate plays a central role in delivering DVSA s digital services that support road safety and compliance across the UK. The Test Engineering team sits within this directorate and is responsible for ensuring high-quality, reliable, and scalable digital products. Working closely with product, delivery, and engineering teams, the group embeds quality from the outset of development, balancing manual and automated testing to provide confidence in delivery. The team drives improvements in testing practices, builds reusable frameworks, and promotes a culture of collaboration, early engagement, and continuous improvement to meet both user needs and DVSA s strategic goals.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include, but aren t limited to:

• Leading the planning, execution, and reporting of both manual and automated testing activities.
• Designing, implementing, and maintaining scalable test automation frameworks and reusable tooling.
• Embedding quality from the start by defining acceptance criteria and promoting early test engagement.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to align testing priorities with user and business needs.
• Providing expert guidance on defect management, test analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Driving consistency in testing approaches, standards, and frameworks across delivery teams.
• Using data insights and defect trends to recommend changes that improve quality outcomes.
• Mentoring and coaching colleagues to uplift testing skills and confidence across the organisation.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Testing across large-scale digital systems, including both legacy and cloud-native environments.
• Designing, implementing, and maintaining test automation frameworks and reusable tools.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, or C#.
• Frontend, API, and database testing experience, including performance, usability, and accessibility.
• Analysing complex test results and automation outcomes to inform risk-based decisions.
• Working effectively within Agile teams and contributing to cross-team quality improvements.
• Using CI/CD pipelines, source control, and containerised environments (e.g., Docker).
• Defining acceptance criteria and embedding quality early in the development lifecycle.
• Mentoring and coaching colleagues to improve testing practices and confidence in results.
• Communicating complex technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for DVSA, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.