Test Engineer - GDS - SEO

Manchester Digital; West of England, Greater London, Manchester; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Government Digital Service (GDS) is seeking highly skilled Test Engineers to join our product teams. You will lead test engineering activities at the product level, ensuring high-quality delivery.

You will collaborate with developers, product managers and architects to design and execute robust test plans across the full lifecycle. You will work with AWS-based stack (serverless, TypeScript/Node.js, JVM) and contribute to advancing testing excellence across government digital services.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in software testing across the full SDLC.
• Proficient in integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledgeable in non-functional testing including performance and accessibility testing.
• Ability to identify defect trends, perform RCA and drive improvements.
• Experience working in Agile environments with TDD/BDD practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain test automation frameworks and automated scripts.
• Collaborate with product managers, developers and architects to foster quality.
• Design and execute comprehensive test plans and test cases for full coverage.
• Integrate automated tests into the software development lifecycle and encourage shift-left testing.
• Analyze test results to identify trends, risks and quality improvements.
• Participate in daily stand-ups, sprint planning and refinement sessions.

Skills

SDLC testing

CI/CD integration

Non-functional testing

Root cause analysis

Agile practices

TDD/BDD

Continuous learning

Tools

CI/CD tools

Job description

Full-time (Permanent) £46,725 - £50,220 (London) / £42,893 - £45,653 (National) plus additional allowance

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

We are seeking highly skilled Test Engineers to join our dynamic product teams. In this role, you will be responsible for leading test engineering activities at product level, ensuring that our products meet the highest standards of functional and non-functional quality. You will collaborate closely with developers, product managers, architects and other stakeholders to design and execute comprehensive test plans that cover all aspects of the product life cycle. Additionally, you will work with Senior test Engineers and cross-product Test Delivery Leads to support the seamless integration and delivery of testing across the program, while identifying opportunities for process improvement and innovation. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a multidisciplinary team and play a key role in driving testing excellence.

Our technology stack runs on AWS, using serverless compute and storage products. Backend services are written in TypeScript/Node.js and JVM technologies. Web applications also use TypeScript.

As a Test Engineer, you’ll:

• develop and maintain test automation frameworks and automated scripts using industry-standard tools
• collaborate with stakeholders including product managers, developers, and architects to foster a culture of quality
• design and execute comprehensive test plans and test cases, ensuring full coverage of functional, regression, and integration testing
• work with development teams to drive shift-left testing practices by integrating automated tests into the software development lifecycle and active participation in early stages
• analyse test results to identify trends, risks, and patterns, helping to drive proactive quality improvements
• actively participate in daily stand‑ups, sprint planning, and refinement sessions to identify risks, gaps and test dependencies

Person specification

We’re interested in people who has/is:

• strong experience in software testing across the full SDLC, from gathering requirements to delivering production-ready solutions. Includes test strategy, test analysis, automation, defect management, and reporting
• proficient in integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines
• knowledgeable in non-functional testing, including performance, and accessibility testing methodologies
• ability to identify defect trends, conduct root cause analysis (RCA), and drive preventive actions to improve software quality
• strong collaboration skills, working closely with cross‑functional teams to embed quality engineering best practices throughout the SDLC
• experience in Agile environments, actively participating in sprint planning, stand‑ups, retrospectives, and test‑driven development (TDD/BDD) practices
• committed to continuous learning, staying updated with the latest advancements in testing tools, frameworks, and methodologies