Lead Test Engineer - DWP - G6

The successful candidate will work within the Debt Digital programme to deliver major change and transformation, across multi-functional teams.

The current system supports £2.8Bn of debt recovery a year and is used by several thousand agents.

A replacement platform is currently in the discovery phase, and this leadership role will help shape the direction and strategy for testing and assuring these critical services, to meet the expectations of citizens managing their finances via online channels.

This role will suit a senior engineer who is excellent at resolving technical blockers, understands Agile testing principles and Microservice Architectures. You will own the overall strategic direction for testing solutions and ensure these are communicated and adopted across your teams. You will be proactively engaging with the wider engineering community to drive consistency and adoption of strategic engineering solutions and standards that build a quality outcome. The role will require hands on testing engineering and leadership skills.

Please note - As part of the role, you may be required to travel regularly to the other digital hubs. The frequency of this will be discussed further should you be successful. 

Job description

As a Lead Test Engineer, you will:

• Oversee, influence, support and coach a large number of diverse multi-disciplinary teams involved in building, testing, delivering and maintaining solutions driving consistency, standards, and quality, resolving technical blockers, and promoting reuse and collaboration.
• Be an excellent problem solver, able to consider the bigger picture for the benefit of the wider team and community, who is adapts and is a fast learner.
• Possess an excellent ability to self-organise, lead others and define priorities with effective interaction with stakeholders in all directions.
• Own test planning and identify risks, issues and dependencies (external and internal) in a complex environment and ensure appropriate resources, skills and plans are in place.
• Have hands-on understanding of test engineering and the leadership knowledge and skills to help shape the medium to long term Debt Digital quality strategies.
• Contribute to recruitment activities in the practice, working with other Leads and the Head of Role to advise on recruitment strategy and lead at various stages of the assessment process.

Person specification

When giving details in your CV you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:

• Lead criterion: Excellent communicator who can coach, collaborate, influence, develop and lead multiple diverse teams.
• Influencing decision makers and key stakeholder to help support and define the strategic vision of solutions.
• Knowledge of multiple programming languages, technology, and testing frameworks used within different architectures such as microservice, monoliths, SaaS etc.
• Ensures that both functional and non-functional needs are embedded in the development & testing of solutions.
• Ability to understand, review and implement the latest practices, principles, and processes, driving towards whole team quality.
• Ability to manage and develop test strategies for Commercial Off the Shelf solutions and propriety solutions.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Richard Hanley (Richard.Hanley@dwp.gov.uk)