Senior Test Engineer - DESNZ - SEO

Location

Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

About the job

Job summary

The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a new shared corporate service, launched in July 2023. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).

Our team of just over 300 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field.

We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is

found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Find Out More

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Job description

Join ICS Digital, where innovation meets expertise to create digital solutions. We are a cohesive digital community who work in the open, solving problems together and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to user-focused design and data-driven decision-making ensures that we deliver accessible services tailored to the needs of our customers.

As a Senior Test Engineer, you will play a critical role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of services within ICS Digital. You will lead testing initiatives, define quality standards, and collaborate closely with developers, product owners, and stakeholders to deliver robust, secure, and user-focused solutions for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).

This is a key position within our Data and Development team, where you will work alongside Civil Servants and Contractors in a multidisciplinary environment. You will be responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive test strategies, automating test processes, and driving continuous improvement across our development lifecycle. Our team operates in the open, values transparency, and embraces agile ways of working.

You will work with a diverse technology stack and modern testing frameworks, leveraging cloud platforms such as Azure and AWS, and supporting applications built in C#, Python, and TypeScript. This role offers the opportunity to apply and expand your expertise in automated testing, performance testing, and quality engineering while contributing to the delivery of innovative digital services.

Visit our blog to learn more about us and our work: https://icsdigital.blog.gov.uk/

Person specification

• Lead the design and implementation of comprehensive quality strategies across platforms like Salesforce, Azure, and AWS, including test approaches (unit, integration, API, UI, performance, security, accessibility) and automation frameworks using C#, Python, Apex, and TypeScript.

• Own test planning and execution for delivery initiatives, establishing quality gates, risk-based test plans, and release readiness criteria aligned with architectural standards, non-functional requirements, and delivery timelines.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—including product owners, stakeholders, architects, and developers—to translate requirements into clear, testable acceptance criteria and ensure shared understanding of quality goals.

• Ensure robust test coverage for data workflows, including validation of data migrations, schema evolution, and integration/contract testing to support secure and seamless system interoperability.

• Develop and maintain reusable test assets and automation suites, fostering scalable testing practices across cloud platforms and embedding quality into CI/CD pipelines for reliable build validation and release verification.

• Mentor engineers and champion a culture of technical excellence, conducting reviews of test designs and automation code, resolving complex quality issues, and driving continuous improvement through emerging tools, practices, and metrics.

The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and the post holders may be required to undertake some additional tasks not listed above, within the remit of their grade, to support the team.

Essential criteria 

• Proven test automation skills using tools like Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, pytest, xUnit/NUnit, or Jest for functional, integration, API, and end-to-end testing.

• Hands-on cloud testing experience with AWS and/or Azure, including validation of distributed services and core cloud components.

• CI/CD integration expertise, embedding automated tests into pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps) to support fast and reliable delivery.

• Strong quality engineering mindset, with experience in defining test strategies, implementing shift-left practices, and establishing quality gates across the SDLC.

• Experience in performance, reliability, and security testing, including load/stress testing, vulnerability scanning, and compliance with OWASP and data protection standards.

• Comfortable with modern Agile practices, accessibility testing (WCAG 2.2 AA), and collaborative problem-solving in multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable criteria 

• Cross-Cloud Breadth: Experience testing solutions across both AWS and Azure environments.

• Test Data Management: Experience designing strategies for synthetic data generation, anonymisation, and managing test environments.

• Public Sector Delivery: Experience working with GDS Service Standard, GOV.UK Design System, and preparing for service assessments.

• Certifications: Relevant credentials such as ISTQB Advanced, AWS/Azure certifications, or performance/security testing certifications.

• Leadership Impact: Experience mentoring junior QA engineers, contributing to communities of practice, and influencing quality engineering roadmaps.

It is unusual that all candidates will meet all the desirable criteria. If your skills and experience look slightly different from what we have identified and you think you can bring value to the Senior Test Engineer role and the team, we strongly encourage you to apply. We'd love to hear from you!

Please, no recruitment agencies.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Designing and Executing tests - Practitioner
• Managing Reporting and Resolving defects - Practitioner
• Test Engineering - Practitioner