Senior Test Engineer - Infected Blood Compensation Authority - SEO

Location

Glasgow, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

About the job

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments. 

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

Job description

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is responsible for delivering a compensation scheme that has been long awaited by the infected blood community to provide financial compensation to victims of infected blood on a UK-wide basis. This role will lead our technical testing capability within the engineering team of the Data Operations arm of the IBCA Data Directorate.

The Data Operations team is responsible for developing and running safe and secure data solutions that provide a single source of truth for those going through their compensation journey. We are building a new data platform using Amazon Web Services (AWS) and data management and intelligence products using Databricks, Quantexa and Tableau. We are taking a product-centric approach, treating data as a product and building squads around our products, with a focus on paying compensation to those impacted by the infected blood scandal seamlessly.

You will focus on ensuring the integrity, reliability, and security of our AWS tech stack through rigorous technical testing and complex troubleshooting. Working at IBCA gives you a huge opportunity to make an impact on those who deserve compensation, and this role suits a candidate who can work independently to diagnose technical issues and deliver end-to-end test strategies from the ground up, ensuring that data is an enabler to everything IBCA does.

As an AWS/Databricks Test Engineer, you will join a multidisciplinary team to design, build, and deliver high-impact, scalable AWS-based solutions. You will bridge the gap between manual and automation testing while fostering a strong quality engineering community.

You will:

• Provide technical guidance for the development of robust, automated testing frameworks and integration strategies for our data platform, encompassing DevSecOps and 3-Amigos best practices;
• Execute technical testing across AWS services (S3, Lambda, Athena, VPC) and data tools like Databricks and Quantexa to ensure tools and techniques are scalable, secure, and efficient;
• Be responsible for ensuring the right test engineering practices—including API automation, Boto3 deployment checks, and evidence-driven defect tracking—are embedded consistently within the delivery teams;
• Independently diagnose and troubleshoot complex technical problems, reaching out across digital service teams to investigate root causes and assess infrastructure configurations in Terraform;
• Work with business stakeholders and clients, translating complex test findings into actionable insights and ensuring that evolving requirements are met with adaptable test strategies.

Responsibilities

• Conduct technical testing on AWS services using Databricks, Quantexa and Tableau;
• Perform manual testing across AWS components, including S3, CloudWatch, VPC, Lambda, Athena (SQL), and others;
• Understand AWS infrastructure deployment processes, including Terraform-based configurations;
• Develop and execute test plans, ensuring evidence-driven defect tracking via JIRA;
• Work in a 3-Amigos approach, collaborating closely with architects, developers and business analysts;
• Engage in client-facing meetings and discussions, presenting test findings and solutions.
• Adapt to potential automation testing, including API testing (e.g., REST API), AWS CLI deployment checks using Boto3 (Python) and Front-end UI testing where required.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Strong technical expertise in AWS cloud testing, with a deep understanding of AWS architecture and services (S3, CloudWatch, VPC, Lambda, Athena) and the ability to diagnose complex technical issues within a cloud-native environment;
• Extensive experience in end-to-end test engineering, specifically designing and executing test plans and strategies that cover data-heavy platforms involving Databricks, Quantexa, and Tableau;
• Proficiency in automation and technical testing using Python, Java, or C#, with specific experience in API testing, AWS CLI deployment checks via Boto3, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) validation;
• Proven ability to work independently and troubleshoot complex problems, demonstrating the confidence to engage with architects, developers, and external stakeholders to investigate and resolve defects;
• Experience delivering through Agile and DevSecOps practices, including the 3-Amigos approach, CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions), and evidence-driven defect management via JIRA;
• Strong communication and client-facing skills, with a track record of presenting technical findings, test evidence, and quality solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences;
• Adaptable and proactive mindset, with the ability to evolve test strategies in response to changing requirements and a desire to implement innovative testing practices such as contract testing (Pact) or performance testing (K6).

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Designing and Executing Tests
• Test Analysis