About the job

Job summary

Job title – Lead Test Engineer

Profession- Development & Operations  

Directorate – Technology

Full Time equivalent - 37.5 hours

No of Roles – 1

Contract Type – Permanent

Location – Hybrid

UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow.  This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata,(averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs.

Working Pattern – Full Time /Hybrid Working/ Flexible Working

Grade & Salary – Grade 7. National banding -£51,824- £61,414 per annum. Outer London -£53,812- £63,252 per annum. Inner London - £55,799- £65,089 per annum.

This role comes with a Market Pay Supplement of up to £10,000

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/.

Closing Date – 07/0/2024 23:55pm. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered

Interview Date – W/C 22/01/2024 Please note, these dates are subject to change.

 

Introduction   

The UKHSA Development and Operations team leads the digital transformation of UKHSA to make it a more data driven, customer focused, digital organisation. We do this by delivering services which meet and maintain the Government Digital Service (GDS)

UKHSA Development and Operations team is based within the Technology Directorate.  We have a team of roughly 40 people including content designers, developers, product managers, strategists and policy experts. We blend expertise from private and Government sectors and we work with a wide range of partners and suppliers.  We also manages UKHSA’s presence on GOV.UK, is transitioning UKHSA’s websites to GOV.UK and NHS Choices, runs the UKHSA intranet, and contains a services team to drive improvements in the services operated by UKHSA colleagues.

 

Overview of Job

As the Lead Test Engineer you will be leading a team responsible for delivery of the functional aspects of E2E Integration and Acceptance level testing activities within the UKHSA and, as needed, deputising for the Head of QAT.

 

UKHSA is responsible for protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and other health threats.

Job description

This role plays a key part in leading the definition and implementation of UKHSA testing strategies for development projects. The key individual will be involved with coordination of resources, allocating tasks and service requirements.

 

It is imperative that the QAT team and their approaches remain agile and use CI/CD methods when deploying an ‘automation by default’ approach. This is an exciting opportunity to enabling the use of analytical techniques including risk-based testing and test analysis and design techniques where appropriate across UKHSA

Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

• Responsible for enabling delivery of QAT Non-functional services for programmes and projects, with focus on performance testing.
• Leading the definition and implementation of QAT Performance testing strategies for projects
• Coordination of resources, tasks, risks, dependencies and service requirements.
• Enabling and ensuring the effective delivery of QAT approaches typically using agile and CI/CD methods and deploying an ‘automation by default’ approach.
• Enabling the use of analytical techniques including risk-based testing and test analysis and design techniques where appropriate.
• Enabling complex integration testing for projects as required.
• Enabling the use of exploratory testing techniques and the use of a broad range of tools, including open source and cloud based, to support the delivery of QAT services across product development.
• Advising on QAT practices to support the digital by default service standard, often working as part of a multidisciplinary team focused on user needs and user-centred design.
• Working with the Head of QAT, Deputies, Product Owners, Business users across UKHSA and 3rd Party suppliers to ensure delivery.
• Seeking to improve your knowledge in work areas and recommend new tools, platforms, ways of working.
• Excellent stakeholder and line management skills.
• Enforcing and promoting Agile, DevOps and related best practices.

 

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

 

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Strong background leading the definition and implementation Performance testing strategies for projects.

 

• Experience of working independently with project statkeholders and guide them with ways of improving the performance of system by sharing findings from performance testing.

 

• Significant background in delivering the coordination of resources including setting tasks, risks and service requirements.

 

• Experience of delivering change across both digital and physical contexts.

 

• Experience in the effective delivery of QAT approaches typically using agile and CI/CD methods.

 

• Able to illustrate significant use of analytical techniques including risk-based testing and test analysis and design techniques.

 

• Experience of performing in a variety of delivery roles, covering – solution design, project management, change management, performance reporting, continuous improvement.

 

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,824, UK Health Security Agency contributes £13,992 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed and sifted in line with the essential criteria.

 

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience

Stage 1: Application & Sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 750 words providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria. It should also detail what you and your experience can bring to the role. We suggest using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to demonstrate real-life examples for the specified essential criteria. Please note, only information provided within the stated word count will be considered.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview

 

Stage 2: Panel Interview

This role is a two stage interview process. The first stage will consist of a technical test if successful the second interview will test the following behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

 

Reserve List:

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

 

DBS - People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.

 

This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Government baseline personnel security standard

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:

• life sentences
• arson
• sexual offences
• hate and terror offences

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role

 

Complaint process:

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website. 

 

 

Contact Details – Sophie.Rigney@reed.com

 

 

 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.