About the job

Job summary

The Opportunity 

Parliamentary Digital Services are looking for an established software tester to work within an existing team of testers to help ensure the quality of internal parliamentary procedural applications alongside public facing websites and mobile applications. 

Testers are embedded within a squad assigned to specific projects and work directly with developers to ensure strong test coverage and appropriate issues are raised. The role requires experience with a range of manual testing techniques and an enthusiasm to contribute to the automated suite of tests. We strive to have great working relationships with stakeholders to ensure we understand their requirements and have the procedural knowledge we need to hand.

This position has no line management responsibility, but we do work to share knowledge within the testing function and wider Product team, and you will be expected to contribute. 

What You Need

• Ability to take stories and acceptance criteria to generate valid functional test cases to ensure good test coverage. You know how to identify defects and raise awareness of these with appropriate level of detail. Experience with writing automated test cases as well as testing APIs.
• Effective written and verbal communication and can present complex information. You are able to describe any defects to developers and are comfortable describing technical details to stakeholders when required.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills able to prioritise to meet deadlines and takes full responsibility for quality and timescales of own work.  You work within the deadlines and ensure that any risks are raised in a timely manner.
• Ability to work successfully within a team, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity 
  and inclusion. You use this knowledge to ensure that the applications and website produced are tested appropriately to meet accessibility requirements.
• You understand the needs of the customer and their different levels of skills and experience. You advocate for the user to help ensure that the applications are usable and contain appropriate messaging.

Job description

• Write and execute manual test scripts, logging outcomes and ensure issues are reported as quickly as possible. 
• Ownership of planning and executing appropriate functional tests, including testing both UI and APIs.
• Ownership of planning and executing appropriate non-functional tests, for accessibility and cross-browser compatibility.
• Contribute to agile planning sessions to help ensure that the squad has enough information to successfully complete work.
• Work within assigned squad to complete testing within expected timeframes.
• Demonstrate work to the Software Engineering team, stakeholders and wider interested parties as needed.
• Contribute to the development and roll out of new test processes. 
• Add test scenarios to the automated test scripts execute and report the results of the run when needed. 
• Writing Selenium driven tests using SpecFlow and C#.

The above list of key responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and banding of the post.

Person specification

Criterion 1 – Test Planning
Ability to take stories and acceptance criteria to generate valid functional test cases to ensure good test coverage. You know how to identify defects and raise awareness of these with appropriate level of detail. Experience with writing automated test cases as well as testing APIs.
    
Criterion 2 – Technical Communication
Effective written and verbal communication and can present complex information. You are able to describe any defects to developers and are comfortable describing technical details to stakeholders when required.

Criterion 3 – Time Management
Excellent planning and organisational skills able to prioritise to meet deadlines and takes full responsibility for quality and timescales of own work.  You work within the deadlines and ensure that any risks are raised in a timely manner.

Criterion 4 – Working in a Team
Ability to work successfully within a team, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity 
and inclusion. You use this knowledge to ensure that the applications and website produced are tested appropriately to meet accessibility requirements.

Criterion 5 – User Focus
You understand the needs of the customer and their different levels of skills and experience. You advocate for the user to help ensure that the applications are usable and contain appropriate messaging.

Benefits

Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include:

• up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay
• great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory)
• on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP
• flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. You will need to upload a CV and show how you meet up to the first five criterion. Our application process is anonymous, so please remove any personal information from your CV.

Apply By: 9th June 2024 at 23:55

Interviews: W/C 17th June

Format: Panel Interview (Remote)

Our Culture

For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success.

We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.