Department for work and pensions (dwp)
Test Engineer
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About the job
Job summary
We’re looking for outstanding Test Engineers to design, build and maintain our flagship service, Universal Credit and our Working Age Benefits.
Universal Credit is one of the highest profile digital transformation programmes in the world, praised for its fast and flexible response to the Covid-19 pandemic and now in use by over 5 million claimants and 30,000 staff.
As a Test Engineer you will be part of a multi-functional agile delivery team and be an integral part of shaping and delivering automated test solutions that enable Universal Credit Working Age Benefits to deliver quality services consistently that meet the needs of our agents and claimants. The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with others, actively seek input from colleagues and value a multidisciplinary team over hierarchy.
This role represents a unique opportunity to join the Universal Credit and Working Age team at DWP Digital, to be part of a team delivering real value to people that need help during the difficult times of their lives.
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see ‘Selection process details’.
Job description
As a Test Engineer, you will:
- Work alongside other engineers both within your team and the wider community to solve problems and enable consistent solutions and strategies.
- Build automation test solutions that help to assure the quality of our products, contribute towards their design, and look for ways to improve the value automation adds.
- Ensure that usability, accessibility, security, stability and capacity are embedded in the development of services.
- Take a risk based, context driven approach to agile testing assessing and understanding the risks to drive decisions.
- Be supporting Continuous Integration/Delivery pipelines to run a full range of tests against our products and assure our builds.
- Maintain traceability of testing, risks, defects, and report progress to appropriate stakeholders.
- Be willing to challenge assumptions and current processes to help us improve our quality and our products.
Person specification
When giving details in your CV you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:
Lead Criterion: Demonstrable skills in Java or JavaScript and software engineering practices and aptitude to learn more.*- Experience building and maintaining comprehensive, robust, and reliable automated tests and frameworks against UI’s or API’s and understand the other.
- Experience of the testing lifecycle from understanding business needs from delivery to production. Including test generation, reporting and defect management.
- Adaptable team player who understands agile ways of working and shift left principles e.g. CI/CD.
- Knowledge of non-functional testing e.g. Performance, Security and Accessibility – including test types, test tools, and standards.
- An initial sift may be conducted using the lead criterion stated above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact richard.hanley@dwp.gov.uk.
Benefits
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
The regional pay for this role is from £42,614 to £52,347.
The maximum salary for the grade is £45,081, however a Digital Allowance of up to £7,266 per annum is available for exceptional candidates.
The London pay for this role is from £48,468 to £52,347.
The London maximum salary for the grade is £49,906 however a Digital Allowance of up to £2,441 per annum is available for exceptional candidates.
Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could be retained, amended, or removed.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
As part of the application process applications must include:
1. A completed Personal Details application form.
2. A curriculum vitae including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
When uploading your CV, do not include personal information or links to any webpages or profiles that identifies you. This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity. Take out references to your name/title, age, sex, email address, postal address, telephone number or nationality/immigration status.
When giving details of your redacted CV, you should therefore include details of the work and projects that you have been involved in, and your role therein.
An initial sift may be conducted using the lead criterion stated above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift.
Important information
- Please attach your redacted CV as a separate additional document in either PDF or word format.
If your CV contains any personal details your application may be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Coding Test
If you are successful at Stage 1, you will be invited to complete a coding exercise. You will have 5 working days to complete this activity. Further details will be given to those who pass Stage 1.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Stage 3: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.
Interviews will take place from early March 2025.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Security Clearance Requirement
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team