Senior Test Engineer

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

As a Senior Test Engineer , you will ensure that software and systems meet user needs, business requirements, and quality standards through effective test automation, performance testing, and continuous delivery practices.

As a Senior Test Engineer, we are looking for experienced software testers in the team, to design and develop automated test suites based on functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring that solutions are delivered on time, and to a high level of quality. A hands-on professional responsible for every area of testing from performance and integration to accessibility and security. By contributing to and championing test engineering standards and automating continuous testing practices within CI/CD pipelines, you will ensure quality outcomes and reduce technical debt. You’ll be an expert voice in releasing value early and safely.

You will need to collaborate effectively in a fast-paced environment, and utilise a wide range of testing techniques and communicate test results clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

You’ll work closely with developers, delivery managers, product owners, and other stakeholders to embed a quality-first culture and drive modern, scalable testing practices across your teams.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Test Engineer , you will:

• Coordinate the end-to-end test strategy for major programmes or products, ensuring comprehensive coverage across functional, non-functional, performance, and security testing;
• Define and manage test environments, data management strategies, and quality metrics;
• Create and manage test strategies, and test plans across projects, developing high quality test cases that align with business and technical requirements;
• You will take a practical, hands-on approach to testing driving shift-left practices, creating and maintaining reliable automated test suites, and enabling teams to deliver quality through automation;
• Conduct and guide complex testing activities (integration, regression, performance, accessibility, UAT support);
• Develop, maintain, and optimise automated test frameworks and CI/CD integration;
• Collaborate closely with developers, product managers, and DevOps engineers to embed testing throughout the delivery lifecycle;
• Identify and adopt improved methods and processes to strengthen quality and optimise delivery efficiency;
• Work with test lead to review test practices, support quality governance and risk management, ensuring alignment with service standards, accessibility, and security policies.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of the full testing lifecycle with a proven track record as a QA/Test Engineer;
• Experience conducting testing activities in complex technical environments, ideally within large-scale or multi-system digital programmes;
• Implementing and managing test automation frameworks (e.g. Cypress, Playwright, REST Assured, or similar);
• Integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitHub Actions, Jenkins);
• Designing and executing non-functional testing (e.g. performance, load, security, accessibility);
• Applying Agile and DevOps principles to testing, including TDD/BDD practices (e.g. Cucumber, Gherkin);
• Proven experience in designing, testing, or supporting solutions deployed in cloud environments (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP);
• Familiarity with containerisation and infrastructure-as-code (Docker, Terraform);
• Collaborating across multidisciplinary teams and communicating technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences;
• Building, maintaining, and evolving test environments and test data management approaches;
• Excellent verbal/written communication skills, able to articulate in both technical/non-technical terms depending on audience.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience in performance testing tools (e.g. Grafana K6, Gatling, JMeter);
• Experience working collaboratively within Agile Scrum teams, actively contributing to sprint ceremonies and ensuring robust, comprehensive test coverage;
• Experience applying risk-based testing to prioritise testing activities effectively;
• Understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and security testing practices;
• Knowledge of government digital standards (GDS Service Standard, Technology Code of Practice);
• Understanding of security, compliance, and data protection requirements within government or regulated environments.

While not mandatory, professional certifications such as ISTQB Advanced Level, BCS Test Analyst , or equivalent experience are desirable.

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.

Application Process:

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below via the CS Jobs website. This should be completed no later than 23:55, 21st December 2025.