Location
Bristol, London, Manchester
Job summary
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government — we are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.
Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:
1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability
We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.
We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.
The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.
Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.
Job description
GOV.UK One Login is being designed and built for the many, not the few. It will unite services across government, revolutionising the way government departments digitally interact with users. One Login will deliver an accessible and essential function that will change lives and help millions.
Described as the most strategic programme in government, this role in One Login represents a once in a career opportunity to contribute to and shape a software product that will be used by the majority of the people living in the UK. It’s a fast-paced, fascinating and challenging environment that is sure to offer you career satisfaction as well as a chance to develop and enhance your skills. Our technology stack runs on AWS, using serverless compute and storage products. Backend services are written in TypeScript/Node.js and JVM technologies. Web applications also use TypeScript.
We are an ambitious and visionary team so if you want to be at heart of this, have a background in software delivery with a specific focus on quality engineering, and are used to working in a scaled agile environment then this could be the place for you!
We are seeking highly skilled SEO Test Engineers to join our dynamic product teams. In this role, you will be responsible for leading test engineering activities at product level, ensuring that our products meet the highest standards of functional and non-functional quality. You will collaborate closely with developers, product managers, architects and other stakeholders to design and execute comprehensive test plans that cover all aspects of the product life cycle. Additionally, you will work with Senior test Engineers and cross-product Test Delivery Leads to support the seamless integration and delivery of testing across the program, while identifying opportunities for process improvement and innovation. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a multidisciplinary team and play a key role in driving testing excellence.
As a Test Engineer, you’ll:
* develop and maintain test automation frameworks and automated scripts using industry-standard tools
* collaborate with stakeholders including product managers, developers, and architects to foster a culture of quality
* design and execute comprehensive test plans and test cases, ensuring full coverage of functional, regression, and integration testing
* work with development teams to drive shift-left testing practices by integrating automated tests into the software development lifecycle and active participation in early stages
* analyse test results to identify trends, risks, and patterns, helping to drive proactive quality improvements
* actively participate in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and refinement sessions to identify risks, gaps and test dependencies
Person specification
We’re interested in people who have:
* strong experience in software testing across the full SDLC, from gathering requirements to delivering production-ready solutions. Includes test strategy, test analysis, automation, defect management, and reporting
* proven experience in developing and maintaining test automation frameworks for UI and API using tools such as Selenium, Cypress or Playwright
* proficiency in integrating tests into CI/CD pipelines
* knowledge in non-functional testing, including performance, and accessibility testing methodologies
* the ability to identify defect trends, conduct root cause analysis (RCA), and drive preventive actions to improve software quality
* strong collaboration skills, working closely with cross-functional teams to embed quality engineering best practices throughout the SDLC
* experience in agile environments, actively participating in sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives, and test-driven development (TDD/BDD) practices
* committed to continuous learning, staying updated with the latest advancements in testing tools, frameworks, and methodologies
Benefits
The benefits of working at GDS include:
* flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
* a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
* 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
* an extra day off for The King’s birthday
* an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
* career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
* paid volunteering leave
* a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
* job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
* advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
* death in service benefits
* cycle to work scheme and facilities
* access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
* access to an employee discounts scheme
* 10 learning days per year
* volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
* access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning
GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.
Selection process details
The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:
* a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
* a 60 minute video interview
Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.
In order to assist candidates with this role, we will be holding a virtual recruitment event on Thursday 20th March 12:00-13:00 to go through the role in more detail. If you are interested in joining this event please e-mail: gds-recruitment@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk and a member of the team will send you an invitation to the event.
While we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write cover letters without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences.
In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:
* Strong experience in software testing across the full SDLC, from gathering requirements to delivering production-ready solutions. Includes test strategy, test analysis, automation, defect management, and reporting.
In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.
For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:
* working together
* managing a quality service
* delivering at pace
We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for the Test Engineer role:
* Test Analysis
* Functional Testing
* Non Functional Testing
* Technical Breadth
Recruitment Timeline
Virtual Session: 20th March 12:00-13:00
Sift completion: 28th March
Panel interviews: 7th April
Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
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 job offers.
Other information
In January 2025, it was announced that the Government Digital Service (GDS) will move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as a part of a machinery of government change. This change aims to bring together the digital transformation of public services into one central department, presenting exciting opportunities and positioning DSIT to lead the government’s digital agenda.
This role is in scope to transfer to DSIT when the machinery of government change takes place. As a result, if you are successful and appointed by Cabinet Office to this role before 1st June 2025, your role will transfer from Cabinet Office to DSIT at the time of the relevant machinery of government change taking place. If your start date is after 1 June 2025, you will be appointed direct to DSIT and your appointment will be unaffected by the machinery of government change. We are currently consulting with our Trade Unions on which policies, terms and conditions will apply on transfer. The statement of changes applied to all other Cabinet Office staff will also apply to you if you are successful.
We encourage you to apply and look forward to reviewing your application. We will keep you updated throughout the process.
Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
Sponsorship
DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
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 security check.
See our vetting charter.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard 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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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.
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
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