At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead Performance and Volume Testing for cloud-based applications and ensure high-quality digital services.
- Company: Join HMRC, a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to personal growth and community.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible working options, and extensive learning opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of an inclusive team with clear pathways for career progression.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a dynamic environment while advancing your career in tech.
- Qualifications: Experience in Performance Testing and strong communication skills are essential.
- Location
- Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Telford, Worthing
About the job Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC.
Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our You Tube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
HMRC is made up of Customer Groups which are working independently towards one common goal.
Our role sits within HMRC's Chief Digital & Information Office (CDIO) Group that deliver in-house solutions for a broad range of technical and operational issues.
Our digital delivery centres are hi-tech, state-of-the-art facilities that allow our teams to maximise their capabilities.
CDIO values and empowers the growth of its people and offers the "CDIO University".
This is a one stop shop for all things learning and development.
The comprehensive offer encompassing academic, personal and career related opportunity and learning, ensuring all receive a consistent approach to technical learning.
This includes access to subject matter experts, technical learning, professional communities, academies, apprenticeships, talent schemes as well as providing, delivering, encouraging and supporting activities for personal growth and wellbeing.
Job description
As a member of the Quality Assurance and Testing (QAT) Profession, you will be part of a large community of testing professionals working collaboratively with Product Owners, Developers, Architects, Business Analysts and Operations teams to deliver high-quality, resilient and scalable digital services for HMRC customers.
We have an inclusive environment and have clear pathways in place to support and build on the roles within the Profession through the use of learning journeys, learning platforms, career journeys and skills assessments.
These all work together to allow you to take ownership of your own development and career progression with HMRC as well as supporting you in your daily challenges.
Along with this we also have an Academy in place to allow you to find everything to support your needs in an easily accessible format.
As a Senior Test Engineer within CDIO, Borders & Trade, You will be responsible for building and enhancing Performance and Non-Functional Testing capability across cloud-based applications, platforms and infrastructure.
You will primarily lead the delivery of Performance and Volume Testing (PVT), whilst contributing to Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), Infrastructure Assurance, Resilience and Operational Readiness activities, ensuring solutions are reliable, scalable and fit for live service operation.
A Senior Test engineer has similar responsibilities to a test engineer but at a more complex level and on a greater scale. At this role level, you will:
- Lead the planning, design, execution and reporting of Performance & Volume Testing (PVT), including workload modelling, capacity planning and performance analysis, whilst supporting OAT, infrastructure, resilience and operational readiness testing activities where required.
- Define non-functional requirements, workload models, acceptance criteria, test strategies and environment validation approaches to identify and mitigate risks early in the delivery lifecycle.
- Analyse test results, infrastructure behaviour and operational metrics to identify bottlenecks, defects, root causes and service risks, providing evidence-based recommendations for improvement.
- Develop and maintain automated performance testing and validation solutions using tools, scripting languages and CI/CD pipelines to support shift-left quality engineering practices.
- Provide technical leadership, mentoring and knowledge sharing across the QAT Profession, supporting continuous improvement of PVT, OAT and infrastructure testing capability within Borders & Trade.
Person specification
As a Senior Test Engineer within CDIO Borders and Trade, you will primarily lead and deliver Performance and Volume Testing activities across applications, platforms and cloud infrastructure, whilst providing support and assurance for Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), Infrastructure and Operational Readiness activities.
- Develop and maintain Performance and Volume Test artefacts, including strategies, workload models, plans, scenarios, test data requirements, evidence packs and reports, whilst supporting OAT and Infrastructure testing artefacts where required.
- Review requirements, architecture designs, infrastructure specifications and operational designs to define appropriate non-functional test coverage and acceptance criteria.
- Provide estimates, plans, risk assessments and technical advice for projects requiring PVT, OAT, infrastructure assurance or platform validation services.
- Deliver and support performance, volume, resilience, failover, disaster recovery, infrastructure and operational readiness testing across complex enterprise environments.
- Investigate defects, incidents and live-service issues through root cause analysis, working with engineering, operations and supplier teams to support resolution.
- Promote automation, quality engineering, knowledge sharing and mentoring to grow the Non-Functional Testing capability.
Essential Criteria
The successful candidate will need to demonstrate practical knowledge and experience in the following:
- Proven experience leading and delivering Performance and Volume Testing across complex enterprise environments, with awareness and practical exposure to Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), Infrastructure, Resilience, Availability and Disaster Recovery testing.
- Experience defining non-functional test strategies, scope, objectives, workload models, acceptance criteria, test plans and test data requirements, ensuring solutions meet performance, scalability, resilience, availability and operational support requirements.
- Experience planning, executing, analysing and reporting Performance and Volume Testing activities, including load, stress, endurance, scalability, resilience, failover and recovery testing, with the ability to identify bottlenecks, root causes and service risks.
- Experience developing and implementing automated testing and validation solutions using tools such as JMeter, Jenkins and Git Lab, supported by scripting or programming languages such as Python, Power Shell, Bash, Java or C#, and integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
- Experience using and validating observability and monitoring platforms such as App Dynamics, ELK, Grafana, Dynatrace, Prometheus, Kafka or equivalent tools, alongside operating system, infrastructure and database monitoring capabilities.
- Knowledge of Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), including operational readiness, monitoring, alerting, logging, support procedures, operational runbooks, failover, backup and recovery, and live service support.
- Knowledge of cloud and infrastructure technologies, including AWS/Azure, Linux/RHEL, networking, DNS, load balancing, IAM, security controls, distributed architectures and containerised platforms.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical findings and risks effectively, influence delivery decisions, and support Agile, Dev Ops and continuous improvement practices.
Desirable Criteria
Ideally, the successful candidate will also demonstrate knowledge and experience in the following:
- ISTQB Foundation (or equivalent) and/or relevant Performance Testing, Cloud, Infrastructure, Dev Ops or Automation certifications.
- Experience testing cloud-native and containerised solutions using technologies such as AWS, Azure and Kubernetes.
- Experience implementing shift-left quality engineering practices, including automated non-functional testing within CI/CD pipelines.
- Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (Ia C), configuration management and modern Dev Ops practices.
- Experience supporting resilience, failover, high availability and disaster recovery testing activities across cloud and enterprise platforms.
Senior Test Engineer - HMRC - SEO employer: Government Digital & Data
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is an exceptional employer, offering a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of digital transformation within the UK government. With hubs in vibrant cities like Bristol, London, and Manchester, GDS fosters a collaborative and inclusive work culture that prioritises employee growth and development, ensuring that every team member can thrive while making a meaningful impact on public services. Join us to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to harnessing technology for the public good, where your contributions will help shape the future of digital government.
Contact Details:
Government Digital & Data Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Test Engineer - HMRC - SEO
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Government Digital & Data.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Government Digital & Data and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Government Digital & Data
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Government Digital & Data uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
