Lead Test Enginer in Birmingham

Pay up to £87,740 plus 28.97% employer pension contributions, choice of locations, hybrid working, flexible hours, and great work-life balance.

We are looking for a Lead Test Engineer to join our community of tech experts in our Synergy Programme, a cross‑departmental group formed in response to Government Business Service's request for individual departments to group together in ‘clusters’ to drive efficiencies. We’re using fresh ideas and leading‑edge tech to build and maintain digital solutions that will be used by nearly every person in the UK, every day and at key moments in their lives. DWP is the UK’s largest government department. We help people into work and make payments worth over £195 bn a year to support and empower millions of people.

What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?

• Lead Criteria – demonstrate strong experience in leading test teams across modern SaaS platforms, particularly Oracle Fusion.
• Effectively coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, selecting and adapting the right approach throughout the project lifecycle.
• Recognised as an advocate for continuous improvement.
• Communicate priorities and expectations clearly and enthusiastically.
• Build and maintain networks to progress shared objectives and remain approachable and receptive to new ideas.
• Provide expert guidance on up‑to‑date non‑functional testing techniques and can test strategies and provide guidance on defect management and reporting.
• Actively support team development through mentoring, peer reviews, and role clarity.
• Understand individual needs and ensures skills are fully utilised.

You and your role

Day to day, you'll be defining and driving the test strategy for Oracle Fusion and new business processes, ensuring that everything from HR and Finance to Payroll and Recruitment is tested thoroughly and effectively. You'll lead on producing test plans, scripts, schedules, and reports, and manage control gates across all phases. You'll be hands‑on with defect management, risk mitigation and stakeholder engagement, while also running key activities like payroll parallel runs. Beyond the delivery work, you'll help grow our Test Engineering capability, supporting career development, managing supplier relationships and building a strong, skilled community of testers.

Details – wages, perks and location

• Location: You will join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs – Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield, whichever is most convenient for you.
• Hybrid working: We work a hybrid model – you’ll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face‑to‑face in a hub.
• Pay: Competitive pay of up to £87,740.
• Pension: Be part of a civil service pension plan with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth over £21,000 per year.
• Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time, plus up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi‑time and all public holidays.

Benefits:

• Award‑winning environment and culture (e.g., Employer of the Year 2023 – Women In IT Awards)
• Flexible working
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving
• Inclusive culture “I Can Be Me in DWP”
• Discounts and savings on shopping and fun days out
• Interest‑free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.

Process

• Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs.
• Interview: a single‑stage interview online.

Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Engineering and Information Technology

Industries: Civil Engineering.