Senior Test Engineer - Bristol

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We are looking for a Senior Test Engineer to join teams delivering services within Enterprise Integration Services (EIS). This role focuses on engineering-led testing approaches that assure the quality of API platforms, integration services and service-based architectures that underpin HMRC's digital estate.

You will work as part of multidisciplinary delivery teams, designing and building automated testing solutions while also applying test analysis and assurance practices to ensure APIs and integrations are reliable, secure and performant. This includes validating data flows, interfaces and end-to-end service behaviour across complex integration landscapes.

This role sits within HMRC's Chief Digital Information Office (CDIO), supporting services at national scale.

As a Senior Test Engineer you will embed testing and quality practices across the delivery lifecycle for API and integration-based services.

You will design, implement and maintain automated tests for APIs, services and platforms, working closely with developers and other engineers. You'll contribute to CI/CD pipelines, identify quality risks early, and support teams in delivering secure and resilient integration services.

You will also contribute to understanding requirements and defining effective test coverage for API and integration services, ensuring quality risks are identified early and addressed throughout delivery. You will work with a good degree of autonomy, taking ownership of test engineering tasks within your team, while being supported by lead engineers and quality specialists.

Key Responsibilities will include:

• Design, develop and maintain automated tests for APIs, integration services and platforms.
• Work closely with developers to embed testing early and continuously.
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and continuous testing approaches.
• Support non-functional testing such as performance, security and accessibility, particularly for APIs and integrations.
• Analyse test results, raise defects and support investigation and resolution.
• Contribute to improving test frameworks, tooling and engineering practices.
• Support knowledge sharing and mentoring of less experienced colleagues.
• Review and analyse business and technical requirements, identifying risks, gaps and test conditions for APIs and integrations.
• Validate data flows and interfaces using structured data formats such as JSON and XML.
• Produce clear test evidence and support assurance activities to inform release decisions.
• Collaborate with product managers, architects, developers and delivery managers to ensure quality is embedded across the lifecycle.

Person specification

You will be a technically capable Test Engineer with experience of testing APIs and integration-based services in modern delivery environments. At this level, you are expected to deliver independently, contribute to technical decision-making within your team, and support the development of good testing practices.

You will demonstrate the following skills at Working / Practitioner level, combining strong test engineering capability with effective test analysis and quality assurance practices:

• Designing and building automated tests for APIs and services.
• Applying testing techniques across the delivery lifecycle.
• Working effectively in agile, multidisciplinary teams.
• Identifying and communicating quality and integration risks.
• Analysing requirements and designing effective test coverage for APIs and integration services.

Essential Criteria

Test engineering and automation: Experience building and maintaining automated tests using modern frameworks and languages.

API and integration testing: Experience testing APIs, service-based or integration-led systems, including validation of data exchange, interfaces and service behaviour.

Agile and DevOps delivery: Experience working in agile teams and contributing to CI/CD pipelines.

Technical collaboration: Ability to work closely with engineers to identify and manage quality risks.

Test analysis and quality assurance: Ability to analyse requirements, design effective test coverage and provide evidence-based assurance of service quality.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with API platforms, gateways or event-driven architectures.
• Experience with performance or security testing for services.
• Knowledge of cloud or container-based environments.
• Experience working with structured data formats such as JSON and XML.
• ISTQB or equivalent testing qualification.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes 13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

• A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experience. Applicants will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the Essential Criteria.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria, up to 250 words max. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you.

If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - Please re-open my application.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met. If this applies, we will contact you directly.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check. 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)
• 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

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 Commissions recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.