Test Analyst

Salary: Band 8, £36,066 – £41,028 (Please note it is Northumbria Police policy to appoint at the beginning of the band)

Location: Agile, Forth Banks Police Station and homeworking

Hours/Contract: 37 hours per week, permanent

The role

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively. This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Digital Team as a Test Analyst.

We are looking for a skilled and detail driven Test Analyst to support the delivery of high quality outcomes across a range of projects. In this role, you will be responsible for carrying out a variety of test activities, ensuring that all work aligns with the defined test strategy and contributes to robust, reliable solutions. You’ll work closely with project teams to identify issues, assess risks, and help ensure products and systems meet the highest standards before release.

As a trusted technical partner, you will also provide expert guidance on testing best practice, helping teams understand and apply effective methodologies, tools and techniques. Your ability to analyse complex information, manage competing priorities, and communicate clearly will play a key part in driving continual improvement across the testing lifecycle. If you’re passionate about quality, collaboration and delivering results, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll do

• Accountable for delivering multiple test projects within a wider programme, working under the Test Manager’s guidance.
• Carries out test preparation and execution activities across transformation projects in line with testing strategies, plans and governance.
• Ensures the quality of all test deliverables, including test plans, specifications, scripts and reports, aligned to project/programme test strategies.
• Provides guidance and mentoring to colleagues – including inexperienced testers – on producing test deliverables using best practice methods.
• Acts as the project-wide escalation point for all testing matters, liaising with internal and external stakeholders and escalating to the Test Manager when needed.
• Performs static testing on documentation to ensure all test inputs meet consistent quality standards.

What you’ll bring

• ISEB/ISTQB Foundation certified (or equivalent) with 3+ years’ experience as a Test Analyst on medium to high profile testing deliveries.
• Experienced in testing bespoke platforms, systems and applications, as well as off the shelf solutions; skilled across a range of technologies with the ability to quickly learn and adapt to new systems and technologies.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to coordinate testing activities across projects, clearly identify tasks and prioritise them in line with evolving project requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, highly organised with a logical and methodical approach; extensive experience identifying testing requirements throughout the test process.
• Excellent team player who builds strong working relationships across Test, Transformation, Digital Policing and Business teams; experienced mentor with the ability to influence others on the importance and value of testing.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, able to manage expectations of senior and junior stakeholders both internally and externally and effectively convey the importance of testing to non-technical senior managers and staff.

We know it’s important for you to feel that you’re not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.

Just so you know, candidates with priority status will be given precedence for this role over other applicants. Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of a Test Analyst with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.

The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by a face-to-face interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, working together to improve the lives of disabled employees. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In cases of very high application volumes, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, applying the same fair approach for all candidates.

If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter). You can get in touch with us via [contact information] for any support regarding the application process. Please provide us with plenty of notice so we can ensure your visit goes smoothly.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.

Terms of appointment

This is a permanent role subject to a six-month probationary period. If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.