Functional Test Engineer in Waterbeach

We are looking for experienced Functional Test Engineers with hands-on software testing experience to join our product development teams.

Job Overview

You will work inside a software scrum team, performing functional testing on complex embedded communication systems (TETRA/LTE devices), ensuring features meet expected behaviour, reliability, and customer expectations. This role requires a strong technical tester who can analyse requirements, design effective test cases, uncover edge cases, perform detailed investigations, and contribute to maintaining product quality throughout the sprint. You will also contribute to automation of high-value checks to support sprint efficiency and reduce regression cycles. This role is primarily on-site in our Waterbeach office. All teams across electronics, hardware, mechanical and software design, development and testing are under one roof, creating a collaborative environment that supports rapid learning and innovation.

Day to Day Responsibilities

• Work as part of a software scrum team, responsible for verifying new features and changes during the sprint.
• Read and understand requirements documentation provided by the Product Definition Team and Product Strategy Team.
• Review user stories, acceptance criteria, and specifications to ensure clarity and testability.
• Involve in test planning, test execution, defect tracking, and reporting to stakeholders.
• Design clear, thorough, and traceable functional test cases, and execute them across embedded devices, software components, and APIs.
• Develop and execute automated test cases for Sepura’s LTE and TETRA products.
• Perform exploratory testing to uncover unexpected behaviours, usability issues, and edge cases.
• Validate fixes and confirm regression risk areas following developer changes.
• Analyse logs, system traces, and debug output to support accurate defect reporting.
• Participate in sprint activities: planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Collaborate closely with developers to investigate issues, interpret logs, and reproduce complex defects.
• Work with Product Owners to ensure acceptance criteria are testable and complete.
• Provide clear, concise updates on test progress, risks, blockers, and readiness.

Qualifications & Certifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, electronics, telecommunications, or a related field.
• ISTQB certification (preferred but not mandatory).
• Full, clean driving licence and own car; travel expenses will be paid.
• Security clearance may be required in the future.

Experience

• Strong hands-on functional testing experience within Agile/Scrum software teams.
• Experience testing complex or embedded systems (telecom, networking, radio, IoT, devices, or similar).
• Proficiency designing functional test cases using structured techniques (equivalence, boundary, state-based, risk-based).
• Take responsibility for the development, maintenance and full ownership of the team’s Test Strategy.
• Ability to perform effective exploratory testing and identify edge cases.
• Confident analysing logs, debugging issues, and collaborating directly with developers.
• Strong defect reporting skills with clear reproduction steps, evidence, and impact details.
• Strong knowledge of test automation tools (Selenium, Robot Framework, Appium, etc.) and experience writing automated test scripts (Python/C#) for sprint-level testing.
• Familiar with test management and issue tracking tools (Jira, Jama, Azure DevOps, etc.).
• Ability to analyse logs from embedded systems, Linux, or radio firmware.
• Knowledge of protocol testing, RF testing, and communication interfaces (TCP/IP, UDP, Serial, Bluetooth, etc.) is a plus.
• Experience using Git, Bitbucket, or similar version control systems.
• Demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and accountability — if a significant issue escapes to the customer, the engineer should reflect on how it passed their checks and proactively work with the team to strengthen the test net.

• Experience testing telecom protocols, embedded software, or RF-based devices.
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, DevOps).
• Familiarity with Git, branching strategies, and code reviews related to automated tests.
• Experience with performance, soak, or reliability testing (not essential).

Personal Attributes

• Strong attention to detail and methodical approach.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Highly collaborative – works effectively within cross-functional Agile teams.
• Curious, proactive, and eager to uncover issues before they reach customers.
• Takes ownership of quality and raises risks early.
• Adaptable and comfortable working in fast-paced iterative environments.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and personal development.