At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and deliver secure digital solutions in highly secure environments.
- Company: SiXworks, a leader in secure digital innovation for Defence and National Security.
- Benefits: Collaborative culture, career growth, and the chance to work on impactful projects.
- Other info: On-site role in Somerset with opportunities for professional development.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in national security while tackling complex technical challenges.
- Qualifications: Experience in infrastructure, networking, and security principles.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 60000 £ per year.
Work on Technology That Protects What Matters
At SiXworks, we build secure digital solutions that support Defence and National Security missions. Our teams work on complex problems where reliability, security, and speed of innovation matter. We’re looking for a QA Test Infrastructure Engineer who enjoys solving difficult technical challenges and wants their work to have real operational impact. This role is on site 5 days a week in Somerset.
What You’ll Do
As a QA Test Infrastructure Engineer, you’ll help design, build, and deliver secure digital solutions in highly secure environments. You’ll work alongside engineers, architects, and delivery specialists to develop technology that enables faster, safer decision-making for critical operations. Your work may include:
- Ensuring quality of products as they move from prototype / proof of concept into Production.
- Analyse infrastructure requirements and architectures; identify test conditions; maintain traceability; log risks.
- Create infrastructure-focused test strategies and plans defining scope, environments, tooling, automation, and governance entry/exit criteria.
- Provision and validate test environments in collaboration with DevSecOps, ensuring OS, network, platform services, monitoring, and pipelines align to readiness standards.
- Design and execute tests across physical infrastructure and IaC, including functional, integration, regression, resilience, non-functional, and security-related scenarios.
- Apply Secure-by-Design principles; support security testing; contribute to accreditation, assurance, and compliance documentation.
What We’re Looking For
We value people who take ownership, think critically, and enjoy working as part of a collaborative team tackling complex challenges. You don’t need to tick every box, but we’re particularly interested in people with skills/experience in:
- Infrastructure, Networking & Operating Systems
- Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, firewalls, VLANs, and related network behaviours.
- Experience with physical infrastructure setup and troubleshooting (routers, switches, cabling).
- Proficiency with Linux/Unix command line for diagnostics, configuration, and validation.
- Experience working across virtualisation platforms (VMware, VirtualBox) and cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Terraform: writing/validating HCL, managing state, using modules.
- Ansible: building playbooks/roles, inventories, and validating idempotency.
- Kubernetes: deploying workloads, validating manifests, managing clusters, and testing containerised applications.
- CI/CD & Automation
- Familiarity with CI/CD tooling (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
- Experience integrating IaC validation and environment checks into automated pipelines.
- Understanding of pipeline gating, automated readiness checks, and environment orchestration.
- Security & Compliance
- Strong grounding in Secure-by-Design principles, IAM, least privilege, OS hardening, network segmentation, and observability.
- Experience within regulated or highly governed environments (e.g., MOD or similar).
- Ability to support compliance, assurance, and accreditation activity.
Just as important are curiosity, strong problem solving ability, and the motivation to continuously improve how technology is designed and delivered.
About SiXworks
SiXworks is a specialist digital innovation partner delivering secure, mission-critical technology to Defence and National Security organisations. We focus on digital experimentation, secure-by-design architecture, cloud technologies, and rapid application development to help our customers move faster and stay ahead of evolving challenges.
Our team combines expertise from across technology, business, and operational backgrounds including the armed forces creating a collaborative environment where practical thinking and innovation thrive.
Why Join Us
Our culture is guided by six principles: Agility, Security, Innovation, Quality, Collaboration and Inclusivity our North Star for how we work. SiXworks is a leading provider of secure digital solutions, specialising in digital experimentation and focused on fail-safe-fast cutting-edge technology solutions deployed in highly secure environments.
As an end-to-end digital innovation and delivery partner, we turn complex challenges into mission-critical digital advantages. This is a thrilling time for us, with ambitious plans for growth. We are looking for brilliant, experienced, driven and self-motivated people to join the team on our journey.
A word on UK Security Clearance
Due to the secure nature of the position and working environment, you must have or be eligible to obtain Security Clearance. More details relating to UK Security Clearance can be found here: United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Interested? Please apply!
QA Test Infrastructure Engineer (Contract) in Cheltenham employer: Sixworks
Contact Detail:
Sixworks Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land QA Test Infrastructure Engineer (Contract) in Cheltenham
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to QA and infrastructure. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable with your responses.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your skills through personal projects or contributions to open-source. This not only demonstrates your expertise but also gives you something tangible to discuss during interviews.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace QA Test Infrastructure Engineer (Contract) in Cheltenham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your relevant skills and experiences that match the job description. We want to see how you can contribute to our mission at SiXworks!
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t hold back on detailing your technical expertise, especially in areas like Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and security principles. We love seeing candidates who can demonstrate their hands-on experience with tools like Terraform and Jenkins.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance. We appreciate clarity!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Don’t miss out!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sixworks
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, and other networking fundamentals. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these concepts in real-world scenarios, especially in relation to infrastructure setup and troubleshooting.
✨Showcase Your IaC Skills
Be prepared to talk about your experience with Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform and Ansible. Have examples ready that demonstrate how you've written HCL, built playbooks, or managed Kubernetes clusters, as this will show your hands-on expertise.
✨Emphasise Security Awareness
Since the role involves working in secure environments, highlight your understanding of Secure-by-Design principles. Discuss any relevant experience you have with compliance and assurance activities, as well as how you've implemented security measures in past projects.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of complex challenges you've faced and how you approached solving them. This will not only showcase your technical skills but also your critical thinking and ability to work collaboratively within a team.