Junior Test Engineer

UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

The Digital Services business unit is at the heart of UCAS’ technical innovation, data and infrastructure. It focuses on leveraging data science, technology, and enterprise architecture to enhance UCAS' digital products and services.

The unit is dedicated to developing and improving customer-centric digital solutions, ensuring seamless and secure online experiences for all users. By providing insightful data and analysis, often made available to anyone with free-to-use intuitive dashboard, Digital Services empowers the Higher Education sector and those interested in the sector with valuable information to make informed decisions. By working in collaborative, expert led, multi-disciplinary teams, Digital Services drives UCAS’ mission to connect students with their next opportunities through advanced technological solutions.

A UCAS Junior Test Engineer is an important role, embedded within one or more of the product development teams delivering value quickly and often to our customers. They will support the analysis, creation and execution of manual and automated functional and non-functional tests within an Agile testing methodology.

The Junior Test Engineer will maintain a technical understanding of relevant UCAS products, delivering technical testing expertise throughout iterative development lifecycles and at times provide a level of flex capacity to other product development teams as required. There is an emphasis placed upon test automation orchestrated by the CI/CD pipeline, namely to drive a consistent and efficient approach to the technical assurance of UCAS’ products and services, but also supplemented with manual and exploratory testing.

The tech stack varies across each of the product development teams, with key technologies including .Net, AWS, Java, Angular, Salesforce and React Native.

Key accountabilities:

• Seek out and highlight issues and risks identified during the SDLC, escalating where appropriate and in a timely manner to the Test Lead, or Scrum Master.

• Prioritise own workload within the boundaries set by the Test Lead and Scrum Master.

• Assist in the tracking of and analysis of quality metrics as defined in the overarching QA Strategy.
  

You can find the full job description in the attached role profile below.

• Minimum A Level or equivalent level 3 qualification, or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of work experience

• Ideally work experience with a digital system where you were required to input, configure and process data

• Able to work as part of a team

• Excellent analytical skills and problem solving

• Clear and concise communication skills, both verbal and written

• An interest in IT and a willingness to learn new skills

Salary - up to £30,000

• Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity

• Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies

• Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts

• 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave

• Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools

• Onsite facilities including a subsidised gym, café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office

• Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders

• Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond

Studies have shown that some groups of people are less likely to apply to a role unless they tick every box. At UCAS, we recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to delivering a fair and equitable recruitment process where applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills. So, if you are interested in this vacancy, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still apply.

If you have any questions, please email the Talent Acquisition team via careers@ucas.ac.uk and one of us will be in touch.