Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team of test engineers and innovate testing frameworks for impactful projects.
- Company: Join the award-winning Home Office team, shaping the future of test engineering.
- Benefits: Enjoy a generous pension, flexible working, and extensive learning opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in quality assurance while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in programming, automated testing tools, and CI/CD processes required.
- Other info: Diverse culture with recognition awards and excellent career growth potential.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We are looking for people who are passionate about Quality to join the award-winning Home Office Quality Assurance and Testing (QAT) Team within Home Office Digital. As part of our Automation and Innovation portfolio, you will work on mission-critical services that protect the UK’s borders, transform immigration and asylum systems, and strengthen Counter-Terrorism capabilities. This is an opportunity to develop and assure technology that helps reunite families, protect vulnerable people, create safer communities, and improve journeys for millions of people travelling to and from the UK.
Working alongside highly regarded, multidisciplinary teams, you will use your technical, delivery, and leadership skills to drive outstanding, industry-standard quality engineering practices that deliver real, everyday impact at national scale.
Quality Engineering Tools and Technologies we use:
We have a wide portfolio of projects, and our vast estate covers a whole range of tools. The below is sample snapshot of some tools we use:
- Frameworks: Playwright, Cypress, Selenium, RestAssured and several bespoke frameworks.
- Platforms and Pipelines: PowerApps, Dynamics, Azure, AWS, GitHub Actions, Drone, Concourse, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform.
- Performance testing – Locust, JMeter.
- Observability and Monitoring: ELK, Grafana, Dynatrace.
What you will do
- Ownership of existing test frameworks and actively reviewing them, identifying need for new frameworks, and delivering these at scale.
- Leading and coaching a team of test engineers and analyst and solving technical challenges that the team may require assistance with, evaluating efficacy of test engineering processes across projects and suggesting improvements. Promoting convergence, creating shared capabilities and data driven approaches within test engineering.
- Embracing innovation – evaluating tools and recommending approaches that can benefit testing. For instance, ones used for virtualisation, data mocking, contract testing or other automated integration testing techniques, and determining tools and approaches for automated test data management, test results aggregation and release management. Enabling precise, real-time reports of automation test runs and roll-up reports.
- Managing test infrastructure usage and determining approach to running distributed, parallel tests. Using container and cloud technology to orchestrate faster, scalable tests while optimiser costs.
- Working with teams to promote use of code scan, code quality, accessibility testing and observability tools.
- Participating in the QAT Test Engineering community as well as QAT recruitment to help grow it.
What you will bring (Essential Skills)
- Skilled in designing and implementing Playwright‑based quality engineering frameworks, and in developing and maintaining Node.js packages to support automation tooling.
- Developing and scaling automated quality engineering solutions for PowerApps (model-driven and canvas apps), implanting security best practices like OWASP Top 10 and standards such as WCAG to design automated accessibility tests.
- Extensively using CI/CD tools for pipeline automation on Azure stack and a solid understanding of release pipeline concepts. Familiarity with containerization platforms like Docker and container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.
- Using and implementingPOM test design pattern and SOLID code design principle. Implementing coding guidelines and standards with a solid understanding of protocols and architectural styles involved in implementing tests.
- Ability to actively engage with performance testing engineers and work alongside them to identify performance bottlenecks. Ability to read, interpret, and articulate performance reports.
Additional Information
Your CV and Personal Statement will both be assessed. Your Personal Statement should clearly evidence your experience against the essential skills, using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Make full use of the word count to create a comprehensive and compelling application. STAR – https://lnkd.in/gs8mx4WN
Useful support on Home Office recruitment process including: Success Profiles tips video, Personal Statement tips, Video/Interview tips video – https://lnkd.in/er9kHw5V
Information on the Pay Framework Allowance (PFA) – https://lnkd.in/e3YnyGdG
Discover more about our work by watching this DDaT video https://lnkd.in/e4aHnawp
Please note – 3+ years UK residency is typically required to be eligible for SC Clearance and unfortunately we cannot offer sponsorship.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Lead Test Engineer employer: UK Home Office
Contact Detail:
UK Home Office Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Test Engineer
✨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 refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and showcasing your problem-solving skills. Use real-life examples from your experience to demonstrate how you've tackled challenges in test engineering.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply blindly! Tailor your approach for each role. Research the company, understand their tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your skills align with their needs during interviews.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed! We love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Test Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Lead Test Engineer role. Highlight your hands-on experience with test frameworks, programming languages like Java, and any relevant tools you've used. We want to see how you can contribute to our award-winning team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about test engineering and how your background aligns with our mission at the Home Office. Don’t forget to mention any innovative approaches you've taken in previous roles.
Showcase Your Teamwork Skills: Since this role involves leading and coaching a team, make sure to highlight your collaborative experiences. Share examples of how you've worked with multi-disciplinary teams to tackle engineering challenges and drive high-quality practices.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for the best chance of success. It’s the easiest way for us to review your application and get you on board to help shape the future of test engineering!
How to prepare for a job interview at UK Home Office
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the tools and technologies mentioned in the job description, like Java, Selenium, and CI/CD tools. Brush up on your knowledge of performance testing and containerisation platforms like Docker and Kubernetes, as these will likely come up during the interview.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Lead Test Engineer, you'll be expected to coach and lead a team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams in the past, tackled technical challenges, and improved processes. Highlight your ability to foster collaboration and drive high-quality engineering practices.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and technical expertise. Think about specific challenges you've faced in test engineering and how you approached them. Be ready to discuss your thought process and the outcomes of your decisions.
✨Embrace Innovation and Continuous Learning
The role emphasises innovation and adopting new technologies. Be prepared to discuss any recent tools or methodologies you've explored or implemented. Show your enthusiasm for learning and adapting to new trends in quality assurance and testing, especially around AI solutions.
