Lead Test Engineer

About The Job Job summary Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC. Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential. Shape the Future of HMRC's Technology Platforms. About HMRC Almost every individual and business in the UK is a direct customer of HMRC, as we collect the money that pays for the UK's public services and gives people who need it vital financial support. Over recent and coming years, our work never has been, nor will be, more critical as we rebuild and secure our nation's future. With these demands in mind, and as one of the largest and most digitally focussed organisations in the UK, sits the Chief Engineering and Platform Office (CEPO). About CEPO CEPO is leading HMRC's technology transformation - simplifying systems, modernising IT delivery, and creating a future-ready digital landscape. Our mission is to reduce complexity by consolidating applications and adopting scalable, service-based solutions from trusted commercial partners. As the strategic authority for platform provision, CEPO ensures HMRC's business groups, products, and services are supported by robust, secure, and innovative infrastructure. We set the direction, lead governance, and guarantee that every live service meets the highest standards - enabling efficient, reliable, and user-focused digital experiences for millions of customers. Job Description In this role, you will work across multiple programmes and platforms, providing strategic test leadership, supporting delivery teams, and influencing senior stakeholders to embed best practice and continuous improvement. As a Lead Test Engineer, you will play a strategic role in shaping and embedding consistent testing best practices across HMRC's complex digital ecosystem. Your Responsibilities Will Include Leadership & Collaboration Lead, coach, and mentor test engineers across programmes, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development. Collaborate with product, platform, and delivery teams to ensure testing is integrated early and effectively within agile workflows. Influence and engage with senior stakeholders across HMRC and supplier organisations to drive quality outcomes. Test Strategy & Implementation Define and implement risk-based, shift-left testing strategies across diverse platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, SAP, Pega). Ensure testing approaches align with business priorities, technical architecture, and delivery timelines. Promote consistent standards and practices across internal teams and third party suppliers. Technical Excellence & Problem Solving Apply advanced testing techniques to solve complex technical challenges and improve delivery confidence. Provide expert guidance on functional, non-functional, and automation testing, including performance, security, and accessibility. Identify and drive opportunities for innovation and efficiency in testing processes. Tooling & Governance Evaluate, implement, and optimise test tooling, including AI-assisted solutions, to support continuous integration and delivery. Establish governance frameworks for supplier-led testing activities, ensuring alignment with HMRC standards and compliance requirements. Support tooling integration with platforms such as ServiceNow and CI/CD pipelines. Quality Assurance & Risk Management Ensure quality is built in from the outset by validating requirements and test coverage across the lifecycle. Lead retrospectives and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance test effectiveness and reduce delivery risk. Produce clear, actionable test reports and insights to inform decision-making and assurance activities. Person specification Person Specification We're looking for a disciplined and dynamic test leader with proven experience in strategic test management. You'll bring strong analytical skills to guide testers and developers, shaping test direction that aligns with delivery goals. You must be confident engaging and reporting across all levels of stakeholders and third-party partners, with a clear ability to influence and drive quality outcomes. Essential Criteria You must have experience and understanding of: Leading complex, multi-team testing initiatives, coordinating delivery across diverse platforms, suppliers, and project portfolios while prioritising effectively in fast-paced agile environments. Building high-performing teams through coaching, mentoring and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, professional growth, and quality excellence. Influencing and collaborating confidently across organisational boundaries, engaging senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams to drive strategic quality outcomes and embed best practice. Communicating with clarity and impact, tailoring technical and non-technical messages, and presenting test strategies, risks, insights, and recommendations persuasively. Applying strong analytical and risk-based decision-making, using data, metrics, and structured problem-solving to balance quality, risk, and delivery while continually improving testing processes. Desirable Criteria Ideally You Will Also Have Experience And Understanding Of Test tool automation Multiple platforms e.g. Client/Server / Web / Unix / VME etc. A range of tools e.g. Zephyr, JIRA, SOAP UI, Selenium, Bruno, JMeter, Cucumber, Tosca, Neoload. CI/CD and relevant tools i.e. Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Jenkins. Working within Agile/Scrum team. Working knowledge of ITIL 4. Transitional Sites Information If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it's important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations. These Sites Are Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Delivering at Pace Making Effective Decisions Benefits Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs. We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary. Family friendly policies. Personal support. Coaching and development. To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service Things you need to know Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. How To Apply As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following: A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences. A 750-word Personal Statement which should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the Essential Criteria and Person Specification as outlined in the advert. Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Sift In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your Personal Statement. At full sift your Personal Statement and your CV will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview. We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications. Interview During the panel interview, your Experience will be assessed and you will be asked Behaviour-based questions on Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace and Making Effective Decisions to explore in detail what you are capable of. Interviews will take place virtually via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Eligibility Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]'. To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application. The HMRC app can help you with your application The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years' employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier. If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process. Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet. How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store. If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID. You'll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition. You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services. Reserve List A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account. Merit List After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location. Criminal Record Check Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy. Hybrid working at HMRC HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time). Reasonable Adjustments We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional. Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the 'location preferences' section that you can travel to. Terms and Conditions Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process. HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations. The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process. Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band. Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract. If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks. Nationality Requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements. Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job Contact Name : David Rose Email : david.rose1@hmrc.gov.uk Telephone : 07768038285 Recruitment team Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.