On behalf of Defra, we are looking for a Test Analyst (Inside IR35) for a 3 Month (until 31st March 2025) contract based in York 2 days per week.

In the Defra group, we deal with a vast range of issues that profoundly impact on people s lives. We are responsible for England s environment, our countryside and rural economy, the food and farming sectors and have lead responsibility for protection from a wide range of natural threats and hazards. We have developed a set of three strategic objectives covering our policy outcomes and corporate objectives. These objectives help us to deliver our ambitious vision to build our green and healthy future and provide a framework for all the important work we carry out.

Our objectives are:

• To pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future. 
• To lead the world in food, farming, and fisheries with a sustainable model of food production. 
• To be an outstanding organisation focused on making a difference, with world class delivery capability.

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs www.gov.uk. 

25 Year Environment Plan - GOV.UK www.gov.uk .

Description:

The successful candidate will be part of a business-orientated test team, responsible for test analysis, preparation, execution and coordination of the business and user acceptance test phases.

The team takes the outputs from Agile delivery teams in regular releases that have already undergone technical testing, verifies the general readiness of the release through smoke-testing, and then performs independent validation from the business and user perspectives that the release is fit for purpose and meets all the minimum acceptance criteria.

Experience/Skills Required:

• A sound appreciation of business operations in the relevant areas and ability to build rapport with business stakeholders will be required, in addition to an understanding of technical processes and ability to liaise with technical staff to bridge the gap between technical delivery and the business.
• Test experience encompassing systems integration testing, as well as user and business acceptance testing.
• Comfortable working in an environment of ambiguity and change. To be proactive in keeping updated on developments within the business.
• Experience of requirements analysis through to defect identification and retest (includes script writing and test execution).
• Experience of working in an Agile project environment.
• Ability to analyse requirements and where necessary, challenge the content.
• Ability to combine multiple requirements to interpret end-to-end functionality, and how this interacts with business processes.
• Comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, having priorities and work allocation change quickly and often.
• Defect management (raising content, liaison with Product Owner & Developer and generating appropriate retest collateral).
• Soft skills good communicator and confident to present issues found / steps followed to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Currently no automation involved, however good working knowledge of automation would be advantageous should it be added into scope in future.
• Excellent Excel skills would be an advantage, along with experience working with Jira and the Xray plugin.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, Defra guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply.

Armed Forces Covenant 

Defra guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".