Automation Test Engineer

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Roles will be recruited using a combination of Digital, Data and Technology Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills, Ability and Behaviours during the selection process.

Pay

Salary band for this role is £30,451 – £34,105 (£34,262 – £38,373 for candidates based within the M25)

New recruits to the Civil Service are expected to join at the band minimum

A digital allowance may also be available for exceptional candidates.

The final allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.

Please note: New recruits to the Civil Service are expected to join at the band minimum, however for exceptional candidates, managers have discretion to set starting salaries above the pay range minimum by a maximum of 10%

These are exciting times at Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we provide the supporting administration for the judiciary across England and Wales. Within that portfolio the Digital and Technology Services Transformation Programme (DTS) has a clear ambition to create an organisational culture where diverse and inclusive multi-disciplinary teams bring together in-house digital, data and technology specialists to build capability, work smarter and more efficiently.

We support, manage and develop digital services, making sure they are working, legislatively compliant and fit-for purpose. We work closely with HMCTS operational teams, MoJ Digi/Tech and external suppliers to support the business through an understanding of user needs and business requirements. We also manage the IT service provided by MoJ DigiTech (computers, printers, network access) and ensure that HMCTS gets maximum value from its investment in IT.

The Role

As a Test Engineer you will be responsible for writing, debugging and refactoring test code. You will work closely with our software developers to reach a common understanding of the code base and test coverage at unit level. You will collaborate with analysts to make sure the required business scenarios are covered in the acceptance and test scripts. You will also work on both functional and non-functional areas of an application. coach and mentor testers.

The Squad you are placed on will be agreed closer to your start date, but examples of products can be found in our GitHub repositories:

https://github.com/ministryofjusticehttps://github.com/hmctshttps://github.com/CJSCommonPlatform

Technologies:

We rely heavily on

JIRA as our bug tracking softwarePython, Java and JavaScript to write automation testsJMeter for load testsSelenium/Web Driver for end to end testingFiddler, Burp and Developer Tools to analyse packetsSOAP UI for API inspectionJenkins for deploymentDynatrace for application monitoringAzure for most of our infrastructurePostgres and Redis as our databases.GOV.UK Design System for our web interfacesMacs to do all of the aboveIn addition, we use a range of other technologies and continue to evolve by employing new technologies that help us deliver better services to our users

We’re happy to help you learn our tech stack once you’re part of our team.

What will you be doing?

Understand business processes and activities that impact and that are impacted by the project and systems you are working on. Develop extensive knowledge in the functionality of the systems you are working on, and integrated systems as required.Writing, amending and refactoring code to build simple programs/scripts under direction. Documenting code written and adhering to internal software development standards/processes/procedures.Work with others to use security controls to design and build secure products. Handle information with confidentiality and integrity, work with stakeholders and SMEs to ensure compliance and information assurance.Participate in product support and carry out agreed infrastructure maintenance tasks. Assist in troubleshooting and identifying faults using modern tools. Some activities may be outside the core office hours (in-line with the organisation's policy for OOH).Contribute to planning by estimating your own effort. Practice the agreed methodology and seek advice on how to apply it to your work.Review requirements, specifications and define test conditions for both functional and non-functional requirements. Write and execute manual and automated test scripts.Maintain full traceability of defects, tests and requirements. Report issues found through the appropriate channels.Analyse the test results to identify simple patterns and trends. Investigate problems and opportunities in existing functionality of the software, translate findings into impact on the users and the business.

What are we looking for?

Demonstrable knowledge of business domains and/or systems you testedA proven track record in defining and implementation of test tooling, test environments and test data required for all phases of testing. Good understanding of test types and conceptsExperience in writing automated testing programs/scripts, ideally in our core technology stackExperience in load testing toolsKnowledge of REST web services and API inspection toolsAwareness of packet analyzersExperience in using bug tracking softwareShow where you have identified issues and risks associated with work whilst being able to analyse and report test activities and resultsHave been exposed to the application of Agile principles in practiceSome experience in design and execution of non-functional test cases in a range of environmentsA strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle

What can we offer you?

A generous pension scheme on average of up to 22%25 days leave, plus 8 bank holidays, plus 1 privilege day usually taken around the Queens’ birthdayFlexible working; whether it’s working from home or remotely, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours, we have people doing it and are happy to discuss options with youGreat maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!Bike loans and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers, and eye-care vouchers.Up to 5 days paid leave per year for voluntary work you may wish to undertakeWe also currently have employee-run networks for colleagues of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, those with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees with which you will eligible to join

We are passionate about career development and in order to help support this, we offer a number of training and development platforms that employees will have access to. Working with your manager, you will be given the support and time required to complete agreed courses, as part of your personal development plan.

Pluralsight - Over 7000 video training courses created by over 1400 subject-matter experts, covering a wide range of software development related skills.Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative - a range of Azure focused courses that can lead to Microsoft Certification.Civil Service Learning - a wide variety of online training to help support your role as a Civil Servant.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Further details can be found in the downloadable Job Description