Lead QAT Analyst

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.

Are you ready to help deliver transformative projects and drive strategic decisions with your analytical expertise?

Do you have the vision to identify growth opportunities and the skills to make them a reality in a dynamic, fast-paced environment?

If so, this role could be for you!

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.

HMRC is building a modern, digital tax administration and runs the biggest digital operation in Government, providing digital services for 45 million individuals and 4.9 million business customers. Our digital programme is multi-award winning and the envy of other government organisations.

This is an exciting time to be involved in QAT Analysis work which drives and delivers change to the Borders and Trade (B&T) business area.

Job description

Here in Chief Data and Information Office (CDIO) we have a unique view of the information technology infrastructure across borders and trade services which makes us a key player in helping projects and programmes impact, assess and deliver improvements.

The Borders and Trade Delivery Group are responsible for the end-to-end service management and development of over 140 separate services from the generation of Trade Statistics to the administration of Customs and Excise duties.

This is a superb opportunity to join HMRC’s IT function Chief Digital Information Office (CDIO) which sets the technology direction for HMRC and delivers the high-level design for all IT solutions across the Organisation. CDIO is responsible for building and running HMRC IT services along with providing IT change and operational support. As a Lead QAT Analyst in HMRC's CDIO Borders and Trade Delivery Group you can be part of our mission to transform the UK's Borders & Trade landscape.

You will play a vital role in ensuring the seamless functioning of our innovative customs systems, contributing to the efficient administration of trade statistics, customs duties, and excise duties.

A lead QAT analyst sets the strategy for test analysis, establishing standards and methods. They are accountable and responsible for activities at high risk.

At this role level, you will:

• Take a strategic view of quality assurance and testing, balancing business objectives with operational delivery needs.
• Lead and manage teams, resources, and priorities to ensure successful delivery outcomes.
• Coach, mentor, and develop team members, supporting capability growth and professional development.
• Lead, manage and deliver quality assurance and testing activities across multiple products, projects, or programmes.
• Lead the QAT practise, focusing on complex problem solving and influencing senior team members.
• Act as a recognised subject matter expert in one or more testing disciplines, providing technical leadership and guidance.
• Provide expert advice and assurance to project teams and stakeholders on quality risks, testing approaches, and release readiness.

Also, as a Lead QAT Analyst at HMRC, you’ll define and lead on how the testing will work and advise on the organisation wide technical test approach.

You are responsible for selecting appropriate tools and techniques to evaluate user experience and for functional and non-functional testing of systems, products, services or devices. Checking operational systems, products, services, or devices for changes in usability and accessibility needs. You will validate that security, usability and accessibility requirements have been met.

You will interpret and present results of evaluations, prioritise issues and report on remedial actions.

Collate input for future user research.

You’ll help other teams on an ad-hoc basis. In your role with us, you’ll be part of a diverse and empowered team, and helped to continue your development as a respected member of the technology industry.

A CDIO B&T Lead QAT Analyst is responsible for test improvement and optimisation, manage test capabilities and resources, and manage internal Test Managers and Test Analysts and work with other teams and external resources including contingent labour and supplier teams for Test delivery of Borders & Trade projects.

As part of Test Guild, you will provide comprehensive testing support for development of new and existing systems across multiple platforms and locations and live services, updates, improvements. Your role will involve managing comprehensive testing activities, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and leading the QA practice, focusing on complex problem solving and influencing team members and stakeholders.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:

As Lead QAT Analyst, you will be expected to:

• Lead, manage and deliver quality assurance and testing activities across multiple products, projects, or programmes.
• Define and implement testing strategies, standards, and best practices to ensure a consistent and effective approach to quality assurance across products and services.
• Act as a recognised subject matter expert in one or more testing disciplines, providing expert technical advice and guidance to project teams and stakeholders.
• Lead, manage, coach, and mentor staff, supporting capability development and fostering a high-performing testing community.
• Evaluate and promote appropriate testing tools, techniques, and approaches to support both functional and non-functional testing activities.
• Analyse, interpret, and communicate test outcomes and quality metrics, ensuring risks, issues, and recommendations are clearly understood by stakeholders.
• Champion continuous improvement, automation, and quality engineering practices, and the adoption of modern testing approaches across delivery teams.

Main Core Duties:

At this role level, you will:

• Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of quality assurance and testing activities across multiple products, projects, and programmes.
• Define and continuously improve testing strategies, standards, and quality engineering practices, ensuring consistency, standardisation, and alignment with Test Guild processes.
• Drive the implementation and adoption of test automation, and CI/CD practices, ensuring quality is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Evaluate, select, and promote appropriate testing tools and frameworks to support functional and non-functional testing.
• Analyse and communicate test outcomes, quality metrics, risks, and issues, providing assurance and recommendations on release readiness.
• Manage, coach, and mentor staff, supporting capability development and building high-performing teams.
• Build effective relationships with delivery teams, stakeholders, and supplier teams to ensure successful delivery and continuous improvement of quality outcomes.

Essential Criteria

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate practical knowledge and experience in the following:

• Experience leading technical / product teams across a portfolio of projects within Agile delivery environments, driving continuous improvement of services, processes, and procedures, and supporting delivery using cloud-based and modern technologies.
• Experience across the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), including the development and implementation of test strategies, test approaches, and quality frameworks.
• Experience managing, and developing teams, including coaching and mentoring staff.
• Experience with test automation, testing tools, and CI/CD practices, including integrating automated testing into delivery pipelines.
• Experience establishing quality metrics and reporting frameworks, supporting governance activities, monitoring delivery risks, and providing assurance insights to stakeholders.
• Experience influencing stakeholders and multidisciplinary teams to drive quality outcomes and continuous improvement.

Desirable Criteria

Ideally, the successful candidate will also demonstrate knowledge and experience in the following:

• Hands-on experience using a range of testing, test management, and collaboration tools, such as Zephyr, Jira, Selenium, SoapUI, JMeter, Cucumber, and Confluence.
• Experience of non-functional testing such as performance, security, resilience, accessibility, operational, or usability testing.
• Experience of implementing and maintaining test automation frameworks and continuous testing practices within Agile and DevOps environments.
• Experience applying Release and Configuration Management practices, including the use of version control systems such as Git.
• Experience defining and embedding QAT standards, governance, and best practices across multiple teams or programme or communities of practise.
• A relevant software testing qualification e.g. ISEB/ISTQB (or equivalent).

Additional Security Information

Please note candidates must have, or be willing to obtain SC level security clearance.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office Closures

If your location preference is for the following site, it’s important to note that this is not long-term site 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 (opens in a new window)

This site is:

• Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

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 (opens in a new window).

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 HMRChear from our insiders or visitThinking 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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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, previous skills and 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 CV.

At full sift your CV and your Personal Statement 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, you will be asked Experience based questions to assess how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements of the role.

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.

Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met. If this applies, we will contact you directly.

Sponsorship

We have assessed this role against both Home Office and HMRC criteria and we are unable to offer sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. This means the vacancy is not open to applicants who require visa sponsorship.

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.

Technical Support

If you are experiencing problems that cannot be resolved by our ‘help’ section, then technical support is available. You will receive a reply in 2 working days.

Additional Security Information

Please note in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

From 1 April 2026, applicants will be required to meet updated nationality and residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. If this affects you, we will give you more information at the appropriate time.

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 (opens in a new window).

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 - GOV.UK.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil