Level 4 Tester Apprentice

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for two individuals to join HM Land Registry as Level 4 Tester Apprentices. As part of this programme, you will work towards the Level 4 Software tester apprenticeship, gaining paid work experience. You’ll achieve a recognised qualification and play a meaningful role in shaping the future of our digital services.

In this role, you will work closely with the team to ensure that testing is carried out and that quality issues are sufficiently considered during the development process. You will provide your colleagues with practical advice and recommendations about resolving test issues, supporting the delivery of quality solutions.

For more information about apprenticeships at HMLR and what it’s like to work here please see the following link:
Working for HM Land Registry/

Job description

During this apprenticeship you will:

• Translate functional and non-functional requirements or user stories into documented and approved test plans and test cases
• Work collaboratively with project team members and business representatives
• Develop and maintain test data, test scripts and test environments
• Refactor tests to ensure they remain maintainable and consistent
• Review test environments and processes to facilitate continuous improvement and maintenance of quality standards
• Assist with defining estimates of effort, risk and issues
• Execute test plans during iterations / release and provides regular updates on progress and quality
• Create and maintain test documentation
• Record and track product defects, working closely with developers and Business Analysts for resolution
• Work with the Test Analyst and development team to produce a robust and development team to produce a robust and comprehensive Quality Strategy tailored to each project
• Help implement the quality strategy within the team
• Be accountable throughout the complete test lifecycle for the correctness of their test scripts and data and for ensuring they are peer reviewing others for correctness
• Develop and maintain manual tests for reviewing and running the automated scripts
• Create automated test scripts where appropriate, with guidance and support
• Know and follow the principles of the chosen development methodology (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, RUP)

For further details, please refer to the Candidate Pack.

Person specification

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate the following throughout the recruitment process:

Essential Technical skills and qualifications

• 5 GCSE’s grade 4 or grade C and above including Maths, English and ICT
• 3 A-Levels or equivalent including 1 STEM subject

Essential Experience:

• Competent user of computer software packages including knowledge of MS Office and email
• Ability to think ahead, anticipate problems and use problem solving skills
• Able to work as part of a team or group to achieve a team goal or task
• Effective and easy to understand communication skills (written and verbal), in a variety of situations
• Motivation for learning, ability to recognise own learning needs and identify how to achieve them
• Ability to be practical, organise own work and prioritise tasks

Desirable Experience:

• Experience in automated testing tools
• Use of code repositories (e.g. GitHub)
• Competent in at least one coding language
• A logical approach to problem solving
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills
• The ability to work effectively within a team and deliver to timescales

Behaviours:

• Changing and improving
• Managing a quality service
• Working together

Qualifications

5 GCSE’s grade 4 or grade C and above including Maths, English and ICT and have 3 A-Levels or equivalent including 1 STEM subject

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• 5 GCSE’s grade 4 or grade C and above including Maths, English and ICT
• 3 A-Levels or equivalent including 1 STEM subject

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,119, HM Land Registry contributes £9,304 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

#WeAreHMLR

At HM Land Registry our vision is a world leading property market as part of a thriving economy and a sustainable future. We are unique in terms of the economic and social impacts of our work, our ability to make a positive difference to the lives of our customers, our sense of mission, and our great people. They are the foundation of all we have achieved and all we aspire to in the future. We want our people to feel proud to work for HM Land Registry and able to fulfil their full potential.

We have a strong and positive culture, a commitment to inclusivity, an emphasis on continuous learning and development, and flexible ways of working. We offer competitive pay and annual leave, attractive pension options and a wide range of other benefits.

• We have integrity – we value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• We drive innovation – we are forward-thinking, embrace change and are continually improving our processes.
• We are professional – we value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We give assurance – we guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property market.

The HMLR Way – Our Shared Commitment

What you can expect from HMLR

• Inclusive & Empowering: A positive, healthy environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute
• High Performance: Access to tools, resources, and development opportunities within a supportive culture
• Value & Recognition: We value team and individual improvement, learning from setbacks as much as celebrating success
• Clarity & Transparency: Clear communication of our vision and priorities, so our direction and decisions are evident

You can find more information on our rewards package on our website.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

To apply you will need to complete the short application form and take the online Civil Service Verbal Test, Numerical Test and Judgement Test.

Please complete the online application form, including your qualifications and experience, and complete the additional question.

What attracted you to working for HM Land Registry?

The personal statement section (in no more than 1000 words) must be used to provide details of how you meet the essential experience criteria listed below:

Please explain your exposure to and your current skill level in IT.
• Please consider: Any learning/qualifications you have in IT; what things interest you in this field you wish to work?

Please describe a time when you have been proactive in developing yourself/skills.
• Please consider: Why you choose that development? What you did to develop? How you have benefited from the learning?

Please can you describe a situation when you have worked in a team to achieve a common goal.
• Please consider: What qualities you brought to the team to help achieve the goal? What challenges you faced and how you dealt with them and what was the outcome of this?

Please tell me about a time when you had to complete a large volume of work within a tight timescale.
• Please consider: How you motivated yourself? How you overcame any setbacks? How you prioritised the work?

(Note: If you do not have a work-based examples then an example from school/college/clubs will suffice).

Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ – once you have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure your application form is received by the closing date for receipt of applications – this is 11:55pm on the advertised date.

The sift will take place shortly after the closing date. The final stage will consist of an interview and short exercise. Interviews will be held in the Plymouth office, W/C: Monday 16 March 2026.

The blended interview will assess the essential experience, behaviours and strengths associated with the role. We want to hear your first, unrehearsed, natural response to the strength questions, and so we don’t advertise which strengths are being tested. The best way to prepare for strengths questions is to reflect on what you identify as your own personal strengths, and your preferred ways of working.

Candidates may refer to notes within their interview but they should be used as a prompt only.

HMLR is accredited to the Disability Confidence Scheme, which denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to interview.

If any candidate requires the panel to consider a reasonable adjustment or there is anything else they would like the panel to take into consideration they are asked to notify us of this at application stage where possible or during the process as soon as it becomes a requirement.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to share these values. Please ensure all examples provided throughout the recruitment process are representative of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating (including the improper use of artificial intelligence) will be investigated and, if proven, the application will be withdrawn.

Visa Sponsorship - Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role is in a certain business critical category.

This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a skilled worker visa. You must ensure you have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

You can find more information on how we use your personal data on our website.

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 (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 Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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 : Jo Milligan
• Email : Joanne.Milligan@landregistry.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance to the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email hrresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HM Land Registry then you may take your complaint to the Civil Service Commission: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/

Attachments

Level 4 Tester Apprentice - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 2573kB)