NEXUS Test Manager

Job summary

RAF Digital sits at the heart of the Royal Air Force, bringing together military, civil service and industry expertise to deliver advanced digital capability that underpins operations and drives the RAF’s future.

We are recruiting a Technical Architect to support the NEXUS Programme—one of our flagship initiatives. Nexus is delivering a next‑generation, data‑driven capability that connects systems and information to enable faster, better decision‑making and operational effectiveness.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce, where everyone is supported to thrive and succeed.

We support the Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme which aims to encourage more veterans to join the Civil Service when they leave the armed forces.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

This role is part of the NEXUS to Core Delivery Team. NEXUS is the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Command and Control (Air C2) transformation programme. The programme consists of the delivery the Air Cloud Hosting Environment; the Air Information Platform; experimentation; and a suite of operational applications. As the NEXUS Test Manager, you will be responsible via the NEXUS to Core Delivery Lead for the following:

• Ensure that digital solutions are thoroughly tested, integrated, and function seamlessly to the defined requirements within the existing technology ecosystem.
• Ensure that testing and integration processes are aligned with project goals, timelines, and quality standards.
• Ensure that all test activities are prioritised, measurable and can be evidenced against defined requirements.
• Test Strategy Development: Develop and implement a comprehensive test strategy, including functional, non-functional, system, integration, and user acceptance testing.
• Test Planning: Create detailed test plans, schedules, and resource allocation, ensuring alignment with project timelines and milestones.
• Governance of Supplier Testing: Oversee the execution of test cases, including manual and automated testing, and ensure thorough documentation of results.
• Defect Management: Ensure that all defects are tracked and managed effectively. Co-ordinating resolution across supplier boundaries.
• Integration Planning: Develop and implement an integration strategy to ensure new digital solutions are seamlessly integrated with existing systems.
• System Integration Testing (SIT): Lead SIT and E2E Test activities, ensuring that all components and subsystems function together as intended.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Coordinate UAT with business stakeholders to validate that the system meets user requirements and is ready for deployment.
• Collaboration with Development Teams: Work closely with development teams to ensure that integration points are well-defined, and any issues are promptly addressed.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve testing and integration processes, implementing best practices and new tools as necessary.
• Reporting: Provide regular updates on testing and integration progress, including risk assessments and mitigation strategies, to project management and stakeholders.

Person specification

Essential:

• Experience of programme end-to-end Test Management
• Experience of planning and co-ordinating test phases such as ST, SIT, UAT
• Experience in producing test plans, test scripts as well as reporting of defects and management to resolution/fix
• Understanding of test lifecycles, test entry/exit criteria, acceptance gates and QA practices
• Test Strategy Production and Delivery, Governance across multiple suppliers.

Desirable:

• Air/ISR domain knowledge and NEXUS platform familiarity
• Experience in conducting Performance, Security and Non-Functional Testing exercises
• Understanding of event driven and data centric architectures with distributed testing model co-ordination
• Understanding of testing in DDIL environments, resilience behaviours
• Understanding of security classifications (OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE/SECRET) and handling of sensitive test data
• Testing and Software Development methodologies (e.g. Agile, DevOps, SDLC)
• Experience using testing automation tooling (E.g. Postman, automated regression, Selenium, Cucumber)
• Experience using project management tooling (JIRA, Teams, SharePoint, MS Project)
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and automation frameworks
• Experience in supporting service transition into live operations as well as Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Government Digital & Data: Government Digital and Data profession | Civil Service CareersCandidates may also be asked questions related to their experience and how that relates to the advertised position.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Flexi-time scheme upon completion of six months’ service
• Alternative working patterns
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (by one day per year) to 30 days upon completion of five years’ service
• In addition to eight public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period for volunteer reserve commitments
• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to six days per year
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Excellent travel links with free car parking, Gym access and onsite coffee shop / cafe
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability in no more than 250 words.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of suitability and the following Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on your statement of suitability.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical Skills:

• Government Digital & Data: Government Digital and Data profession

Technical Skills Framework: https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/test-manager

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 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 : Paul Withers
• Email : paul.withers444@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : Tel (Teams): +44 303 369 6531

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

Air Applicant Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 522kB)MOD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 25kB)Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)