Test Engineer

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments.

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

Job description

As a Test Engineer, you will play a key role in ensuring the quality and reliability of digital programmes and products. The Test Engineer will focus on designing and executing comprehensive, automated, and manual test strategies within Agile environments to ensure software quality. You will work within multidisciplinary teams to design, develop, and execute comprehensive testing activities, moving away from manual processes toward automated, "shift-left" practices. You will be responsible for ensuring that software meets functional, performance, and accessibility requirements before it reaches the user.

Responsibilities

As a Test Engineer, you will:

• Analyse business requirements and technical specifications to design comprehensive test plans, scenarios, and test cases for functional and non-functional requirements (e.g., performance, security, accessibility);
• Conduct various testing activities, including integration, regression, performance, accessibility, and supporting User Acceptance Testing (UAT);
• Take a hands-on approach to testing, contributing to automated test suites and helping teams deliver quality through automation and shift-left practices;
• Design, develop, and execute manual and automated Test cases within Xray to ensure robust requirement coverage;
• Proactively identify, document, and track software defects in JIRA, performing root-cause analysis and working closely with developers to ensure timely resolution;
• Build and maintain automated test frameworks and scripts using tools like Cypress or Playwright, REST Assured, or similar;
• Develop and maintain automated test scripts and support their integration into CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab);
• Support the maintenance of test environments, test data management, and the tracking of quality metrics;
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Business Analysts, and Developers to refine complex requirements into clear, verifiable, and testable acceptance criteria;
• Provide stakeholders with clear, data-driven insights into product health, test coverage, and release readiness.

Person specification

You will have the following skills, knowledge, and experience:

Essential Criteria

• Testing Lifecycle Expertise: Proven experience of the full testing lifecycle as a QA or Test Engineer, ideally within complex, multi-system digital programmes;
• Technical Environment Proficiency: Experience conducting hands-on testing activities within diverse technical environments and digital products;
• Automation Frameworks: Extensive experience developing and maintaining tests within modern automation frameworks such as Cypress, Playwright, REST Assured, or similar tools;
• CI/CD & DevOps: Practical experience using CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub, Jenkins) to execute and manage automated test suites;
• Non-Functional Testing: Ability to plan and execute non-functional testing activities, including performance, load, security, and accessibility testing;
• Agile & BDD/TDD: Strong understanding of Agile and DevOps principles, including practical experience with TDD/BDD practices and tools like Cucumber or Gherkin;
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Experience testing solutions deployed in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and knowledge of how containerisation (Docker) and infrastructure-as-code impact testing;
• Environment & Data Management: Ability to assist in building and maintaining test environments and implementing robust test data management approaches;
• Collaboration & Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical issues and collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams.

Desirable Criteria

• Performance Testing Tools: Familiarity with performance and load testing tools such as Grafana K6, Gatling, or JMeter;
• Agile Delivery Contribution: Experience working within Agile Scrum teams, contributing to sprint ceremonies (stand-ups, retrospectives) and ensuring high-quality test coverage;
• Risk-Based Prioritisation: Understanding of risk-based testing methodologies to help prioritise testing tasks in fast-paced delivery environments;
• Accessibility & Security Standards: Knowledge of modern accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and basic security testing practices;
• Government Digital Standards: Familiarity with the GDS Service Standard and Technology Code of Practice for digital transformation;
• Data Compliance: Awareness of data protection requirements (e.g., GDPR) and compliance within highly regulated environments.

Qualifications:

• While not mandatory, professional and industry standard certifications such as ISTQB (Foundation or Advanced level) are highly desirable.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Designing and Executing tests
• Test Engineering and Automation
• Test Analysis

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

• Designing and Executing tests
• Test Engineering and Automation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,258, Infected Blood Compensation Authority contributes £13,690 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Premium allowance paid monthly after probation
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
• 32.5 days of paid annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Family friendly policies to support you and your everyday responsibilities
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave, up to 12 months shared parental leave

Recent changes in skilled worker visa eligibility mean that a Skilled Worker must have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor. From 22 July 2025, the job must normally be skilled to level 6 (graduate level) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland, or be included on either the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Please be aware that if the role is not eligible for a skilled worker visa that we will be unable to provide sponsorship.

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.

As part of your application you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history and qualifications highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.

You will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (1000 words max.)

Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.

Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the 'Person Specification' section of the job advert.

You will also be assessed on Technical Skills at application stage.

Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview where you will be assessed on Experience, Behaviours and Technical skills.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

• Expected sift date – w/c 30th March 2026
• Expected interview date/s – 15th April 2026
• Interview location - Your interview will be conducted face to face at our Newcastle office.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.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.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to IBCA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website)

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to
the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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 IBCA if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

PLEASE NOTE: IBCA employees are public servants, therefore the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNR) do not apply. Candidates who do not meet the CSNR are welcome to apply and applications will not be rejected: successful candidates however will be subject to a Right to Work check to work within the UK.

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

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 : IBCA Recruitment Team
• Email : ibca.recruitment@ibca.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing Team at IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1851kB)