Quality Assurance Test Analyst

Our purpose as Cabinet Office Digital is to enable and transform the Cabinet Office through the provision of exemplary digital, data and technology products and services. We support the transformation of the organisation through working closely with business unit leaders and their teams to address their “problem space” delivering digital products and services to solve their complex challenges.
We are looking for a Quality Assurance Test Analyst to join us in Cabinet Office Digital, a unit that offers back-office services for the whole of government, in key areas such as HR, Finance, Pensions, and shared services. You will play a key role in delivering and improving our Civil Service Jobs platform and Civil Service Careers platform and the wider recruitment service.
As a QAT Analyst, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and reliability of our new products, enhancements, and fixes. Your responsibilities will include testing new and modified functionality to meticulously identify and re-test any major defects in each release. Additionally, you will be responsible for ensuring impact assessments are easily testable, enabling the production of effective test scripts that consider both the business and operational impact. You will work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary Agile framework, alongside other QATs, business analysts, configuration leads, and users as an integral part of the delivery team. You will also collaborate with our supplier development team, including developers and quality assurance specialists.
Civil Service Jobs enables the whole of government to recruit people more efficiently, without which the government could not deliver its work: hence our service brings far-reaching benefits for all citizens. You’ll be joining us at a pivotal time with a leading role in delivering the next generation of Civil Service Jobs. It’s an ambitious and challenging project with enormous potential to improve how we attract, assess and select new civil servants., You will play a key part of the Civil Service Jobs team. As a Quality Assurance Tester, you will be responsible for the design and execution of test plans for new products, product enhancements and fixes, with the flexibility to work on a variety of digital projects where required. You will be accountable for testing all areas of the products including but not limited to functional, business requirements, performance, security and accessibility. Through this role you will have the opportunity to shape some of the highest priority HR services and projects, dealing with a wide range of complex business and technical issues.
The Civil Service Jobs Team: We are a cross-functional digital team made of Business Analysts, Quality Assurance Testers, Configuration Leads, Product Managers, Delivery Managers and Service Manager, who will all support you in your work. Within Cabinet Office Digital, we have job networks for each digital role - you will be able to collaborate with and get support from other QAT Analysts, as well as wider digital networks. There is also a testing community of practice within the Cabinet Office which you will be able to join and help shape the common testing best practices and network with other testers.
Civil Service Jobs is used by over 3 million candidates per month to find and view vacancies across the Civil Service. Each year it handles over 2.2 million applications and advertises 140,000 posts. The live service is used by more than 200 organisations to advertise their vacancies and manage their recruitment processes. Civil Service Jobs is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provision that has been configured and enhanced to meet Civil Service recruitment, digital and security standards.
Along with the live services for Civil Service Jobs/Civil Service Careers, we are running a Recruitment Transformation programme, looking at what the future service should look like. We are currently in the early stages of the build and migration phase of the new recruitment platform, to be completed by the end of 2026.
Responsibilities
+ Test new and modified functionality to ensure there are no major defects in each release of new products, enhancements or fixes;
+ Ensure impact assessments are testable to produce test scripts taking a business and operational view;
+ Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary agile framework alongside business analysts, configuration leads, developers, and users as part of the delivery team;
+ Design and execute a wide range of testing techniques and communicate test results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
+ Create and review documentation ensuring traceability back to source and analyse them for adherence to business objectives and consistency, challenging as appropriate;
+ Contribute to building a testing strategy / methodology for our builds;
+ Contribute to Change Management - collaborating with customers and Subject Matter Experts - who will be helping with testing as Subject Matter Experts;
+ Use automation test scripts and be willing to upskill yourself or other team members on this where necessary;
+ Use Accessibility testing, upskill your knowledge and sharing this with other team members, and work closely with external Accessibility auditors to WCAG2.2 standards to identify accessibility fixes as needed., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Changing and Improving
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Delivering at Pace

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Functional Testing
+ Non-functional Testing
+ Agile Delivery (Testing), 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 particular 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.
Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview where you will be assessed on behaviours and technical skills. Candidates will be required to give a presentation as part of the interview process, which will assess the technical criteria. Further details will be made available to candidates who are invited to interview.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – WC 4th November 2024
Expected interview date/s – WC 18th November 2024
Interview location – Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Reasonable adjustments
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 menurecruitment.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
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 terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Please note - this role requires BPSS clearance in the first instance, but will require you to pass a security clearance (SC) check once in post, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Cabinet Office 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
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland 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 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
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 the Civil 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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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To be considered for this role, it is essential that you:
+ Have experience in both functional and non-functional testing techniques, demonstrating a proficiency in executing test scenarios and accurately identifying and documenting defects;
+ Are familiar with running tests written by others and have a good understanding of testing processes. A comprehensive understanding of a range of standard testing techniques is required;
+ Are proficient in various phases of testing, such as Functional, Non-Functional, Acceptance, Performance, Usability, Accessibility and Regression Testing, and a strong grasp of the associated test standards.
Desirable criteria:
+ Experience of working in a complex, multi-disciplinary environment, delivering products within specific time-scales and engaging with multiple senior stakeholders;
+ Agile Methodologies - with experience of BDD (Behaviour Driven Development) and TDD (Test Driven Development) processes, and an understanding of the key principles to develop a modern standards approach to testing;
+ Foundation ISTQB qualification or equivalent;
+ An understanding of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and experience of testing for accessibility, for example with the use of a screen readers like JAWS, NVDA or VoiceOver.

Alongside your salary of £42,382, Cabinet Office contributes £12,278 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.
+ 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%.
+ A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.