Senior Test Engineer

Job Title: Senior Test Engineer
Rate: £473
Clearance required: SC cleared
Location: Remote
'This role requires additional vetting, which means this could take longer than our normal onboarding process. You will require additional vetting for this position, which means the process can take longer than the usual onboarding process

Job Description:
Required for beta
The MEL Data Store project will design and deliver a secure, long term digital solution for collecting, storing, validating, analysing, and reporting Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) data from Landscape Recovery projects. The service will replace the current SharePoint and spreadsheet-based submission processes, which are not fit for purpose and create legal, financial and reputational risks for NE and the wider Defra Group.
The scope includes user-centred design, the establishment of robust data management workflows, a front-end submission tool for external users, and a centralised datastore for all MEL data to support 20-30 years of programme delivery.
Key skills

Automated testing frameworks (Playwright/Jest)
Data validation testing
Load & performance testing for bulk uploads
CI/CD pipeline testing
SFIA Level 5 - Standard ToR

Define, own, and communicate test strategies aligned to delivery, business risk, and government service standards.
Select and tailor test approaches (manual, automated, exploratory, risk-based) appropriate to complex systems and integrations.
Provide authoritative advice on test scope, entry/exit criteria, and quality risks to delivery and product leadership.
Balance pragmatism with assurance, ensuring proportionate testing within agile delivery constraints.
Lead the design and evolution of automated test frameworks (UI, API, or service-level), aligned to the team's technology stack.
Define what should and should not be automated, considering value, maintainability, and risk.
Integrate automated tests into CI/CD pipelines and advise teams on improving feedback cycles.
Evaluate and recommend DEFRA community testing tools, frameworks, and practices to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Plan build and execute non-functional testing activities, including performance, accessibility, security, resilience, and interoperability.
Work collaboratively with specialists and suppliers to ensure appropriate coverage where tooling or expertise is shared.
Interpret test results and articulate business and user impact, not just technical outcomes.
Ensure NFT evidence is sufficient to support confident release decisions.?
Tech stack

Expertise in test automation using JavaScript based test frameworks such as WebdriverIO, Playwright or Cypress
Open-source JS based libraries or frameworks for API testing, or Postman.
Jmeter or K6 for load and performance testing
Continuous integration pipelines using Jenkins and AWS or ADO in Azure.
Expertise in GitHub
Experience using exploratory test techniques to focus testing on the areas of greatest risk.If you receive suspicious outreach claiming to be from us, please contact us via the ManpowerGroup website
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed