The ONS operates a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our contractual locations working between office and remote throughout the week. The locations for this role are Newport, Titchfield (Fareham) and Manchester.
All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time.
The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.
Job Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.
Are you ready to shape the future of testing at ONS? We are looking for an experienced Senior Test Engineer to lead the way in delivering high impact, high quality data solutions, innovate, influence and make a difference.
You will be responsible for system, integration, End to End (E2E) and acceptance testing, helping to refine our services through iterative design. If you're passionate about precision, innovation, and making a real impact then this is your opportunity to lead with purpose.
Job Description
As a Senior Test Engineer you will undertake activities including shaping requirements, the planning, design, creation, execution and results analysis of test and the identification and management of defects.
You will define and deploy suitable test methods as part of a broader risk-based approach. They are responsible for the design and delivery of system, system integration, End to End (E2E) and acceptance testing frameworks and activities, to enable ONS to deliver data and analysis of high quality and accuracy, whilst ensuring that the iterative design of the service or product is in order.
You will work with a variety of operational users, third party suppliers and in-house development teams and develop effective working relationships with each. You will be responsible for a range of test activities. These include test harness design, test automation, writing, debugging, and refactoring test code, adapting approaches and frameworks appropriately and in line with any changes, business, and end user needs. You will help to grow the sustainability, quality and reach of the test services offered by ONS.
Responsibilities
- Identify and raise awareness of risks arising from the automation test results.
- Identify new and implement existing test frameworks to improve confidence in testing.
- Be proficient in a range of coding languages (you may be an expert in only one).
- Coach and mentor testers in good testing practices.
- Enable delivery of QAT functional services for programmes and projects by working closely with software developers to reach a collective understanding of system architecture, system functionality and business requirements, leading to the required test coverage at system, system integration, E2E, and project/business level.
- Understand and bring together both functional and non-functional requirements of an application, enabling complex and meaningful testing for projects to be executed in a consistent way.
- Effectively communicate with projects and business stakeholders to support the control of integrations, dependencies, and risks.
- Source, collect and extract data that is accurate and fit for purpose, working with developers to configure, test and update configurations.
- Working with the wider ONS testing teams and ONS testing communities to ensure that the latest testing approaches are adopted across ONS.
- Deliver at pace using the most appropriate delivery methodologies and adopting agile principles.
- Assist decision makers in gathering information to make informed decisions.
- Actively participate in the Testing community and broader communities to refine and develop standards, working practices, sharing of knowledge, and understanding.
- Where appropriate and in line with divisional organisation practice, Line management of Test Engineers within the ONS community.
As a Senior Test Engineer you will undertake activities including shaping requirements, the planning, design, creation, execution and results analysis of test and the identification and management of defects.
You will define and deploy suitable test methods as part of a broader risk-based approach. They are responsible for the design and delivery of system, system integration, End to End (E2E) and acceptance testing frameworks and activities, to enable ONS to deliver data and analysis of high quality and accuracy, whilst ensuring that the iterative design of the service or product is in order.
You will work with a variety of operational users, third party suppliers and in-house development teams and develop effective working relationships with each. You will be responsible for a range of test activities. These include test harness design, test automation, writing, debugging, and refactoring test code, adapting approaches and frameworks appropriately and in line with any changes, business, and end user needs. You will help to grow the sustainability, quality and reach of the test services offered by ONS.
Responsibilities
- Identify and raise awareness of risks arising from the automation test results.
- Identify new and implement existing test frameworks to improve confidence in testing.
- Be proficient in a range of coding languages (you may be an expert in only one).
- Coach and mentor testers in good testing practices.
- Enable delivery of QAT functional services for programmes and projects by working closely with software developers to reach a collective understanding of system architecture, system functionality and business requirements, leading to the required test coverage at system, system integration, E2E, and project/business level.
- Understand and bring together both functional and non-functional requirements of an application, enabling complex and meaningful testing for projects to be executed in a consistent way.
- Effectively communicate with projects and business stakeholders to support the control of integrations, dependencies, and risks.
- Source, collect and extract data that is accurate and fit for purpose, working with developers to configure, test and update configurations.
- Working with the wider ONS testing teams and ONS testing communities to ensure that the latest testing approaches are adopted across ONS.
- Deliver at pace using the most appropriate delivery methodologies and adopting agile principles.
- Assist decision makers in gathering information to make informed decisions.
- Actively participate in the Testing community and broader communities to refine and develop standards, working practices, sharing of knowledge, and understanding.
- Where appropriate and in line with divisional organisation practice, Line management of Test Engineers within the ONS community.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Communicating between the technical and non-technical (Practitioner) - Listen to and interpret the needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders, and manage their expectations, manage active and reactive communication and support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders.
- Designing and executing tests (Practitioner) - Influence and guide the use of appropriate test types and techniques to mitigate risk early, lead others in designing, building, maintaining and executing tests that align to user needs and requirements, contribute to developing and implementing standards for designing and executing tests and improve test types and techniques through a structured process.
- Managing, reporting and resolving defects (Practitioner) - Contribute to developing standards for defect management processes, manage and escalate dependencies, defects and risks across teams, contribute to mitigation and contingency plans across teams, use defect patterns and trends to make recommendations on testing and quality approaches, with support and manage stakeholder expectations and communications during defect resolution.
- Test analysis (Practitioner) - Lead work with stakeholders across teams to determine which functional and non-functional quality characteristics add value, determine if an approach needs to change based on effort and risk, ensure test needs are implemented early, use multiple techniques to analyse complex information to identify risks and coach others in test analysis.
- Test and quality planning (Practitioner) - Work with teams to develop and implement appropriate quality testing approaches, plans and strategies, contribute to organisational quality testing strategies, implement ways to capture data to drive continuous improvement of quality testing approaches, plans and strategies and advocate for full team ownership of quality testing activities, encouraging early engagement.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Proficient in at least one programming language (Java/JavaScript/C#/Python) and have considerable work experience. Experience in tools like Selenium/Cypress/Playwright for UI (User Interface), for API testing and using tools for CI/CD.
- Experienced in Behavior Drive Development (BDD) and Test Driven Development (TDD) style of script development.
- Ability to develop performance test scripts using tools like JMeter/Gatling/LoadRunner etc
Alongside your salary of £41,364, Office for National Statistics contributes £11,983 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.
Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Security Clearance
For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.
If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.
At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
- Security Services records
We may also reach out to you mid-campaign to confirm eligibility for this role.
Application Support
Artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini are powerful tools that can create and review text in ways that mimic what people can do. These tools can help you enhance your application and prepare for the process, but it is essential you use them appropriately.
They must also not be used to provide misleading or false information at any stage of the application journey.
It is also important to understand that while AI can help you prepare for an interview, you must not use it to produce responses during an interview.
For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please click here.
Application Process
Number of Stages: 2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Stage 2: Interview
Stage 1 – Application
The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
A personal statement is required at application stage, it will state the maximum word count allowed (1250 words), which should not be exceeded. Where it is a requirement to make a personal statement, you should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.
In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.
Stage 2 – Interview
If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.
Interviews may be in person or via Microsoft Teams.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
The Sift will be conducted from 11/09/2025
Interviews will be conducted from 29/09/2025
For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.
Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
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.
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.
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).
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 :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission
