AMS PSR

On behalf of DWP, we are looking for Test Engineers for a 12 month (Inside IR35) contract based hybrid in Newcastle, Manchester or Leeds.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. As such, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Working with DWP, you will be helping us to drive our priorities to:

• Help people to move into work and support those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation
• Help people to plan and save for later life, while providing a safety net for those who need it now
• Provide effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of claimants who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society
• Improve experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayer.

Core Purpose

To lead the testing strategy and execution for complex digital services, ensuring high-quality delivery through automation, performance testing, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

Summary of the Role and Key Responsibilities

• Define and implement a comprehensive test strategy for digital services.
• Lead the development and maintenance of automated test suites.
• Collaborate with engineering, architecture, and DevOps teams to align testing with delivery goals.
• Conduct performance testing to ensure system stability and scalability.
• Mentor junior testers and promote best practices across teams.

Technical Skills Required

• Strong hands-on experience in test automation (e.g., Selenium, Cucumber, REST Assured).
• Proficiency in performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter, Gatling).
• Solid programming skills, preferably in Java.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native testing.

Knowledge and Experience Required

• Proven experience defining and executing test strategies for complex systems.
• Experience in building robust automated test frameworks.
• Background in multi-disciplinary environments with stakeholder engagement.
• Preferably experience in performance testing under varied conditions.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, DWP guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

DWP guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".