Senior Test Analyst

We provide the Research Ethics Service (RES), Confidentiality Advice function, assessments and assurances on behalf of the NHS, and learning, guidance and advice for the research community. Our ambition is to make the UK a great place to do research, where more money invested in research goes into carrying out relevant, good quality research.

We have already delivered significant improvements by centralising and simplifying the approval of research in the NHS in England, and are undertaking a range of significant programmes to deliver further improvements.

Job overview

CV Recruitment - We want to make applications for this role as easy as possible! Please apply using your CV.

Quality Assurance and Testing is an important part of the delivery of digital systems within the Health Research Authority. We have a team of skilled test professionals who make sure quality is delivered in the most effective way. We are looking to add testing skills to our existing team as we are part of an ambitious programme that will utilise different functional and non-functional test levels at depth.

As a Senior Test Analyst, you will design and execute test plans, and carry out testing as part of a broader risk-based approach covering system, integration and user acceptance tests for a Microsoft based technology suite.

Please do not apply for this role if you have recently been unsuccessfully shortlisted.

Candidates over-relying on AI to develop their supporting information will automatically be rejected

Main duties of the job

Some of the key duties for this position are:

• Identify and elaborate testable scenarios for a feature, working with others in a cross functional agile team
• design and execute test cases using standard testing techniques
• communicate test results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• identify defects, alert the business to them, and help to prioritise them based on defect severity
• Support the head of test in choosing the appropriate testing techniques and frameworks
• think creatively, ask the right questions and critically evaluate and communicate findings to a larger team
• absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to determine solutions

This is not an exhaustive list, see the job description for details.

Working for our organisation

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that help us to deliver the best services.

• age
• disability
• ethnicity
• gender identity and expression
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation
• other diverse characteristics

We have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for you, we’ll do our best to make it work for us.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This role sits within HRA Digital. The HRA Digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRA’s portfolio of national information systems for health research. This includes a major programme to build a new Integrated Research Application and Workflow system and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems (IRAS and HARP).

The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.

The test analysis and planning activity undertaken will include discovery capture, test definition and the estimation of test effort, as part of a broader risk-based approach within functional and non-functional testing.

They will also have the primary responsibility for writing, debugging and refactoring test scenarios and scripts for end to end testing as outlined in HRA's test strategy.

To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.

In submitting your application with us, please note the following:

We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.

We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.

Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.

The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to a master's level or equivalent in IS / IT field or portfolio of equivalent experience demonstrating the ability to work at this level
• Certified in ISTQB Foundation

• Certified in ISTQB Technical Test Analyst

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

• Comprehensive and detailed knowledge of test tools such as Selenium, Playwright

• Working knowledge of Software coding language e.g. Java, .NET, C#

Experience

• Experience of working within the test team delivering successful outcomes
• Practical experience of testing on PEGA and .NET platforms

• Experience of working as an automated test engineer

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Lead on the analysis of complex requirements and derive testable scenarios

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

• Comprehensive and detailed knowledge of testing techniques

Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to understand and interpret complex information.

• Written English skills at a level to summarise complex issues into a document.
• Verbal English skills to be able to articulate procedural issues and comprehend complex discussion

Knowledge, Skills and Expertise

• Extensive knowledge of the platforms such as PEGA, Microsoft

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise against a background of change and uncertainty

Interpersonal Skills

• Ability to work within and contribute to a high performing team