Important salary details:
New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.
Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion, will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the new pay band, or receive an increase of 10 percent on the current base salary, whichever is higher (This is restricted to the pay maximum of the new band).
GDD:
Government Digital and Data (GDD) Profession Capability Framework and Success Profiles Frameworks. Using GDD we will then determine if you will be paid an additional allowance, on top of your basic salary. This role is within the Technical Job Family, is a Software Developer role at Developer level, but carries the title Software Developer in Test within DTS.
Reserve List:
HMCTS run a Reserve List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months. You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Reserve List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.
Introduction:
These are exciting times at HM Court and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). As an agency of the MoJ, we support the judiciary across England and Wales to deliver justice by running courts and tribunals and processing outcomes, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve our ambitions. It will be challenging, important and rewarding.
HMCTS Digital and Technology Services (DTS) is a specialist technology directorate which provides support to HMCTS in the use of IT and Digital.
DTS is committed to being a great place to work and part of our offer is brilliant training opportunities and support from expert colleagues. As well as that youll find flexible working, an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued.
Please follow the link below for further information about HMCTS. www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service
Our community
We currently have over 500 experienced developers across MoJ and its agencies who make up the broader software engineering community. You will be able to learn from others, share your knowledge and take part in informal support networks with your peers. You can also take a look at the MoJ developer blog.
As a Software Development Engineer in Test at HMCTS, you will have access to extensive training and development opportunities through our Testing Centre of Excellence. Our commitment to your growth means that you will receive in-depth, in-house training designed to enhance your skills and knowledge, making you proficient in the latest testing methodologies and tools. Whether you are looking to sharpen your testing capabilities, deepen your technical expertise, or expand your leadership skills, our training is tailored to help you succeed in your role and advance your career. This commitment to continuous learning is a core part of our culture, ensuring that you have the tools and knowledge you need to excel in your position and contribute to our ongoing success.
The key purpose of the role:
As a Software Development Engineer in Test, your responsibilities will encompass not only writing, debugging, and refactoring test code but also leading test automation in CI/CD environments. You will collaborate closely with software developers to ensure a common understanding of the code base and test coverage at the unit test level.
You will play a pivotal role in helping to shape the culture and best practices throughout the Test Centre of Excellence at HMCTS. Your strong technical skills will be essential in ensuring the highest quality standards for our test automation.
Additionally, mentoring, and coaching Junior Software Development Engineers in Test is a crucial aspect of this role. You will guide the team to achieve excellence in test automation and support their learning journey.
The development squad you are placed on will be agreed closer to your start date, but examples of products can be found in our github repositories:
- https://github.com/ministryofjustice
- https://github.com/hmcts
- https://github.com/CJSCommonPlatform
Technologies
We use a range of cutting-edge technologies, including:
- Playwright
- Rest Assured (for API testing)
- Java/JavaScript/TypeScript
- Power Apps (for low-code/no-code application testing)
- Express.js framework (Node.js)
- Angular
- PostgreSQL
- Microservices
- Azure cloud infrastructure
- Gatling (for performance testing)
- SauceLabs (for cross-browser testing)
- Pa11y, WAVE, aXe (for accessibility testing)
- Jenkins (for deployment automation)
- Dynatrace (for application monitoring)
- Kubernetes and Docker (to run our services)
- Jira/Confluence (for project management and documentation)
- Fortify (for security testing)
We're here to support your learning journey within our tech stack when you become a part of our team.
Key responsibilities:
- Promote and champion shift-left testing principles, emphasising unit and integration testing, to ensure early detection of issues and higher quality software.
- Lead the development and implementation of test automation strategies in CI/CD environments.
- Write, amend, and refactor test automation code, adhering to internal software development standards.
- Lead in "3 Amigos" sessions as an integral part of the development and testing process.
- Estimate your effort for planning and follow the agreed methodology.
- Understand the impact of business processes on the project and systems.
- Analyse test results and identify patterns and trends, translating findings into business impact.
- Collaborate on designing and building secure products with a focus on information assurance.
- Maintain full traceability of defects, tests, and requirements. Report issues found through the appropriate channels.
- Provide mentoring and coaching to Junior Software Development Engineers in Test to enhance their skills and knowledge.
- Contribute to the development of a culture of excellence in test automation within the team.
Essential Skills and Experience:
- Demonstrated experience in leading test automation in CI/CD environments.
- Expertise in writing automated testing programs/scripts, particularly in our core technology stack.
- Expertise in the Software Development Lifecycle, ensuring alignment with project objectives and quality standards.
- Strong understanding of REST web services and API inspection tools.
- Familiarity with bug tracking software and experience in using it effectively.
- Ability to identify and manage issues and risks associated with testing, with a focus on analysing and reporting test activities and results.
- Exposure to applying Agile principles in practice, facilitating seamless integration into project workflows.
- Proficiency in defining and implementing test tooling, test environments, and test data across various phases of testing.
- Proven ability to design and execute non-functional test cases in diverse environments.
- Experience in accessibility testing, both manual and automated, ensuring compliance with WCAG standards and integrating accessibility testing within CI/CD pipelines.
- Ability to analyse performance bottlenecks and accessibility issues, providing recommendations for improvement.
- Strong understanding of integrating accessibility and performance testing into the overall test strategy, ensuring quality and compliance from development to release.
Application process:
The following areas of Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and score your application during the sift, and interview.
- Experience - As demonstrated in your application form.
- Technical - As demonstrated in your application form and interview. Successful sift candidates will be invited to a pre-interview technical on-line test. If successful, you will move on to the interview stage
- GDD Assessment - During the interview, you will be assessed against the GDD skills and framework below.
- GDD Skill 1 - Development process optimisation
- GDD Skill 2 - Information security
- GDD Skill 3 - Modern development standards
- GDD Skill 4 - Programming and build (software engineering)
- GDD Skill 5 - Systems integration
- Behaviours - You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at SEO Level.
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
