Lead Test Engineer

Methods is a £100M+ IT Services Consultancy who has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. Established over 30 years ago and UK-based, we apply our skills in transformation, delivery, and collaboration from across the Methods Group, to create end-to-end business and technical solutions that are people-centred, safe, and designed for the future.
Our human touch sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses - with people, technology, and data at the heart of who we are, we believe in creating value and sustainability through everything we do for our clients, staff, communities, and the planet.
We support our clients in the success of their projects while working collaboratively to share skill sets and solve problems. At Methods we have fun while working hard; we are not afraid of making mistakes and learning from them.
Methods was acquired by the Alten Group in early 2022.
Requirements
We require a strong Test Lead who can manage and not the other way round. This will require someone who is experienced and has the competency to lead the test team as well as govern it.
Responsibilities:
• Engineering staff will be expected to adopt BDD and TDD principles. Engineers will be comfortable working with a microservice based architecture in Java and Node.js which is broadly adherent to 12 factor app principles.
• Engineers will be able to operate independently but will also be team players, working according to squad workflows, adhering to definitions of done, branching strategies, ticket refinement, documentation and peer review processes.
• Test engineers should be experts in test automation at all test levels, from unit to system testing. Recent software development experience, i.e. the development of applications in addition to the testing of them, would be highly beneficial at this level.
• Test engineers will be able to lead test activities within their agile squad and work with others to implement test processes and tooling that allows for coordinated development across multiple teams. Engineers will be able to provide guidance on risk-based approach to multiple stakeholders, coach other engineers and peer review their work.
The role will be based remotely, but there may be a need for some UK travel requiring you to stay away from home
This job description is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indicating of the areas of activity and may be amended from time to time in the light of the changing needs of the organisation.
This role will require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected. Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.
Benefits
By joining us you can expect:
Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
Strong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadership
A supportive and collaborative environment.
As well as this, we offer:
Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
Social – Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month as well as commitment to charitable causes
Time off 25 days a year
Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
Discretionary Company Bonus based on company and individual performance
Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)

Work arrangement
No