MOD Corsham Job Summary The MOD's digital teams ensure we remain among the most technologically advanced Armed Forces in the world. We develop and lead in cutting-edge data science, automation, and cyber security solutions to protect the UK and its interests, at home and abroad. Our mission also goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving innovation that impacts lives across the globe. Working at the MOD Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here! This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Job Description A Lead quality assurance test (QAT) analyst sets the strategy for test analysis, establishing standards and methods. They are accountable and responsible for activities at high risk. Your Responsibilities Include: Develop and implement strategic testing approaches for major projects Provide expert technical guidance and advice to project stakeholders Establish testing standards and methodologies across the organisation Lead the delivery practice, focusing on complex problem solving and influencing senior team members Be a specialist in an area of testing and influence the QAT industry Lead and mentor quality assurance testing teams For more information on the QAT profession please see the Government Digital and Data Framework. Lead quality assurance test analyst A Lead quality assurance test (QAT) analyst sets the strategy for test analysis, establishing standards and methods. They are accountable and responsible for activities at high risk. Your Responsibilities Include: Develop and implement strategic testing approaches for major projects Provide expert technical guidance and advice to project stakeholders Establish testing standards and methodologies across the organisation Lead the delivery practice, focusing on complex problem solving and influencing senior team members Be a specialist in an area of testing and influence the QAT industry Lead and mentor quality assurance testing teams For more information on the QAT profession please see the Government Digital and Data Framework. Lead quality assurance test analyst Person specification To be successful as the Lead QAT Analyst, you will have experience in a senior, strategic role where you've established and maintained testing excellence across a digital landscape. This position calls for an expert level professional who can set comprehensive testing strategies, develop industry standards, and lead high-risk quality assurance activities. You will also need to demonstrate exceptional technical expertise and provide strategic guidance to project teams and senior stakeholders. Application When submitting your CV, please highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role. Additionally, refer to the "Things You Need to Know" section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max.1250 words) demonstrating the Essential Criteria listed below: Expert-level functional testing capabilities with ability to devise new techniques Proven experience in strategic test analysis and problem-solving Demonstrated leadership and mentoring experience Strong stakeholder management and communication skills Experience in establishing testing standards and methodologies Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Leadership Making Effective Decisions Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Functional testing Non-functional testing Technical breadth. Test analysis Alongside your salary of £59,690, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,292 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. As well as exciting, meaningful work, joining MOD gives you access to brilliant benefits to support your well-being, family life and finances. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity An environment with flexible working options 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service Ability to roll over up to 10 days annual leave per year In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King's birthday Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year Enhanced parental and adoption leave Employee Assistance Programme to support your well-being Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms A highly competitive pension scheme. Discover my benefits for more information This post may be eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £15,300 per annum. Eligibility for this allowance will be assessed at interview and reviewed annually in line with departmental policy. Learning & Development We have a strong learning and development ethos, supporting you to fulfil your potential by providing – Learning and development tailored to your role Professional and Personal Development of skills Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements. The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments. MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. At Sift, You Will Be Assessed On The Following: Please complete the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard, ensuring your CV highlights your relevance to the Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification above. All applicants will also need to provide a Personal Statement (max. 1250 words) and it is vital that this includes evidence of the Essential Criteria. Your CV and personal statement will be assessed to determine your suitability to be invited to interview. At interview, You will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours, and Technical Skills: Behaviours Leadership Making Effective Decisions Technical Skills Functional testing Non-functional testing Technical breadth. Test analysis AI Usage in Job Applications Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use Equality and Diversity Our people are at the heart of everything we do at Defence Digital. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process if this is something you want to explore. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn. The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment. The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out. Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions. 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 : Name : Defence Digital Talent Acquisition Team Email : ukstratcomdd-hr-talentacqdel@mod.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk Further information Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.