Senior Software & Systems Test Engineer
(Defence | Secure Systems | Mission-Critical Software)
Gloucester or Manchester, UK – MUST be local or willing to commute
£55,000 – £80,000 base salary (dependent on experience)
Bonus + benefits + progression pathway
Full-time, permanent | 37 hours per week | Site-based with limited hybrid
Location & Eligibility - Please Read Carefully
This role is primarily site-based and located in either Gloucester or Manchester .
Applicants must already be based locally or willing to commute regularly to site.
Applicants must have valid UK work eligibility. Visa sponsorship is not available.
Security Clearance
Due to the nature of the work, candidates must be eligible for UK Security Check (SC) clearance. This typically requires British citizenship and continuous UK residency for the past 5 years.
Overview
We are recruiting a Senior Software & Systems Test Engineer to join a growing engineering team delivering secure, mission-critical software systems for defence, intelligence, and national security customers.
This role is deliberately broad in scope and seniority. We are open to candidates with strong hands-on test engineering experience, as well as more senior test professionals who can own test strategy, environments, and quality outcomes across complex delivery programmes.
You will work within Agile, DevSecOps-aligned teams, contributing to the full test lifecycle, from early requirements and environment setup through automated and manual testing, system integration, deployment support, and operational assurance.
The environment is technically demanding and security-constrained, making this role well suited to individuals who enjoy solving complex problems, working close to real systems, and taking ownership of quality in high-stakes programmes.
Key Responsibilities
* Apply test engineering expertise within Agile software delivery teams
* Define, implement, and execute test strategies across system, integration, and acceptance levels
* Design, maintain, and evolve automated and manual test approaches appropriate to the system under test
* Deploy, configure, and validate complex software systems across Linux and Windows environments
* Define and manage test environments, tools, and test data
* Raise, track, and support resolution of defects in collaboration with development and systems teams
* Produce test plans, reports, and supporting documentation in line with project and customer standards
* Support estimation and planning of test activities across delivery phases
* Contribute to continuous improvement of test processes, tooling, and practices
* Act as a senior escalation point for quality and test-related issues
* (At senior levels) provide technical leadership, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement around test and quality
Required Experience
* Strong experience working in software or systems testing roles
* Proven understanding of the software development lifecycle and test methodologies
* Experience working within Agile / Scrum / DevOps delivery models
* Experience deploying, configuring, and testing complex systems in Linux and/or Windows environments
* Ability to design effective test coverage for complex, integrated systems
* Experience producing clear test documentation and reports
* Comfortable working in a secure, on-site engineering environment
Desirable Experience
* Test automation frameworks and automated test development
* Scripting or programming experience used to support testing or automation
* CI/CD pipelines and continuous testing practices
* Cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure)
* Linux system administration or infrastructure awareness
* Experience with monitoring, logging, performance, or non-functional testing
* Domain experience in defence, aerospace, cyber, geospatial, or secure government systems
* Experience operating in consultancy or multi-stakeholder delivery environments
What’s On Offer
* £55,000 – £80,000 base salary, dependent on experience and seniority
* Bonus scheme and strong total rewards package
* Excellent pension (up to 10.5% employer contribution)
* 37-hour working week with early finish Fridays
* 25 days holiday + public holidays (buy/sell options available)
* Flexible benefits including healthcare, dental, and cycle-to-work schemes
* Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly policies
* Clear progression pathways for technical specialists and senior test leaders
* Opportunity to work on nationally significant, high-impact systems