Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Senior Quality Assurance Test Analyst
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East Kilbride, London
Job Summary
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK’s role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.
Job Description
The Senior Quality Assurance Test Analyst plays a key role within the Digital Products and Services Department of the Digital, Technology and Security Directorate, helping to deliver high quality, user centred digital products that support the FCDO’s global operations. The role contributes to the design, development, and continuous improvement of digital services used across corporate, policy, diplomatic, and development functions. Working within integrated, multidisciplinary teams, the postholder applies both Government Digital and Data profession standards and FCDO specific expertise, benefiting from a strong learning and development environment and opportunities to collaborate across policy and operational areas.
The purpose of the role is to lead and execute testing activities that ensure systems meet user needs, technical requirements, and organisational standards. This includes applying risk-based testing, shaping testing strategies, managing defects, and promoting quality assurance best practices. It also involves determining when to utilise and leverage non coded automation, alongside appropriate AI and tooling, to enhance the effectiveness and scope of testing. The postholder will build and maintain test suites, support agile delivery, mentor junior testers, and help evolve testing practices, contributing to a wider cultural shift toward improved digital capability across the organisation.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Successful Candidate Will:
- Lead test analysis and risk assessment by analysing products, services, processes, and changes, identifying quality risks early, and evaluating the business impact of testing outcomes.
- Develop and implement test strategies and plans in collaboration with multidisciplinary agile teams, ensuring alignment with user needs and organisational goals.
- Define and manage test requirements including environments, data, tooling, and resource needs to support effective and efficient delivery.
- Oversee the design, build, execution, and maintenance of test suites, ensuring appropriate test techniques are applied across both functional and non-functional areas.
- Drive continuous improvement in testing practices by refining techniques, contributing to standards, and leveraging structured feedback loops.
- Establish and manage defect management processes, including tracking, escalation, analysis of defect trends, and recommending quality improvements.
- Provide leadership and coaching to teams, guiding the adoption of quality assurance tools, techniques, and best practice standards.
- Communicate testing strategies, progress, and outcomes clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, facilitating discussions with senior and cross-functional audiences.
You may be required to travel between the UK offices monthly.
Person specification
You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.
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This role requires you to attain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance.
For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty’s Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents’ or partner’s Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.
It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.
Minimum Criteria
- Strong ability to design and execute tests that ensure digital services meet user, technical, policy, and organisational requirements, covering both functional and non-functional quality to deliver reliable, accessible, secure, and fit-for-purpose outcomes aligned with business and user needs.
- Comfortable working in agile environments, contributing to test planning, risk analysis, and effort estimation.
- Ability to effectively collaborate with developers, product managers and stakeholders to identify and resolve defects early.
- Strong understanding of the value of automation and the ability to clearly communicate its benefits to both technical and non-technical audiences, including the effective use of coded and non-coded solutions. This encompasses leveraging non-functional and low/no-code automation, AI-driven tools, and modern testing platforms to enhance test design, creation, coverage, and overall productivity, alongside traditional scripted automation approaches.
- Proactive in identifying risks to quality and recommending improvements to testing strategies and processes.
- User focused mindset, with a commitment to delivering reliable, high performing digital services while continuing to develop domain expertise.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Designing and Executing Tests (Practitioner Level)
- Test and Quality Planning (Practitioner Level)
- Test Analysis (Practitioner Level)
- Managing, Reporting and Resolving Defects (Practitioner Level)
We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:
- Designing and Executing Tests (Practitioner Level)
- Test and Quality Planning (Practitioner Level)
Alongside your salary of £46,000, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £13,326 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Artificial intelligence
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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
This vacancy uses the Success Profiles Framework to assess your Behaviours and Technical Skills. We will use the Senior Quality Assurance Analyst to assess your Technical skills at Application and Interview stages.
Please see the ‘Hints and Tips’ that are provided for your information about how to prepare Behaviour examples at the Application and/or Interview stage.
Application Stage
You will be required to complete the following as part of the online application:
- A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). CVs will be assessed against the Essential Criteria outlined in the Person Specification section below.
- A Personal Statement of 750 words explaining how you consider your skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with specific reference to the Essential Criteria. These responses will be explored further during the interview process for shortlisted candidates.
Your Application Will Be Assessed On The Following:
- Behaviours: "Managing a Quality Service" and "Changing and Improving".
- Technical Skills: Designing and Executing Tests (Practitioner Level) and Test and Quality Planning (Practitioner level).
IMPORTANT: If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and require Reasonable Adjustments in order to complete your application, please ensure Government Recruitment Service (GRS) are aware of this on the date of application and certainly by the closing date.
In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift of by CV, Personal Statement and by a lead Technical Skill. For this campaign we will be prioritising Designing and Executing Tests. Only candidates who meet the minimum standard in this Behaviour will have the rest of their application fully assessed.
Interview Stage
At the start of your interview, you will also be asked a non-assessed warm-up question about your motivation for applying for the role.
Candidates Will Be Required To Give a 10 Minute Presentation At The Interview And The Topic Will Be Sent To You In Advance. The Presentation Will Test The Following (Technical) Skill/Behaviour:
- Designing and Executing Tests (Practitioner Level)
You will also be assessed on the following behaviours: Making Effective Decisions and Working Together.
Technical Skills: "Test Analysis (Practitioner Level)", "Managing, Reporting and Resolving Defects (Practitioner Level)" and "Test and Quality Planning (Practitioner Level)".
At the end of your interview, you will be asked a non-assessed closing question about a potential challenge related to the role.
Please note that the FCDO carries out name-blind (anonymised) recruitment to help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The personal information on your Application form and/or CV will be concealed during the sifting phase, and only the names of those who are being invited for Interviews will be made known to the Panel.
The FCDO has appointed the Government Recruitment Service to manage the process.
Closing Date: 12th October
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