Ocho
Software Engineer in Test
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Test Architect / SDET
12-month contract, hybrid: 2 days a week in Belfast, 3 days remote
£400 per day outside IR35
Rare hybrid role combining senior C#/.NET engineering depth with test architecture authority
Protect quality across established development teams, working within existing testing frameworks
Genuine technical authority, able to challenge developers directly on code, design and testability
About the Company
A well-established Belfast technology team is completing its testing capability as part of a longer-term investment in software quality. Three of four planned specialist roles in this area are already in place, backed by established testing frameworks and processes, and the team is now looking for the right person to complete the group.
The Role
This isn't a conventional Test Architect role focused purely on strategy, process and automation. You'll need enough hands-on C#/.NET development knowledge to read code directly, understand how it's been designed and challenge developers where the implementation creates testability or quality issues. The testing environment (NUnit, SpecFlow, unit, component, acceptance and user acceptance testing, and internal proprietary frameworks) is already established, so this isn't a build-from-scratch role. Instead, you'll ensure development teams stay aligned with what's already in place, spot gaps in what's being delivered, and provide additional capacity without existing senior team members having to pick up the slack. It suits someone with a genuine development background before moving into testing, comfortable saying "this isn't testable, and here's why" with the technical grounding to back it up.
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Key Responsibilities
- Review C#/.NET code directly to assess design quality and testability
- Challenge developers on implementation choices that create testability or quality risks
- Protect quality standards across development teams throughout the development lifecycle
- Work within established testing frameworks, including NUnit, SpecFlow, unit, component and acceptance testing
- Identify gaps between the existing testing strategy and what development teams are actually producing
- Keep development teams aligned with the established testing approach
- Provide burst testing capacity without relying on existing senior team members
- Operate independently once ramped up, reducing the load on the wider team
What You'll Need
Essential:
- A genuine development background as a C#/.NET Software Engineer before moving into testing (a Software Engineer in Test / SDET career path)
- Senior-level experience able to read and critique C#/.NET code for design and testability issues
- Strong QA/testing expertise, including unit, component and acceptance testing
- Confidence to challenge developers directly and explain the technical reasoning behind it
- Comfortable working within an existing testing framework rather than building one from scratch
- Able to work 2 days a week from Belfast, with the remaining 3 days remote
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Desirable / Nice to Have:
- Direct experience with NUnit and SpecFlow
- Experience operating in a burst-capacity or short-term contractor role within an established team
Why Apply?
- £400 per day, over a 12-month contract
- Hybrid pattern: 2 days a week in Belfast, 3 days remote
- Genuine technical authority, not just process ownership... real influence over what gets shipped
- Step into established frameworks and processes rather than starting from zero
- Join a team that's already three-quarters staffed, working alongside people who know the environment well
Next Steps
If this sounds like your kind of contract, get in touch with Aaron Somers at aaron@ochopeople.com or connect on LinkedIn to find out more.
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