General Test Engineer

Help shape the future of Scotland’s marine digital systems and play a key role in delivering reliable, innovative technology that supports Scotland’s seas.

The Marine Directorate is a core part of the Scottish Government, responsible for managing Scotland’s seas to support both economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. As a Test Engineer within the Directorate’s digital profession, you will work across a diverse portfolio of marine and digital services, helping to deliver high-quality data and technology solutions that support operational, scientific and policy outcomes across the organisation.

In this role, you will lead and support testing activities for critical marine applications, working closely with developers, product teams and stakeholders to ensure systems are robust, secure and fit for purpose. Your primary objective will be to provide quality assurance expertise and drive effective testing practices that enable the successful delivery and ongoing reliability of operational and surveillance applications, supporting the Directorate’s transition to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its wider digital transformation ambitions.

Responsibilities:

• The Test Engineer will design, document, develop and execute test strategies to support continuous integration / continuous deployment of software with developers and product teams.
• Define and expand automated and manual testing procedures working in an agile approach.
• Performing exploratory and manual testing, providing QA expertise.
• Write clear, concise test cases and bug reports with supporting evidence based on user requirements.
• Identifying, preparing and reviewing test cases.
• Investigating test failures - raising bugs and resolving issues.
• Ensuring test documentation adheres to standards and contributes towards Test Strategy.
• Contributing into full life-cycle of new features from requirements capture to release working across all aspects of the application, including the UI, API, web services.

Success profile:

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.

Experience:

• Experience of working within Agile delivery teams, supporting testing activities, identifying risks, managing defects, and contributing to successful delivery outcomes.
• Experience designing, preparing and executing test plans, test cases and test scripts, including functional, non-functional and data validation testing, with the ability to clearly communicate results and prioritise defects based on impact and severity.
• Ability to analyse and troubleshoot system and data issues, using testing tools and techniques to identify root causes, validate solutions, and recommend service or process improvements.
• Experience of applying testing tools, frameworks and best practices, working collaboratively with technical and business stakeholders to ensure quality, accessibility and usability standards are met, while delivering to agreed timescales.

Behaviours:

• Making effective decisions - Level 3
• Delivering a quality service - Level 3
• Working Together - Level 3

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here:

Technical Skills:

This role is aligned to Test Engineer job role within the Government Digital and Data Profession.

These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage. Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/test-engineer Test Engineer - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

How to apply:

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement of no more than 750 words which provides evidence of how you meet the Experience and Behaviours listed in the Success Profiles above. Be sure to provide specific examples of work that you’ve done that showcase your relevant experience.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples 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, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

Candidates will have their applications assessed against all Experience criteria.

Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to attend an Interview and Technical Assessment. The interview will further assess the Experience and Behaviours outlined in the job advert, while the Technical Assessment will evaluate the technical skills required for the role. Candidates invited to this stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack detailing the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods that will be used. Following the application sift, there may also be a short telephone interview as part of the assessment process prior to the main interview.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 22 November 2026 however this may be subject to change.

Apply before 23:59 on 30 November 2026. This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship Organisations only (external candidates and staff from UK Other Government Departments are not eligible to apply for this vacancy).

Recruitment Principles:

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About us:

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern:

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. From November 2026, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks:

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks - Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.

Pay supplement:

This post is part of the Government Digital and Data (GDD) profession and currently attracts a £3000 annual GDD pay supplement, which is paid monthly - pay supplements are reviewed regularly.

Equality statement:

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information:

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.