Head of Quality Engineering
- Civil Service
- Part Time
- Swansea
- 69,501
Job Description
Job summary
The Head of Quality Engineering will provide organisational leadership to foster a cohesive quality engineering strategy across the DVSA. They will build capability across the profession and delivery teams, ensuring teams are equipped to support the strategic direction and deliver high-quality digital services.
This role will be responsible for leadership across a variety of quality and testing professionals within the organisation. The role holder will provide Leadership, guidance, coaching and mentorship to teams to adopt and embed modern quality engineering practices that support the delivery of digital services that are critical to the DVSA.
They will advocate for early, sustainable quality practices and a proactive, quality-first, risk-aware engineering culture, ensuring quality is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle. The role holder will be instrumental in influencing quality metrics, governance, and the continuous optimisation of quality engineering strategies, test approaches, and delivery practices.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your base salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the Kings birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
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Job description
The role requires a high level of strategic thinking, technical understanding, capability building, and the ability to influence organisational change, enabling teams to adopt scalable, modern approaches to quality across DVSA.
Your responsibilities will include, but arent limited to:
- Demonstrate leadership by providing influence, direction, and guidance to staff to support the delivery of organisational objectives.
- Define and execute a long-term quality and testing strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives, user needs and DVSAs digital strategy.
- Guide and influence testing and quality engineering practices across product teams, promoting consistent and scalable approaches to quality.
- Drive the integration of quality engineering practices at every stage of the software development lifecycle, ensuring quality is embedded from design through to delivery and operation.
- Promote the adoption of automation and scalable quality frameworks that support efficient, reliable and repeatable delivery across product teams.
- Shape and refine testing and quality engineering design principles, governance, metrics, and reporting, ensuring clear visibility of quality across DVSA services.
- Establish a strong direction and a persuasive future vision for quality engineering and digital service assurance across DVSA.
- Manage and engage with honesty and integrity, acting as a role model and upholding the reputation of the Agency, Department and Civil Service.
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
Open Sessions: Would you like to find out more about the role, the team and what its like to work in our department? If so, we are organising an open session where you can virtually 'meet the team' on Thursday 25th Juneat 16:30-17:00. Sign up here
Person specification
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Strong strategic leadership experience within software testing, quality engineering or digital delivery, with the ability to define and implement organisational quality strategies that support the delivery of reliable, secure and user-focused digital services.
- Demonstrable experience of modern quality engineering practices, including test automation, continuous testing, risk-based quality approaches and the integration of quality throughout the software development lifecycle.
- A strong technical understanding of software delivery practices, tooling and engineering approaches, combined with the ability to guide teams in adopting scalable and sustainable quality practices.
- Proven ability to lead, influence and develop professional capability across teams, fostering a collaborative and quality-focused culture.
- Experience of working with senior stakeholders, delivery teams and cross-functional leaders, providing strategic advice and driving continuous improvement in quality practices.
Government Digital and Data Allowance
The role is part of the Government Digital and Data (or Government Security Profession Career Framework) profession and utilises an enhanced CapabilityBased Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.
The base pay is 69,501 In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to 28,560.
The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process. Here are more details on the pay framework.
Qualifications
You may hold or be willing to work towards the following qualifications: Certified Software Tester and/or degree in Software Development or equivalent.
Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
Frequent travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.
