Defence Business Services - DBS - Test Engineer
Ministry of Defence
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 13th November 2024
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
Norcross
Blackpool
Lancashire
About the job
Job summary
Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference?
Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?
Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement.
- Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
- Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability.
DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
DBS has recently undertaken a review of its operational locations in the North West, and have consolidated all activities in Norcross, Blackpool. A further move, to the new Government Hub at Talbot Gateway in Blackpool, is scheduled to take place in 2026.
Come and join the DBS community today!
Job description
The main duties are;
- Devising and maintaining the test strategy for DBS and communicating across the Technical Delivery team.
- Overall Planning and co-ordination of system tests within development and integration projects.
- Managing resource to enable testing of DBS Financial applications, either used internally by DBS or externally by DBS customers overseeing and ensuring all test phases including unit, system, integration, functional testing, & acceptance are conducted to agreed standards, in an appropriate and timely manner.
- Maintaining and reviewing all relevant testware including test plans, test cases and test reports.
- Develop, document and review testing deliverables across projects and communicate these to the relevant stakeholders.
- Determine specific standards for project testing phases and ensure ITMS resource (including EA) conform to these standards
- Define and enable delivery of reports to applicable stakeholders on progress, anomalies, risks and issues associated to the overall project or release including system quality and suggestions for improvement.
- Validate new designs or solutions to meet quality and performance requirements
- Ensure security policies and procedures are in place during testing of applications and systems to ensure that the necessary controls are incorporated
- Interacting positively with DBS Finance and Commercial customers to plan, clarify requirements, report test progress and status as required.
- Control the review of the test preparation for each release
- Definition and prioritisation of testing activities ensuring necessary resource to execute testing activities.
- Encourage and implement the use of relevant test metrics to monitoring progress throughout the testing phase.
- Management, communication and resolution of defects raised during the testing process. Assessment against entry and exit criteria for testing phases.
Provide an environment that allows the team to:
- Reviewing test incidents and observations raised, hastening as necessary and monitoring status to allow for a quality product
- Ensure timely update and completion of Change Requests (CR) status using the Change Management software
- Contribute to continuous test case and process review.
- Coach and mentor direct reports, monitor performance levels and ensure these are aligned to MoD standards
- Attending necessary governance boards
Person specification
This is an SEO Test Lead position with the team based in Liverpool as part of the DBS Change Delivery Services (CDS) responsible for testing of Finance Applications within Defence Business Services (DBS), predominantly based around Oracle’ E-Business Suite and related applications. Finance Test & Assurance is a small team but forms part of the Finance and Commercial CDS organisation sitting alongside technical delivery managers. This provides a mutually beneficial environment for learning and providing all with a forward programme view.
Testing activity in DBS covers a wider range of business applications including Civilian Personnel (Civ Pers), Purchasing Budget & Finance (PB&F) together with Financial Management Reporting using IBM’s Cognos Business Intelligence software. DBS seeks to adopt a standard approach to testing wherever possible to promote potential for flexibility of resource. Due to the fact teams working alongside the test team to deliver change and improved capability are located across the estate, occasional travel to engage with other areas of DBS in support of the business may be necessary from time to time and so forms part of the duties.
The DBS SEO Test Lead Finance post requires a good mix of business process and technical knowledge to enable management of quality releases required by the business. This includes experience and understanding of Testing methods, use of Oracle’s E-Business Suite, related technology e.g. SOA, SQL,PL/SQL and software tools e.g. TOAD, SQL Developer. Appropriate training will be given to the successful applicant in order to develop understanding in necessary areas.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Developing Self and Others
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Required Functional / SFIA Competencies
Benefits
- An environment with flexible working options Monday-Friday
- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service (pro rata). In additional to 8 public holidays per year, you will also receive leave for HM The Sovereign's birthday
- Hybrid working where role permits
- An opportunity to be considered for Reward and Recognition - £250-£5000 per year
- Family-friendly policies including - parental leave and adoption leave
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- Professional and personal development of skills
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- Minimum of 15 days special leave in a rolling 12 month period for volunteer reserve commitments
- Special paid leave to volunteer up to 6 days per year
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Allowances
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Employment Hours
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week
Things you need to know
Selection process details
When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.
Please ensure that at the application and interview stages of the campaign you review the Success Profiles Framework to assist you in the demonstration of your skills and experience.
Your suitability for the role will be assessed using the Success Profile elements that have been chosen for this campaign. Each element will be scored accordingly, and the successful candidate will be appointed on merit.
Applications will be sifted on all Success Profile elements, but in the event of a high number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted on your Primary: Behaviour - Leadership, Secondary: Experience - Personal statement. In this instance the remaining elements will be tested at interview.
At application stage you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
Experience:
- CV
- Personal Statement
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Developing Self and Others
Technical:
- Required Functional / SFIA Competencies - Testing TEST Level 4
In the rare case where individuals have exact matching scores, the order of merit will be determined based on the behaviour scores at interview in the following order:
- Behaviour - Leadership
- Behaviour - Changing and Improving
- Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
- Behaviour - Developing Self and Others
- Technical - Required Functional / SFIA Competencies
If candidate scores are still exact, the merit order will then be determined on the sift score in the below order or priority:
- Behaviour - Leadership
- Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
- Experience - Personal statement
- Behaviour - Changing and Improving
- Experience - CV
We want to offer opportunities to all who are successful at interview for our roles, but this isn’t always possible, so we do hold candidates on an active reserve list for 12 months.
Application sifting to take place week commencing: 18/11/2024
Interviews are currently taking place via ms teams and will be conducted week commencing: 25/11/2024
A minimum of 2 full working days’ notice will be provided for interviews. We endeavour to stick to these dates, but these are subject to change around business needs. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.
The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
To assist with your application please find attached -
DBS Candidate Information Guide - Working for Defence Business Services - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
(26) UK Ministry of Defence: Life , LinkedIn
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Kelly Aldridge
- Email : Kelly.Aldridge257@mod.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DBS-EnhancedRecruitmentTeam@mod.gov.uk
Further information
