Software Test Engineer in Stevenage, Hertfordshire

Software Test Engineer (System Simulation) | Hybrid | £42,000 – £50,000

Location: Hybrid – 3-4 days per week on site (required due to workload classification)
Salary: Circa £42,000 – £50,000 depending on experience
Security: Applicants must be British citizens or dual UK nationals holding British citizenship. Restrictions relating to nationality and right to work apply. After offer stage, successful candidates will need to complete HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks.

The opportunity

Our client, a leading defence organisation, is looking for a Software Test Engineer to join its team, part of the System Simulation & Experimentation department.

The department sits at the forefront of integrating real products, models, synthetic environments and people throughout the systems life cycle, using agile methods to develop real-time software that simulates complex weapon systems and sub-systems.

The team ensures these products are rigorously tested, fit for purpose and ready for delivery, so your work will directly shape the quality, functionality and performance of advanced simulation systems.

You'll work in a cutting-edge facility on a mix of rapid mini-projects and critical longer-term programmes, across the full product lifecycle: concept demonstration, development, systems integration and customer training. Reporting to the Team Lead, you'll own the end-to-end software testing and proving lifecycle for one or more products in simulation/emulation environments.

Your responsibilities

Test and proving planning

• Work from formal requirements while flexibly interpreting customer needs to form a clear vision of how the software should behave
• Understand design and architecture, including defining software test bed requirements
• Develop comprehensive software test plans, designs and specifications

Test and proving conduct

• Carry out regular, progressive software testing assurance throughout development cycles
• Lead technical investigations into software defects and emergent behaviours
• Support external software integration, trials and demonstrations with engineering partners and customers
• Analyse logs to identify issues and demonstrate compliance with requirements
• Execute formal software qualification testing

Test and proving reporting

• Provide regular updates on software functionality to project leads and stakeholders
• Write detailed software test and analysis reports for certification purposes
• Support the software delivery and release process, including final certification activities

What we're looking for

Essential

• Experience of end-to-end software testing on large, complex programmes
• Experience as a Software Developer in Test (SDET)
• Strong Python coding experience
• Understanding of Docker
• Experience with HP/IBM ALM/ETM, DOORS and JIRA
• Experience with simulation and/or emulation environments
• Familiarity with Scrum/Agile methodologies and mindset
• ISTQB or other software testing certification

Desirable

• Software testing experience within the defence industry
• Wider engineering testing experience

Technical knowledge

• GitLab and Jenkins
• Python data analysis and some knowledge of statistics
• Log and data analysis
• CI/CD software pipelines
• IBM PLM/ALM/ETM/DOORS and JIRA
• Excel (including basic macros), PowerPoint and Visio