Senior Assurance Analyst

Department Description:

Bank of England is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Test Automation Engineer to join our dynamic team in London, UK. As a Test automation Engineer in Technology, this is an exceptional opportunity to showcase your expertise in Test automation and contribute to the flawless functioning of our world-class systems and services that play a critical role in the nation's economy.

As a member of the RTGS Technology team you will form an integral part of the team testing our dedicated critical RTGS payments platform. We are seeking a Quality Engineer to work in the testing team in the RTGS Technology domain to support the senior management team. This role will sit within our dynamic Digital Assurance and Productivity domain and report to the RTGS Senior management team.

Brief Post Description:

As part of this role, you will conduct automation testing activities to ensure our systems meet the highest standards of quality and reliability. Engage in collaborative efforts with diverse teams to assess testing requirements and devise well-structured test plans. As the Test Automation Engineer, you will be part of the team responsible for the delivery of the RTGS service with a focus on quality and improvement of the new payments' platform.

You must hold a strong understanding of modern software delivery and Software testing principles to contribute to the Quality and governance of the RTGS System team. During any disruption to the service, you will represent the RTGS Service Owner in testing of the service and incident management reviews so an understanding of ITIL principles is also important to being successful in this role.

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities of the Role:

• This role will be mainly responsible for Functional, System, System Integration, End to End, testing of various critical applications using test automation tools.
• Design, implement and maintain automation test scripts.
• Analyse test results, identify issues, and provide recommendations for optimization.
• Work closely with developers and system architects to successfully implement performance enhancements.
• Success in this position will also depend on the ability to document and track defects, as well as work closely with Senior Test Manager & product teams to ensure timely bug fixes.
• To work with a team of automation engineers as a cross functional team supporting each other.

Skills / Experience / Competencies:

• To excel in this role, candidate should have at least 5 to 7 years of industry experience and 3-4 years of hands-on test automation experience.
• Experience in using testing tools such as Eggplant Functional, API testing tools like SOAP UI, Postman.
• Experience writing System, API, and UI test scripts using Karate framework.
• Good knowledge of testing methodologies, tools, and techniques.
• Knowledge of middleware systems/message queuing systems like Kafka, IBM MQ and ACE.
• Familiarity with scripting languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript) and application monitoring tools like Control M.
• An understanding of software architecture technologies such as XBRL, HTML, VB, .NET, XML, Java, Web Services, SOA, SOAP, Unix/Linux, SAP, Oracle, SQL, and SharePoint is desirable.
• Strong analytical skills and confident in learning complex business processes involving the complex integration of several systems.
• Effective collaboration skills to work seamlessly with diverse teams.

Desirablebut not essential

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or other relevant fields.
• ISTQB / ISQI / ISEB Foundation level qualification

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it's by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we'll continue to make the best decisions for the public.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

For most roles where work can be carried out at home, we aim for colleagues to spend half of their time in the office, with a minimum of 40% per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them, their team and stakeholders.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the 'Candidate Personal Information' under the 'Disability Confident Scheme' section of the application.

Salary and Benefits Information

We encourage flexible working, part time working and job share arrangements. Part time salary and benefits will be on a pro-rated basis as appropriate.

In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:

• A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• A 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 26 days' annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice.

The Application Process

Important: Please ensure that you complete the 'work history' section and answer ALL the application questions fully. All candidate applications are anonymised to ensure that our hiring managers will not be able to see your personal information, including your CV, when reviewing your application details at the screening stage. It's therefore really important that you fill out the work history and application form questions, as your answers will form a critical part of the initial selection process.

The assessment process will comprise of two interview stages.

Please apply online, ensuring that you complete your work history and answer ALL the application questions fully and in detail as your application will not be considered if all mandatory questions are not fully completed.