Do you have an enquiring mind? Are you the type of person who questions everything, assumes nothing and wants to know how things work by trying to break them?
At GCHQ in Cheltenham, home to one of Europe’s most powerful computers and with more than 1500 people engaged directly with IT; the heart of our work lies in technology and how we use it. Whether it’s to collect and process digital signals, protect the UK’s infrastructure, deliver information to our customers and our people, or to patrol the digital (web) space, our challenges are some of the toughest in the industry.
Our Integration and Test team is typically responsible for the testing of strategic products and their integration with operational systems. As a Test Analyst/Specialist, you will be responsible for identifying and defining the test approach, monitoring the results and evaluating the overall quality produced as a result of the testing activities. You may also be required to assist with the management of the transition systems to operational development, which will involve working with multi-disciplinary team to achieve a successful outcome. We offer the flexibility to either touch on a wide range of projects/systems and activities, or to gain specialist knowledge of a particular field. Unlike other roles, you can have visibility of a project from its conception to final operation.
You will be working closely with software developers using a tailored version of the IBM Rational Unified Process, so you will need good diagnostic and analytical skills, a challenging and enquiring mind, and an understanding of common software faults and failures. You must have experience of testing approaches and techniques as well as a knowledge of appropriate systems and applications.
The Testing role sits within GCHQ’s Software Engineering discipline, and offers plenty of scope for further training and development within the career stream.