Software Developer in Test - Oxforshire

We’re forming a brand-new multidisciplinary team and are looking for someone who cares deeply about quality, engineering excellence, and public service to lead testing on one of our most important transformation programmes. You’ll join a team of four engineers and a product manager, working on the rewriting and re-architecting of a core product that underpins critical public services. This is a rare opportunity to modernise a large, complex system without disrupting the people who rely on it every day—no downtime, no interruptions, just thoughtful engineering.

In this role, you won’t just test software—you’ll help shape how quality is built in from the very start. You’ll be hands‑on in the codebase, writing production code alongside automated tests, influencing technical decisions, and working closely with the team to make sure changes are released safely and confidently. You’ll also be involved in our CI/CD and release processes, helping us continuously improve how we deliver software.

• Leading how testing and quality are approached within a newly formed agile team, and helping others build confidence in the software they ship
• Writing JavaScript/Type Script code and automated tests, while working through the realities of a complex legacy system as it’s modernised
• Contributing to CI/CD pipelines and release processes so changes can be delivered reliably and without disruption
• Working closely with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver improvements that genuinely matter

• Someone who is comfortable coding in JavaScript/Type Script and enjoys being hands‑on
• Experience working with automated tests and CI/CD pipelines, or a strong desire to deepen that experience
• An interest in untangling and improving legacy systems, even when they’re complex or confusing
• A strong focus on building high‑quality, well‑designed software and a clear point of view on how to test it
• A “strong opinions, weakly held” mindset—you bring ideas and experience, but you’re open to changing your approach when the evidence points elsewhere