Lead Test Engineer (QA)

Job description

Recruiter: Mark Thomas Hiring Manager: Katy Parsons Career Grade: D Internal Closing Date: 11/09/2026 About the role Our purpose is to use the power of communication to make a better world. For each other, for our customers, for society and our communities. This role supports the successful Test and integration of new systems, products, services, and validation campaigns to assure the quality of the deliveries on behalf of EE and its customers, through technical and commercial launch. We are looking for someone with a strong technical background, having had hands on experience working with packet core nodes. This is a great opportunity to gain exposure to a variety of networks and the innovation in what we do including access to new technologies. You will be part of a friendly and supportive team who deliver projects and services for our customers through the comprehensive testing of our mobile network technologies and innovations. This role will be based in London or Bristol and our hybrid working model means you are expected to be in the office 3 days per week. This role will require occasional travel to Borehamwood. What you’ll be doing • Plan and oversees full lifecycle of Platform and integration testing to support complex product and solution deliveries. Identifying what testing tools and technologies can be implemented, aligning with those already used across the broader design and development functions and those being developed by our strategic technology partners. • Taking accountability for the verification of new or modified Core Platforms or services being introduced in the Lab & live environments as part of the handover to operations. • Analyse low-level traces to identify issues and recommend appropriate resolutions. • Responsible for day to day management of test execution, Test case prioritisation where required, defect management and troubleshooting. Feeding into Test reports and daily progress statistics. • Responsible for analysing and assessing technical and business requirements, supplier release notes etc to create a testing scope for Lab and llive testing. Writing detailed Test cases in Jira for execution. • Ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, in a technical and non-technical way, as appropriate to the audience, focussing on key information that will allow informed decisions and action to be taken. • Work closely with Test Automation teams to assess opportunities for new automation development, assist in the design and development of test automation scripts, and drive automation tool to achieve increase in automation • Work with the Environment delivery, data and support teams to ensure test and delivery requirements are met, ensuring suitable environments and data is available to effectively support test campaigns in a timely manner. • Provide technical expertise, documentation and training to test and other business functions, including coaching and development of junior members of the test team. • Stay up to speed on process, practice and technology developments to ensure they are adopted to enhance the solutions applied to technical and business requirements. • Ability to work with internal and external design and development teams/suppliers to assess and implement new technologies/delivery methodologies to drive continuous improvement and efficiency e.g., CICD, DevOps, Agile, Waterfall. Essential Skills / Experience • Good working knowledge within mobile communications industry with knowledge of 2G/4G/5G & 5GSA technologies, their end to end flows and Interfaces. • Experience of integration & acceptance testing of Mobile Core platforms. • Hands on experience of integrating and end2end testing of Mobile network services (e.g. Voice, SMS, MMS & Data), with good knowledge of Core network elements. • Knowledge of Core Network – PGW, SGW, MME, SGSN, ePDG etc and associated signalling protocols (mainly SIP, DIAMETER, ISUP, MAP 3GPP standards etc.) Desirable Skills / Experience • Knowledge & Experience of working with Jira, Confluence & GitLab. • Experience of working & delivering within Waterfall and Agile methodology. • Strong technical knowledge, capable of taking lead role in coordinating and progressing technical investigations, using troubleshooting techniques, and in depth investigations to enable effective triage from start to successful conclusion. • Ability to work under pressure and to assist peers in same situation whilst ensuring time, cost and quality requirements are maintained. • Experience with monitoring tools like Wireshark, Netscout, Ericsson CNOM (Core network Operations manager) etc Nice to have skills: • Experience in Test Automation, DevOps, CI CD and leveraging these to achieve faster testing turnaround times and quality software delivery to the production environment. • Knowledge & Experience in Cloud Computing Technologies like Kubernetes, EMS, VNF, NFVI. • Experience with Automation test framework tools like SEGRON, Perfecto, Landslide. Our Package Tailored benefits make a real difference. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range to support your growth, wellbeing, and everyday life. You can design the package to suit you and your lifestyle. Your core benefits include: • 10% on target annual bonus • Access to an online private GP 24/7 for you and your immediate family • Market-leading paid carers leave with up to 2 weeks off • Equalized maternity, paternity, and adoption leave – 18 weeks’ full pay and 8 weeks’ half pay • Discounted EE and BT products, including mobile and broadband • Market leading Pension scheme – 5% from you and 10% from us • Holiday purchase scheme BT Group is the UK’s leading communications group and the holding company behind some of the country’s most recognised brands – including BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. Our customers include consumers, small, medium and large businesses, public sector organisations and other communications providers. BT Group’s role is about setting direction, unlocking value and creating the conditions for our brands and businesses to thrive. Having come through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, our focus now is on what comes next – simplifying how we operate, using technology and AI to work smarter, and organising ourselves to serve customers better and grow sustainably. Group teams shape strategy, policy, brand, capital allocation and transformation, helping the whole organisation perform at its best. We have a singular culture that unites all our people: we are customer-first challengers, who are committed, clear and connected. These behaviours unite us as one team to deliver for our colleagues, our customers, our stakeholders and the country. Joining BT Group means working at the heart of a business that matters to the UK, with the opportunity to shape decisions, influence outcomes and help set the future course of one of the country’s most important companies.