QA Tester

DNA drives the Royal Navy’s capability by delivering digital solutions that increase operational efficiency, effectiveness, and availability. Operating across Official and Secret domains, from shore to sea. DNA provides end-to-end support for bespoke and procured applications.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive QA Tester. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the high quality, performance, and reliability of bespoke software solutions. Working within an agile software house environment, you will

collaborate closely with software engineers, product managers, and user-centred designers to catch defects early, refine functionality, and guarantee exceptional user experiences before deployment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review product requirements, technical specifications, and user stories to create comprehensive, structured test plans and test cases.
• Perform manual functional, integration, usability, cross-browser, and regression testing on web, mobile, and desktop applications.
• Identify, log, prioritize, and track software bugs using defect tracking tools (e.g. Jira). Provide clear, step-by-step reproduction steps and diagnostic logs.
• Create an automated test framework, write and maintain an automated test suite.
• Work directly with software developers to clarify requirements, reproduce intermittent bugs, and verify resolution during bug-fix cycles.
• Conduct basic API testing using tools like Postman and verify database state changes using basic SQL queries.
• Take part in active sprint ceremonies including daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, sprint planning, and retrospectives to advocate for product quality.
• Maintain up-to-date test suites, user guides, and release verification checklists.

SFIA Level 5

Must haves:

• 3+ years of experience as a QA Tester, Software Tester, or similar role within a software house or agile development environment.
• Strong understanding of software QA methodologies, testing types (functional, smoke, sanity, regression), and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Hands-on experience with test management and bug-tracking platforms (e.g. Jira, TestRail, Azure DevOps).
• Basic knowledge of web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and browser developer tools to inspect elements and monitor network requests.
• Basic familiarity with REST API testing tools (e.g. Postman, Insomnia).
• Exceptional attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and clear written/verbal communication to articulate technical issues concisely to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to haves:

• Experience working within MOD or defence.

Start date: On or around 4th November 2026

Initial contract length: 6 months with possibility of extension

Role location: Portsmouth

Nationality specification: Sole British Citizen only

Number of days per week expected on site: 1-2 per sprint (fortnightly)

Minimum security level: SC or above

Day rate: £515

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