We're looking for a skilled and security-conscious Operational Acceptance Tester (OAT) to join a critical government programme ensuring infrastructure and applications are fully production-ready. This role is ideal for someone with strong technical testing experience in operational environments, familiarity with ITIL processes, and a commitment to quality, resilience, and reliability.
Due to the sensitive nature of the work, candidates must be British-born nationals and hold active SC Clearance.
Key Responsibilities
Design, develop, and execute OAT test plans and scripts based on defined operational requirements.
Validate system performance under expected and peak load conditions.
Ensure that monitoring, backup, alerting, and disaster recovery mechanisms are tested and functioning correctly.
Work closely with infrastructure, application, and support teams to assess deployment readiness.
Identify, document, and escalate defects, risks, and operational gaps.
Provide clear go/no-go recommendations based on test outcomes.
Maintain test environments to reflect production configurations.
Support incident and problem management activities during testing phases.
Essential Skills & Experience
Proven experience in Operational Acceptance Testing or related areas (e.g., QA, Systems Testing, DevOps).
Strong understanding of ITIL processes and operational readiness frameworks.
Practical experience with monitoring tools, backup solutions, and failover testing.
Familiarity with scripting languages (e.g., PowerShell, Bash) and automation tools.
Excellent analytical, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively across technical teams and engage stakeholders confidently.
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-assurance environment with shifting priorities.
Mandatory Requirements
Must hold active SC Clearance
Must be a British-born national (due to project-level security restrictions)
Right to work in the UK
Role is Inside IR35 - must operate via umbrella company
Day Rate: £550 (umbrella)
