Test Lead (2 posts) - Digital Front Door Programme

Flexible Location

NES is a remote friendly employer with staff based throughout Scotland. We support office based and hybrid working arrangements. We welcome conversations about alternative working patterns-please get in touch during the application process to discuss.

Work Pattern

Fixed Term, Full Time, 37 hours per week. As from 1/4/26, the Agenda for Change full time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.

Fixed term or Secondment until 31/03/2028

For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non NHS applicants, a fixed term or secondment would be considered.

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.

Who We Are

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.

NES Technology Service (NTS) has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government's technology strategies.

Our Technology

We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Test Lead to join our highly talented and growing team, to provide exceptional leadership on the testing of our products within the Digital Front Door programme.

Do you enjoy working as part of a highly skilled multi disciplinary agile team? Do you enjoy collaborating and problem solving with a wide range of stakeholders, to ensure you are delivering maximum value and continually improving our testing process in line with our changing landscape? Do you want to play an important role in delivering the NES and Digital Health and Care Strategies for Scotland? Do you have exceptional Testing and Test Leadership skills? Do you ensure your work and your team's work is delivered to high quality standards?

Working within the Product & Delivery Business Unit (Test Team) you will shape and lead on the implementation of robust testing strategies, essential for the delivery of high quality solutions as part of NES Technology's business goals, and will directly inform the development and delivery of digital services for health and care professionals and the general public.

Does this sound like you?

What We Love to See

• A confident leader with highly developed skills such as communication, decision making, motivation, conflict management and adaptability
• Broad understanding of the key roles within an agile team and experience of developing relationships to work efficiently together, to deliver excellence
• Extensive specialist experience in software testing and proven experience of leading the planning, execution, and documentation of testing
• Extensive experience of structured exploratory testing
• Experience of testing web and mobile applications including multi browser, operating systems, accessibility, security and usability testing
• Ability to breakdown technical solutions and develop a model of the different components and how they work to facilitate discussion and test ideas
• Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
• Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines

Benefits Which Matter

As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:

• Life work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
• Annual Leave - 27 days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
• NHS discounts and more

Diversity and Inclusion

Developing a successful national service for Scotland means considering the diverse needs, perspectives, and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland. We are focused on hiring the very best talent and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Our aim to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has a positive recruitment experience-regardless of the outcome.

We welcome applications from all under represented groups, including racially minoritised people and disabled people.

Please contact or .

Next Steps

NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e mail.

In person OR online interviews (Including a presentation) will take place on 26th February to 3rd March 2026. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview.

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.

1. Please be advised that if you are successful in being offered the role following the recruitment process, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face to face pre employment checks. If you require any adjustments to support this, please let us know.

1. To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigration Service.

As part of the pre employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licensed Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or 'going rate'. Further information on these criteria can be found here.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: .