Functional Test Engineers

Sepura plc.; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A telecommunications company based in Cambridge is looking for a Functional Test Engineer to join their product development team. The ideal candidate should have strong hands-on functional testing experience in Agile environments and familiarity with complex or embedded systems. Responsibilities include designing and executing test cases, participating in scrum activities, and collaborating with developers. A degree in computer science or related field is required, along with strong defect reporting skills and proficiency in test automation tools.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on functional testing experience within Agile/Scrum software teams.
• Experience testing complex or embedded systems.
• Proficient with test automation tools and writing automated test scripts.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of a software scrum team to verify new features.
• Design and execute functional test cases across embedded devices.
• Participate in sprint activities and provide updates on test progress.

Skills

Functional testing

Agile methodologies

Test automation

Defect reporting

Exploratory testing

Education

Bachelor’s or Master's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Jira

Selenium

Python

Git

Job description

We are looking for experienced Functional Test Engineers with hands‑on software testing experience to join our product development teams.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of a software scrum team, responsible for verifying new features and changes during the sprint.
• Read and understand requirements documentation provided by Product Definition and Product Strategy teams.
• Review user stories, acceptance criteria, and specifications to ensure clarity and testability.
• Participate in test planning, test execution, defect tracking, and reporting to stakeholders.
• Design clear, thorough, and traceable functional test cases, and execute them across embedded devices, software components, and APIs.
• Develop and execute automated test cases for LTE and TETRA products.
• Perform exploratory testing to uncover unexpected behaviours, usability issues, and edge cases.
• Validate fixes and confirm regression risk areas following developer changes.
• Analyse logs, system traces, and debug output to support accurate defect reporting.
• Participate in sprint activities: planning, backlog refinement, daily stand‑ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Collaborate closely with developers to investigate issues, interpret logs, and reproduce complex defects.
• Work with Product Owners to ensure acceptance criteria are testable and complete.
• Provide clear, concise updates on test progress, risks, blockers, and readiness.

Collaboration & Agile Responsibilities

• Participate in sprint activities: planning, backlog refinement, daily stand‑ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Collaborate closely with developers to investigate issues, interpret logs, and reproduce complex defects.
• Work with Product Owners to ensure acceptance criteria are testable and complete.
• Provide clear, concise updates on test progress, risks, blockers, and readiness.

Must‑have Experience

• Strong hands‑on functional testing experience within Agile/Scrum software teams.
• Experience testing complex or embedded systems (telecom, networking, radio, IoT, devices, or similar).
• Proficiency designing functional test cases using structured techniques (equivalence, boundary, state‑based, risk‑based).
• Take responsibility for the development, maintenance, and full ownership of the team's Test Strategy.
• Ability to perform effective exploratory testing and identify edge cases.
• Confident analysing logs, debugging issues, and collaborating directly with developers.
• Strong defect reporting skills with clear reproduction steps, evidence, and impact details.
• Strong knowledge of test automation tools (e.g. Selenium, Robot Framework, Appium) and experience writing automated test scripts (Python/C#) for sprint‑level testing.
• Familiarity with test management and issue tracking tools (Jira, Jama, Azure DevOps).
• Ability to analyse logs from embedded systems, Linux, or radio firmware.
• Knowledge of protocol testing, RF testing, and communication interfaces (TCP/IP, UDP, Serial, Bluetooth) is a plus.
• Experience using Git, Bitbucket, or similar version control systems.
• Demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and accountability—if a significant issue escapes to the customer, the engineer should reflect on how it passed their checks and proactively work with the team to strengthen the test net.

Nice‑to‑have Experience

• Experience testing telecom protocols, embedded software, or RF‑based devices.
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, DevOps).
• Familiarity with Git, branching strategies, and code reviews related to automated tests.
• Experience with performance, soak, or reliability testing (not essential).

Personal Attributes

• Strong attention to detail and methodical approach.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Highly collaborative—works effectively within cross‑functional Agile teams.
• Curious, proactive, and eager to uncover issues before they reach customers.
• Takes ownership of quality and raises risks early.
• Adaptable and comfortable working in fast‑paced iterative environments.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and personal development.

Qualifications & Certifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, electronics, telecommunications, or a related field.
• ISTQB certification (preferred but not mandatory).
• Full, clean driving licence and own car for occasional travel; travel expenses will be paid.
• May require Security Clearance in the future.