Test Engineer - Maternity Cover

Location: Kenya

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Test Engineer to join our global team.

 

Team and Role Purpose

The IT function enables Save the Children International to achieve its mission through the delivery, support and continuous improvement of technology products, platforms and services used globally across country offices, regional offices and centres. The team provides reliable, secure and scalable digital solutions that support programme delivery, fundraising, operational excellence and organisational effectiveness.

Role purpose

This role will be responsible for the quality assurance of application releases through thorough execution of integration, functional and regression testing of SCI’s core business applications minimizing bugs, issues and failures being identified post release. You will be responsible for maintaining and improving multiple test frameworks, the creation of manual and automated test cases, performance testing and integration testing. 

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Product development, you will be responsible for communicating all test progress and outlining any improvements to process. Although you will have no direct line reports, the role will incorporate the mentoring of local and global peers, promoting a testing culture, transparency and the importance of good practices. 

This role must expect hands-on defining, generating and executing test scripts as required to fulfil the testing requirements.

 

• Job Title: Test Engineer
• Reports To: Senior Manager, Product Development 
• Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers
• Required Time Zone: Any
• Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract (14 months maternity leave cover)
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment. 
• Language Requirements: English
• International Travel: up to 5% 
• Remit: Global

 

Principal Accountabilities

• Partner with Project Managers, Developers, and Solution Architects to ensure test deliverables meet quality standards, project requirements, and agreed timelines.
• Define, document, and maintain testing strategies, plans, scenarios, test cases, and test scripts to support comprehensive test coverage across projects and releases.
• Lead the execution of functional, integration, regression, and end-to-end testing using both manual and automated testing approaches to ensure release readiness.
• Analyse test results and provide quality assessments and release recommendations, enabling informed go/no-go decisions for production deployments.
• Manage and coordinate testing resources and activities, including virtual and third-party testing teams, to ensure effective and timely delivery of testing objectives.
• Oversee test cycle execution, defect management, and status reporting through JIRA, ensuring visibility of quality metrics, risks, and progress.
• Monitor production releases and post-release issues, driving root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce recurring defects.
• Produce and communicate quality dashboards and test metrics, providing stakeholders with regular insights into testing performance and release quality.
• Champion a culture of quality across the organisation by promoting testing best practices, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and proactively reducing user-reported defects.

 

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Proven experience as a Test Engineer or similar role, with a strong track record of developing, executing, and managing test plans across both manual and automated testing environments.
2. Comprehensive knowledge of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC), including Unit, Functional, Integration, Regression, System, and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) within Agile and Waterfall delivery frameworks.
3. Experience implementing test strategies and frameworks that support Integration Testing, Continuous Integration (CI), and Continuous Delivery (CD) in Agile environments.
4. Hands-on experience with manual, automated, and performance testing tools, ensuring robust and efficient test coverage across applications and platforms.
5. Strong proficiency in Jira and associated testing and reporting plugins, including defect management, test execution, and quality reporting.
6. Ability to analyse user stories, business requirements, and functional specifications and translate them into effective test scenarios, test cases, and test scripts.
7. Demonstrated experience managing defects and issue-tracking processes, including prioritisation, root cause analysis, and release readiness assessment.
8. Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, supported by exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.
9. Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills in English, with the ability to engage effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
10. Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with experience working successfully across cross-functional teams, including developers, product owners, business users, and offshore delivery teams.

Desirable

• Knowledge and practical application of Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD) methodologies.
• Passion for continuous learning and staying current with emerging testing technologies, frameworks, standards, and industry best practices.
• Experience researching, evaluating, and experimenting with new testing tools and approaches to improve quality and efficiency.
• Attendance or participation in software testing conferences, industry meetups, professional communities, or knowledge-sharing forums.
• Demonstrated commitment to knowledge sharing, mentoring, and contributing to a culture of continuous improvement within testing teams.

 

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Relevant degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or equivalent experience.

Desirable

• ISTQB Advanced Certification.
• Agile Testing Certification.
• Certified Scrum or Agile Practitioner qualification.
• Performance or Automation Testing certification.

 

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

 

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

 

Our Recruitment Process

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

 

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.