diff --git a/tests/e2e/management/management_client.py b/tests/e2e/management/management_client.py
index b2c9eb6a29b..a9dedac8e61 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/management/management_client.py
+++ b/tests/e2e/management/management_client.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ from models import (
     TeamNewResponse,
     TeamUpdateBody,
     UserDeleteBody,
+    UserDeleteResponse,
     UserInfoParams,
     UserInfoResponse,
     UserListParams,
@@ -287,6 +288,18 @@ class ManagementClient:
             response_type=NoBody,
         )
 
+    def delete_user_strict(self, user_id: str) -> None:
+        """Strict delete for the act phase of a test: a failed delete is a hard
+        failure, unlike the warn-only delete_user used at teardown."""
+        _ = unwrap(
+            self.proxy.transport.post(
+                "/user/delete",
+                headers=self.proxy.transport.master,
+                json=UserDeleteBody(user_ids=[user_id]),
+                response_type=UserDeleteResponse,
+            )
+        )
+
     def user_info(self, user_id: str) -> UserInfoResponse:
         return unwrap(
             self.proxy.transport.get(
diff --git a/tests/e2e/management/test_management_e2e.py b/tests/e2e/management/test_management_e2e.py
index dfb4a506bd6..dae68ba786d 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/management/test_management_e2e.py
+++ b/tests/e2e/management/test_management_e2e.py
@@ -335,6 +335,28 @@ class TestUserRoutes:
         assert info.user_role == "internal_user_viewer", (
             f"/user/info reports user_role {info.user_role!r} after /user/update to 'internal_user_viewer'"
         )
+    @pytest.mark.covers("mgmt.user.delete.persists")
+    def test_delete_removes_the_user_from_inventory(
+        self, client: ManagementClient, resources: ResourceManager
+    ) -> None:
+        """The teardown's deferred delete fires again on the already-deleted user by
+        design: the deferred cleanup must survive this test failing before the
+        in-body delete, and a repeat /user/delete is a cheap no-op the warn-only
+        teardown absorbs."""
+        user_id = _create_user(
+            client,
+            resources,
+            UserNewBody(user_email=f"e2e-mgmt-{unique_marker()}@example.com", user_role="internal_user"),
+        )
+        assert client.user_count(user_id) == 1, f"user {user_id} was not created before deletion"
+
+        client.delete_user_strict(user_id)
+
+        def removed() -> bool | None:
+            return True if client.user_count(user_id) == 0 else None
+
+        _ = _poll(client, removed, f"user {user_id} still present in /user/list after /user/delete at the deadline")
+
     @pytest.mark.covers("mgmt.user.list.happy_path")
     def test_created_users_appear_in_user_list(
         self, client: ManagementClient, resources: ResourceManager
diff --git a/tests/e2e/models.py b/tests/e2e/models.py
index 9e773120846..e07814f2568 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/models.py
+++ b/tests/e2e/models.py
@@ -705,6 +705,10 @@ class UserDeleteBody(BaseModel):
     user_ids: list[str]
 
 
+class UserDeleteResponse(RootModel[int]):
+    pass
+
+
 class UserListParams(BaseModel):
     user_ids: str