Portfolio - QA Manager - Data and Analytics

Colonial Group; Dunstable; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Group is seeking a QA Manager to lead quality across our data products and platforms within a hybrid working setup at Whitbread Court. You will define testing approaches, own QA standards and drive test automation, working closely with Engineering, Product and Architecture to ensure releases are delivered with confidence.

The role emphasizes advanced SQL, API/data validation, ETL/ELT testing, and stakeholder management in an Agile environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in a QA Manager, Test Manager or Release/Test Management role within data-focused environments.
• Strong test planning and strategy experience.
• Advanced SQL skills with data validation and analysis.
• Experience testing APIs and data sources like JSON, CSV and structured datasets.
• Knowledge of ETL/ELT processes and data warehouse testing.
• Hands-on data, API and automation testing experience.
• Experience coordinating UAT across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with test automation frameworks and approaches.
• Ability to assess impact of changes across integrated systems.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
• Experience in Agile delivery environments.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop QA standards, testing frameworks and automation strategy across data products and platforms.
• Define test approaches across functional, integration, API, data validation, ETL/ELT, regression, performance and UAT testing.
• Review requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria to establish test scope and coverage.
• Manage testing and QA activities across multiple releases and streams.
• Coordinate UAT, supporting stakeholders through planning, execution and sign-off.
• Review test evidence, defects and quality documentation to ensure standards are met.
• Assess impact of upstream changes on downstream products and integrations.
• Escalate testing issues and release risks.
• Drive adoption of test automation, tooling and continuous improvement.
• Monitor quality metrics, release readiness and testing progress.
• Build strong relationships across Technology, Data and business partners.

Skills

Test planning

SQL

Data validation

APIs testing

ETL/ELT testing

Data warehouse testing

Test automation

UAT coordination

Agile delivery

Stakeholder management

Prioritisation

Quality governance

Tools

CI/CD

Cloud data platforms

Job description

Job Title: QA Manager – Data and Analytics
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Whitbread Court | Hybrid Working

Salary: £70-75,000 + Bonus & Benefits

We’re looking for a QA Manager to join our Tech & Data team and take ownership of the quality assurance approach across our data products and platforms.

No two days will look quite the same. One day you could be defining the testing approach for a critical data product release, the next coordinating UAT across multiple delivery streams or helping teams increase their use of test automation.

You’ll work closely with Engineering, Product, Architecture and business teams to make sure quality is built into the delivery lifecycle, risks are identified early and releases are delivered with confidence.

What you’ll be doing

• Owning and developing our QA standards, testing frameworks and automation strategy across data products and platforms.
• Defining test approaches across functional, integration, API, data validation, ETL/ELT, regression, performance and UAT testing.
• Reviewing requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria to establish appropriate test scope and coverage.
• Managing testing and quality assurance activities across multiple releases and delivery streams.
• Coordinating UAT, supporting business stakeholders through planning, execution and sign-off.
• Reviewing test evidence, defects and quality documentation to ensure the right standards are being met.
• Assessing the impact of upstream data, application and platform changes on downstream products and integrations.
• Acting as an escalation point for testing issues, quality concerns and release risks.
• Driving greater adoption of test automation, tooling and continuous improvement.
• Monitoring and communicating quality metrics, release readiness, defect trends and testing progress.
• Building strong relationships across Technology, Data and the wider business, as well as with external technology partners.

What we’re looking for

You’ll bring proven experience in a QA Manager, Test Manager or Release/Test Management role, ideally working across complex, data-focused environments.

You’ll also have:

• Strong test planning and test strategy experience.
• Advanced SQL skills with experience of data validation and analysis.
• Experience testing APIs and working with data sources including JSON, CSV and structured datasets.
• Strong understanding of ETL/ELT processes and data warehouse testing.
• Hands-on experience with data, API and automation testing.
• Experience coordinating UAT across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• A good understanding of test automation frameworks and approaches.
• Experience assessing the impact of changes across integrated systems and platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• The ability to manage priorities across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• An analytical mindset with excellent attention to detail.
• The confidence to challenge, influence and make clear decisions around quality and risk.
• Experience working within Agile delivery environments.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience with cloud-based data platforms.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Understanding of data governance and data quality frameworks.
• Experience managing or providing leadership to QA teams.
• Experience within large-scale enterprise data environments.
• Experience implementing a test automation strategy from initial concept through to adoption.

Why you’ll love it here

This is a great opportunity to play a key role in how quality is embedded across our data and technology delivery. You’ll have the chance to shape testing standards, improve automation and work across a broad range of products and projects, while helping teams deliver high-quality releases with confidence.

If you’re passionate about quality, enjoy solving complex problems and want to help build scalable, effective QA practices, we’d love to hear from you.