Principal IT Test Manager

Heathrow Airport; Hounslow; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international airport is seeking a Principal IT Test Manager to shape and maintain a world-class testing capability. The role involves overseeing test management practices, leading a skilled Test Team, and ensuring the implementation of robust testing standards across all IT programmes. Strong leadership, analytical skills, and stakeholder management are essential. Candidates should hold a relevant degree and relevant ISTQB certifications, with significant Test Management experience, particularly in large-scale projects and with third-party suppliers.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Performance-based bonuses

Generous annual leave

Market-leading pensions

Private health insurance

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• An ISTQB® CTEL-TM certification or Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) certification.
• Significant experience in Test Management on large scale and/or multi project environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and manage a quality-focused Test Assurance Framework.
• Provide oversight and guidance on testing for all programs.
• Lead a Test Team to deliver testing excellence.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Degree or equivalent

ISTQB CTEL-TM or CTAL-TM certification

Tools

Azure DevOps

Modern Requirements extension

Job description

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Job Description

With an average annual Capex profile of circa £120m, strong testing and quality assurance practices are fundamental to the functionality, resilience, and usability of the technology at Heathrow. The breadth of our work includes business-critical applications essential to the running of our airport, as well as infrastructure and network services that support our operations, airlines, and business partners. These systems must meet the diverse functional needs of all airport stakeholders and uphold the highest standards of resilience and cyber security.

The Principal IT Test Manager plays a pivotal leadership role in shaping and maintaining a world-class testing capability across Heathrow IT. This includes oversight of test management practices, automation tooling, non-functional testing, and quality assurance across all programmes and suppliers.

Working closely with Heads of IT, IT Project Managers/Delivery Leads, System Integrators, and Suppliers, the Principal IT Test Manager will lead a Test Team capable of delivering excellence in testing outcomes. They will lead and mentor Test Managers and their teams (both Heathrow and supplier-based), ensuring consistent delivery quality, process conformance, and continuous improvement.

As the strategic lead for the Testing Centre of Excellence, they will define and uphold testing standards, processes, and governance frameworks. They will ensure the Test Assurance Framework is implemented appropriately across all IT Programmes, providing evidential oversight, advice, and guidance internally and externally.

The Principal IT Test Manager will also be accountable for the deployment and optimisation of the MS Modern Requirements toolset within Azure DevOps (ADO), enabling traceability, collaboration, and assurance across the delivery lifecycle.

Where required, the Principal IT Test Manager may undertake direct Test and QA delivery responsibilities within specific Programmes or large-scale projects, ensuring benefits are realised and risks are mitigated. They must be able to establish credibility with stakeholders at all levels and be confident in challenging and influencing decision-making to ensure testing and QA are embedded effectively across the IT portfolio.

Responsibilities

Design and Leadership of Test Assurance Framework

Accountable for designing, implementing, and managing a quality-focused Test Assurance Framework aligned to Heathrow IT Quality Standards and industry best practices.

Ensure the framework is embedded across all IT Programmes, enabling successful delivery of Heathrow's strategic technology initiatives.

Programme-Wide Implementation and Oversight

Ensure all projects and programmes appropriately incorporate the Test Assurance Framework, including integration into supplier work packages.

Provide evidential oversight, advice, and guidance to internal teams and external partners, ensuring consistent application and governance.

Governance and Compliance

Assure testing and control through appropriate project governance mechanisms.

Liaise with Heathrow and supplier Architects to ensure testing activities comply with the Heathrow Gateway Lifecycle and architectural governance standards.

Strategic Influence and Relationship Management

Build strong interfaces with IT Programme Leaders, Senior Project Leaders, System Integrators, and suppliers to ensure effective relationship management and alignment of testing objectives.

Influence multi-sourced delivery teams to embrace a culture of transparency and quality throughout the testing lifecycle.

Quality Assurance of Testing Artefacts

Oversee the quality of key documentation including test plans, assurance checklists, traceability matrices, and reporting outputs.

Ensure documentation meets Heathrow's standards for completeness, accuracy, and alignment with programme goals.

Continuous Improvement and Value Realisation

Continuously improve test assurance efficiency to reduce cost, accelerate delivery, and enhance quality.

Ensure test assurance activities demonstrate value for money, aligned to risk profiles and benefits realisation.

Community Development and Capability Building

Lead the IT Test Manager community through structured training, mentoring, and development.

Implement and maintain a maturity matrix to assess current capabilities and define aspirational growth paths.

Testing Centre of Excellence Leadership

Lead the Testing Centre of Excellence, providing strategic direction, best practice guidance, and continuous improvement initiatives across the testing domain.

Tooling Strategy and Oversight

Oversee the deployment and optimisation of the MS Modern Requirements toolset within Azure DevOps (ADO), ensuring it supports traceability, collaboration, and assurance across the delivery lifecycle.

Integrated Planning and Portfolio Oversight

Create and maintain an integrated test assurance plan covering all Technology Programmes and Projects within the portfolio.

Ensure test assurance activities are adequately reflected in project plans and cost estimates prior to submission to Strategic Programme Boards.

Programme-Level Test Leadership

Where required, undertake direct Test and QA delivery responsibilities within specific Programmes or large-scale projects, ensuring benefits are realised and risks are mitigated.

Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Challenge

Establish credibility with senior stakeholders, confidently challenge decisions, and influence outcomes to ensure testing and QA are embedded effectively across the IT portfolio.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• An ISTQB® CTEL-TM certification or Advanced Level Test Management (CTAL-TM) certification.
• Significant experience in Test Management on large scale and/or multi project environments, particularly with third party outsource suppliers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills required, including the ability to operate flexibly and tactically to ensure that projects under test have the coverage and quality of testing required.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship management skills, tactful diplomat, assists in the facilitation of team and client meetings and a team player working across multiple virtual teams
• Great communicator (oral, written and presentation) able to deliver difficult/sensitive information to a diverse group including Executives, Managers, and Subject Matter Experts
• Ability to respond to in a rapidly changing business environment and to successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously and to prioritise work accordingly
• Experience of Experience of the Azure DevOps toolset with the Modern Requirements extension, and other test management and test automation toolsets.

Desireable

• Knowledge of the airport business and airline processes

About Us

There's something so special about working at the world's most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities.

Every day, you'll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore.

It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we're working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability.

Join us on that journey and we'll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there's no place like Heathrow.

Our rewards

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we'll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we'll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you'll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.

Working Location

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You'll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

Sustainable Travel to work

Heathrow's Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.

Equal Opportunities

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger - not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.

About the Team

Together, we're working to welcome millions more passengers, while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability. At Heathrow, you can be part of this - providing solutions that make every journey better for millions each year. That means ensuring we meet the changing needs of the passengers, colleagues and partners who use our airport to work, travel, trade, shop, eat, explore and connect. Our Solutions team covers project management, process improvement, business change, technology, cyber defence, masterplanning, infrastructure and procurement. It brings together people with the skills to deliver prestigious and often large-scale projects, from transforming terminals to making big reductions in our carbon emissions.

Every day will test your skills and give you the opportunity to make your mark. You might be working with the technology and data that power our city within a city, driving vital commercial agreements with everyone from retailers to airlines, or improving the unique infrastructure that includes everything from 200 buildings to 250 HV substations. It's a collaborative environment, where you can rely on the support of the experts around you as you take on projects you'll both take pride in and feel passionate about.