Programme Lead Test Manager

Gofractional; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Part time

Job summary

GoFractional in London is seeking a Programme Lead Test Manager to own the strategy and delivery of end-to-end testing across a complex portfolio, including SIT, UAT, performance and security testing, across multiple platforms and major projects.

You will lead a high-performing team, set quality metrics, govern offshore/vendor testing, work with senior stakeholders to align testing with business goals, and ensure timely, within-budget delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a programme of testing and a large team.
• Ability to guide Business Analysts and delivery managers in testing approaches.
• Strong communication and governance skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own end-to-end testing strategy across programs.
• Coordinate all testing phases (functional, non-functional, SIT, UAT).
• Lead and develop a high-performing testing team and provide direction to vendors.
• Manage risk, quality, and delivery against baselined plans.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to explain test results and impacts.

Skills

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Test strategy

Vendor management

Agile & Waterfall

Quality assurance

Risk management

Communication

Job description

Role

Who you are

• Technical skills commensurate with defined experience
• Excellent interpersonal skills, both written and verbal
• Adherence to defined standards and ways of working
• Capability to manage and lead a team of systems analysts with varied experience
• Effective running of daily and weekly progress and governance meetings
• Provision of technical direction to team members
• Assurance of the quality of deliverables
• Experience in creating and managing a high-performing team
• Ability to advise and guide Business Analysts, technical and business SMEs through interactive/agile approaches
• An ability to advise and guide Application Delivery Managers and Solution Designers to ensure the proposed solution fits with the overall system design principles

What the job involves

Fractal is seeking a Programme Lead Test Manager who is accountable for developing the strategy and managing delivery of all aspects of end to end Testing (functional, non-functional, SIT, end to end testing, OAT, UAT) across a complex portfolio of platforms or major projects, ensuring the offshore testing partners deliver against contractual commitments / base lined plans, departmental best practice and standards and the risk appetite of the stakeholders through the delivery of a signed-off risk based test strategy, test plans and test summary reports.

Strategy:

• Provide end-to-end testing best practice advice and guidance to programme / project lead, liaising with business stakeholders to ensure required resources in place to execute UAT testing
• To work with the Delivery leads and their teams to ensure offshore vendor testing capability and plans are sufficient to meet project time, cost and quality standards
• Maintain an understanding of industry trends in testing and ensure the best practice embedded in test strategies and plans
• Support the Head of Testing Services, ensuring continuous improvement within the testing function in order to help drive the strategic agenda

Business Delivery:

• Manage the overall test strategy, planning and co-ordination of all phases of testing
• Ensure the delivery of testing to agreed baselined time, cost and quality in adherence with departmental best practice, relevant, appropriate and agreed testing methods, standards and policies for both waterfall and agile methods of delivery
• Successfully manage the working relationship with the testing Vendor as required to fulfil all testing commitments and plans
• Operate as a testing SME and provide advice to determine the most appropriate testing strategies for projects or programmes
• Definition of Test Strategies, Plans and Approaches as required and in line with best practices
• Ensure the offshore test team is resourced to undertake the required test planning, specification, management, execution and reporting to meet agreed business and non-functional requirements within timescale and cost constraints
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting on testing progress in accordance with agreed project/department/release management timescales
• Regular QA of Vendor output ensuring adherence to testing policy and practices can be evidenced
• Overall responsibility for managing our test environment and data requirements to ensure compliance with any DLG set guidelines

Capacity & Capability:

• Build and maintain relationships with third party suppliers, managing immediate resource demands

Risk and Control:

• Ensure that Vendor can evidence traceability between requirements, test specification and test execution and adequate records of the test process and the quality of the test effort, with the production of a Test Summary Report
• Identify, own and manage the risks involved in running our business appropriate to my role, in line with DLG guidelines

Stakeholder Management:

• Communicate with senior stakeholders, providing explanations of the consequences of test results
• Day to day working with the Delivery Leads and their teams to ensure all testing deliverables are integrated and delivered in line with baselined project plans

People Management:

• Effectively managing Vendor through
• Ensures the assignment of work meets the skills of the resource and the needs of the organization
• Vendor demonstrates appropriate adherence to DLG policies and controls
• Effective communication that engages Vendor and encourages them to maximize their value add

System Testing:

• Ensure the delivered system functions meets the functional specification including integration, usability, verification, accuracy of all outputs etc

Non-Functional Testing:

• Ensure the system meets volume and performance requirements including soak, load, bottlenecks etc

Key Qualifications

• Day-to-day management of a large programme of testing delivery
• Strong communication, leadership, ownership and accountability management
• Critical thinking to remove blockages
• Proactivity identifies and drives test delivery improvements in support of meeting programme milestones

Work Arrangement

• 6 Month Fixed Term Contract
• 2-3 days a week in office
• London
• Senior and Expert level

Salary

Salary not provided