Test Manager

Phoenix Software; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Phoenix Software is hiring a Test Manager to lead testing and quality assurance, driving high-quality, secure software across the business. You will work with software engineering, delivery, product and business teams to embed quality throughout the SDLC and promote a quality-first culture.

The role emphasizes strategic quality leadership, risk management and continuous improvement, with responsibilities spanning test strategy, planning, delivery assurance and team development.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading software testing or quality assurance teams.
• Strong leadership, coaching and people management skills.
• Experience implementing automated testing within CI/CD environments.
• Experience with modern testing methodologies and quality frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the testing strategy in line with delivery objectives.
• Oversee test planning, execution and reporting across projects and programmes.
• Lead, mentor and develop the testing team.
• Define and maintain automated testing standards and tooling.
• Communicate testing progress, risks and release readiness to stakeholders.

Skills

Testing leadership

People management

CI/CD

Quality engineering

Education

ISTQB Test Manager certification

Tools

Automation tools

Job description

Phoenix enables digital transformation across the UK public sector, empowering organisations to innovate with cloud and hybrid infrastructures, data, AI, security and collaboration technologies.

We are now hiring a Test Manager to lead our testing and quality assurance function, helping ensure the delivery of high-quality, reliable and secure software solutions across the business.

This role combines strategic quality leadership with operational management, working closely with software engineering, delivery, product and business teams to embed quality throughout the software development lifecycle. You will be responsible for driving testing standards, supporting continuous improvement, and fostering a collaborative culture where quality is a shared responsibility across the wider software delivery function.

What will you be doing?

Test Strategy & Quality Leadership

• Define and evolve the testing strategy in line with business and delivery objectives.
• Promote a quality-first approach across the software development lifecycle.
• Drive the adoption of modern testing, automation and quality engineering practices.
• Continually improve testing standards, processes and methodologies.
• Ensure quality is considered from requirements through to deployment and ongoing support.

Test Planning & Delivery Assurance

• Oversee test planning, execution and reporting across projects and programmes.
• Ensure testing activities align with sprint goals, delivery priorities and release schedules.
• Maintain appropriate levels of test coverage across functional and non-functional testing activities.
• Support post-release validation and continuous feedback into future development.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor and develop the testing team.
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching and development discussions.
• Support training, mentoring and professional growth opportunities.
• Promote knowledge sharing, succession planning and continuous improvement.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and workforce planning activities.

Test Automation & Tooling

• Define and maintain automated testing standards across the software delivery function.
• Work with development teams to improve unit, integration, regression and end-to-end test coverage.
• Support the integration of automated testing into CI/CD pipelines.
• Identify opportunities to increase efficiency through tooling and automation.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with technical and business stakeholders.
• Communicate testing progress, quality metrics, risks and release readiness.
• Support collaborative decision-making around quality, risk and delivery.
• Represent the testing function during planning, governance and delivery activities.

Risk, Defect & Quality Management

• Identify quality risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Oversee defect management, prioritisation and resolution processes.
• Analyse quality trends and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Contribute to incident reviews and ensure lessons learned are reflected in future testing approaches.

What are we looking for?

• Proven experience leading software testing or quality assurance teams.
• Strong leadership, coaching and people management skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain a collaborative, high-performing testing function.
• Strong understanding of modern software testing methodologies and quality assurance practices.
• Experience across manual, automated, functional, non-functional and regression testing.
• Experience developing testing strategies, standards and quality frameworks.
• Good understanding of the software development lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of test automation strategies and modern quality engineering approaches.
• Experience implementing automated testing within CI/CD environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify quality risks and drive practical improvements.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Experience & Qualifications

• Experience in a Test Manager, QA Manager, Test Lead or similar leadership role.
• Proven track record of delivering high-quality software within Agile delivery environments.
• Strong background in software testing and quality assurance.
• Experience managing workloads, priorities and resource planning.
• Experience using quality metrics and reporting to support decision-making.

Desirable:

• Experience within regulated or compliance-driven environments.
• Experience with performance, security, accessibility or resilience testing.
• ISTQB Test Manager certification or equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience working with automated testing frameworks and tooling.

Practical stuff

Where is the role based?
Primary location is our HQ in Pocklington (YO42).

What about hybrid/remote working?
Hybrid working is supported, with flexibility depending on business requirements.

How many interviews?
Following a screen with the Recruitment Team, you can expect a two-stage interview process — one online and one in-person.

Important BPSS Check

As part of our recruitment process and due to the nature of the work we do, all employees are required to undertake a BPSS check. While some employees may require further security clearance, the BPSS check is mandatory and all offers of employment are conditional upon successful completion.

Have you made it this far?

If you're still reading, we think there's a strong chance you might be our kind of person.

Here's the thing, research suggests many women and underrepresented groups don't apply unless they meet every requirement. Even if you don't tick every box above, we encourage you to introduce yourself.

We believe a diversity of perspectives and experiences makes a team stronger and the stronger our team, the more successful we will be.