Test Programme Manager

Nest Pensions; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Nest Pensions is seeking an experienced Test Programme Manager to own the programme-wide test strategy and provide strategic direction across multiple testing streams. You will lead the Test and Assurance team, drive governance, and ensure go/no-go decisions are backed by robust evidence.

You will shape the target operating model for testing, align testing with architecture and supplier delivery, and push continuous improvement through automation and AI-enabled QA across a large transformation

Qualifications

• Experience in senior Test Management or Test Programme Management leadership.
• Experience establishing programme-wide quality strategies, governance models and assurance frameworks.
• Proven ability leading large, complex transformation programmes.
• Experience in senior governance forums and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and strategic suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Own the programme-wide test strategy, ensuring it supports business objectives and the transformation roadmap.
• Provide strategic direction across multiple testing and quality workstreams.
• Define and embed the quality vision, governance framework and assurance approach.
• Identify, manage and deliver cost efficiencies while assessing risks.
• Establish target operating model for Testing and Assurance.
• Lead and line-manage the Test and Assurance team (about 10 people).
• Oversee test planning approaches and set quality standards and risk tolerances.
• Ensure evidence and assurance for go/no-go and deployment decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement through best practices, automation and AI-enabled QA.
• Ensure alignment between testing, solution architecture and supplier delivery models.
• Build relationships across business, Nest and TCS; deliver governance updates.

Skills

Test management

Test programme management

Quality assurance

Quality leadership

Stakeholder management

Agile

Waterfall

Hybrid delivery

Governance

Strategy definition

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Test Programme Manager to work in partnership with the wider delivery team. The Test Programme Manager will be responsible for the following:

• Owning the programme-wide test strategy, ensuring it supports business objectives, customer outcomes and the wider transformation roadmap.
• Providing strategic direction across multiple testing and quality workstreams, ensuring a joined-up and effective programme capability.
• Defining and embedding the quality vision, governance framework and assurance approach across the programme.
• Identifying, managing and delivering cost efficiencies while assessing and mitigating associated risks.
• Establishing the target operating model for the Testing and Assurance function, aligned to strategic priorities and organisational goals.
• Leading, developing and line managing the Test and Assurance team, currently comprising 10 colleagues.
• Overseeing test planning approaches across the change portfolio and setting quality standards, decision-making criteria, risk tolerances and assurance frameworks for major programme milestones and releases.
• Ensuring sufficient evidence and assurance is in place to support key go/no-go and deployment decisions.
• Driving continuous improvement through industry best practice, emerging technologies, automation and AI-enabled quality assurance approaches.
• Ensuring alignment between testing strategies, solution architecture and supplier delivery models.
• Building strong relationships across the business and with our Scheme Administrator, TCS.
• Delivering updates through governance forums

The minimum criteria for this role are:

• Experience of an ever shifting and demanding business environment.
• Experience in senior Test Management, Test Programme Management, Quality Assurance or Quality Engineering leadership roles.
• Experience establishing programme-wide quality strategies, governance models and assurance frameworks.
• Proven experience providing assurance and strategic leadership across large, complex transformation programmes.
• Experience in senior governance forums and demonstrable experience influencing senior stakeholders
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and strategic suppliers across multiple workstreams.
• Experience working across Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery environments and Knowledge and use of industry leading tools.
• Ability to shape new ways of working in the delivery of change across functional teams and with our scheme administration provider TCS.
• Ability to analyse and review complex plans at a detailed level including interactions and dependencies between workstreams,
• Financial services experience would be an advantage, but not essential.

Flexible and agile working

Everyone's personal situation is different.

To make the most out of hybrid working, we've introduced different ways of working, which include (subject to role requirements):

• hybrid of office (Canary Wharf, London)and home working(there will be anexpectationto attend the office, once - twice a week, or more, as required)
• reduce or vary working hours
• reduce or vary the days worked
• work compressed hours
• job share

Directorate/Department Overview

The Testing and Assurance Team is part of the Service and Experience Change Programme team residing in the Services and Solutions directorate with responsibilities covering technology, change management, operations, data, analytics and customer insights. The Testing and Assurance Team plays an integral role in the development lifecycle of projects and programmes delivered by NEST. The team is ~10 people with a core responsibility of providing quality assurance of testing carried out by our 3rd party scheme administrator TCS and testing execution on a needs basis. The department is responsible for ensuring:

• contracted suppliers deliver appropriate solutions that meet NEST’s requirements, including both functional and non-functional requirements;
• support and oversight of supplier testing processes, execution of user acceptance testing of the supplier solution and quality assurance; and
• contracted suppliers implement those solutions using appropriate methodologies and technologies in-line with an agreed project plan, including key milestones, active management and mitigation of associated risks and issues.

This role will sit withing the Service and Experience Change Programme team.

Organisational Overview

Nest is an award-winning workplace pension scheme, the largest in the country. Set up by the government to give every worker in the UK somewhere to save, our first-class responsible investment practice and governance are the backbone of what we do, supported by all the functions you’d expect to find in a thriving business. We’re committed to creating a workplace where you can be your authentic self and offer an inclusive and flexible working environment.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles and we particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and disabled candidates. Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of theirage, disability, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy or caring responsibilities, race, religion/belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio economic background. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought and other forms of neurocognitive variation. Nest is a Disability Confident Leader, which is the highest level of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you have a disability, please declare that you’re applying through the scheme. We aim to offer an interview to those applicants who apply through the Disability Confident Scheme and best meet the minimum criteria. However, there may be some circumstances where this is not possible due to the volume of applications.