Test Manager United Kingdom
Job description
Test Manager Full time / Part time Salary: £38,818 - £43,969 pa, with potential for further progression to £49,502 pa with our pay progression scheme. Location: Flexible ed to our Wilmslow, London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast office, however, through hybrid working we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. There will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need. Digital, Data and Technology Our Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) team is expanding to meet the opportunities created by our ICO25 Strategic Plan and our objective for our stakeholders of empowering you through information. This represents an exciting time to join the team, bringing your experience and capabilities as well as potential to learn and develop in a high profile and dynamic environment. In DDaT, we make sure that the ICO's technology and data empower our people to do their best work. Our digital services empower organisations to use data responsibly and empower the public to have their information rights protected. Why work for the ICO? Pay progression scheme. Hybrid and flexible working options. 25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays. Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year). Pension (employer contribution around 26.6%). Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more. Health Cash Plan. Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress. About us The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulator of information rights. In a data-driven world, we provide advice, guidance, and support to organisations enabling compliance with their obligations, as well as protecting individuals and their personal data. As an employer, we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives and careers of our people, and we empower you to be curious, impactful, collaborative and respectful. About the role Reporting to the Senior Digital Delivery Manager, you will lead a multi-skilled team of test engineers to create amazing digital services for the users of our ICO services and products with an agile working environment. You will coach and develop colleagues, coordinating testing activities during every stage of the test process, as well as coordinating with senior executives on testing projects and strategies. As Test Manager, you will continually improve the predictability and effectiveness of software delivery in an environment with a large appetite for digital and technology change. You will manage testing of products and services throughout their lifecycle (inception through to retirement), and increase innovation and the maturity of our software testing lifecycle processes and controls. You will work collaboratively within the multi-skilled design and delivery function and across the wider Commission ensuring inclusion and conflict resolution during the inception, delivery and iterative cycles to ensure our digital services align with Commission architectural principles, are user centric, comply with GDS design requirements and passes acceptance criteria. Define the test strategy, of all types and phases of testing, including entry and exit criteria, resource requirements (people, data, technology, software) ensuring it is fit for purpose and tailored to the stages of project implementation. Manage the production and maintenance of test plans, test summaries, and ensure test sign-off of deliverables prior to software deployment, especially in relation to any external development partner. Oversee and guide creation of appropriate testing plans and scripts and their execution for each test phase or type. Ensure delivery of all test deliverables as defined in Test Strategy & Test Plans to ensure coherent and consistent testing. Ensure any risks associated with the test strategy and system test plans are clearly documented. Manage or escalate any risks associated with the testing, taking preventative action when appropriate. Oversee and manage the selection and creation of automated testing approaches/ tools to increase levels of test automation and promote the adoption of an 'automate first' mindset across the organisation. Support the implementation of a continuous testing approach to ensure that we are actively reducing the cycle time in testing, eventually allowing for continuous deployments. Focus on continuous QA improvements including usage of appropriate testing tools, test techniques, test automation. Build and maintain quality standards as well as enforcing technical and testing standards. Lead a team of IT Test professionals. Direct line management responsibilities for the ICO's team of Test Engineers. Take responsibility and collaborate with technical leaders in the DDaT function and the wider organisation to improve development practices, standards, recruitment, performance, and team culture. Negotiate to ensure that stakeholders understand and agree what will meet their needs, and that appropriate agreements are defined. Manage risks, issues and dependencies, deciding on the appropriate actions and mitigations, obtaining agreement and ensuring effective communication. Manage change, assessing relative benefits and recommending options/solutions. Make decisions relating to services and products during the discovery and delivery phases; prioritising activities to deliver high quality features to agreed timescales. Provide best practice advice on working processes. About you Substantial experience relevant to the role requirements, accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience. ITIL qualification. Knowledge of Jira/Confluence. Agile Scrum. ISTQB Qualified (desirable). Experience of all phases of testing lifecycle including System, Functional, SIT, Regression, UAT, Non-Functional testing. Experience of leading and managing testing activities in an agile software development environment. Knowledge of automated testing tools like Gherkins, Cucumber/Gherkin, Selenium or similar. Experience of using Azure DevOps/JIRA. Experience of managing change control processes and experience of managing zero defect application testing. Experience of Test and Data driven development. Excellent understanding of Software Quality Assurance standards and best practice. Experience of Agile development. Understanding of user centric design and GDS service design standards. Knowledge of how to test to ensure Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 has been adhered to in service build. Equality, diversity, and inclusion The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website. If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email us and we can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method. Closing Date Please submit your CV by 23:59, Sunday 23 July 2023 We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered. ICO
