Head of Product Test

We are looking for a Head of Product Test to drive a major transformation across our technology portfolio. This is a pivotal role at the heart of our delivery organisation, responsible for shaping and executing the end-to-end test strategy across 10-12 products and multiple large-scale programmes. You will lead a sizeable test organisation, modernise our approach through automation and AI, and act as the single point of accountability for solution quality at every stage of delivery. This is an opportunity to influence senior stakeholders, uplift engineering capability, and accelerate how we deliver change across a complex, enterprise-scale environment. What You'll Lead

• Ownership of the end-to-end test strategy, covering Unit, Functional, SIT, Regression, UAT, OAT, Performance, Volume and Pre-Production testing.
• Delivery of a robust, scalable testing function that supports informed go/no-go decisions for major programmes (£3-50M+).
• Transformation of testing practices using automation, AI-driven tooling, and modern quality engineering approaches.
• Leadership of a 70-80-person test organisation, including suppliers, contractors, and internal staff.
• Definition and governance of formal quality sign-off processes across the portfolio.
• Collaboration with architects, engineering leads, product teams, and vendors to ensure full test coverage and technical readiness.
• Championing Agile ways of working and supporting teams transitioning from Waterfall to iterative delivery.
• Acting as the single point of contact for solution quality, ensuring risks are understood, communicated, and mitigated.
  
  Extensive experience in Testing & Quality Assurance leadership within large, complex, and highly governed organisations.
• Deep expertise in Performance Testing, Performance Engineering, and Tuning.
• Proven track record leading large integration programmes and managing multiple test streams simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of test automation, modern tooling, and the role of AI in accelerating quality.
• Technical competence across UNIX, APIs, middleware, web services, and database technologies.
• Experience managing external suppliers, offshore teams, and multi-vendor environments.
• Strong Agile and Waterfall delivery skills: planning, estimation, risk management, reporting, and financial oversight.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate confidently at Senior Manager level.
• Experience supporting organisations through testing and delivery transformation.
  
  Competitive salary plus car allowance, healthcare , 18% annual bonus potential, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with service and a company pension scheme with highly competitive contribution rates, This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of testing across a major UK organisation. You'll have the autonomy to modernise tools, uplift capability, and embed a new quality culture powered by automation and AI. If you thrive in complex environments and enjoy leading large-scale change, this role offers the scope and influence to make a real impact.
Extra Benefits
• Family friendly support - enhanced maternity pay, paternity leave, adoption leave and shared parental leave
• Supportive and generous company sick pay
• Funded Dental - As a manager you are eligible to a level of employer funded dental insurance
• Health Assessment - As a manager you are eligible to an employer funded health assessment every 2 years
• Benefits Account - You will have access to your personal benefits account on our 'My Bundle+' platform. There are more than 800 retail offers to help you save on things like groceries, days out, holidays and your household bills as well as employer provided and voluntary benefits to suit your lifestyle.
• Your Wellbeing - you and your family have 24/7 access to services and tools to help you get the most out of life. From your physical and mental health to financial and social support and advice. It's free, and it's for everyone.
• Available only to permanent employees
Next Steps The next stage of the selection process will be a face to face/virtual interview consisting of competency based and role specific questions. Trust is the foundation of Royal Mail. We aim to be transparent about the qualities we seek and what a career with us entails, building trust from the start of your journey with us. Your interview is the first step, and we want you to shine. To help you prepare, we'll provide your interview questions in advance, so you can have your best examples ready. At Royal Mail Group, we value trust and our people. We understand that candidates may not meet all the criteria for the role. If your experience is different, but you have relevant skills we'd love to hear from you. (delete if essential criteria only)