Test Manager

We are looking for a Test Lead/Test Manager to own and shape the quality strategy for digital services delivered to a UK government client. You will lead testing across one or more multi-disciplinary teams operating in a hybrid estate of modern cloud-native services and established Legacy platforms, including Mainframe integrations. This role combines hands-on test leadership with strategic quality ownership. You will operate within structured and governed environments where reliability, security, accessibility, and compliance are critical to service success, and you will be a key voice in go/no-go release decisions.,

• Define and own the overall test strategy and approach across services built in Java Spring Boot, AWS Serverless (Lambda/Node.js), Ruby on Rails with React, and Legacy Mainframe systems.
• Lead, mentor, and coach testers working within one or more multi-disciplinary teams (MTD).
• Plan and coordinate functional, integration, regression, performance, accessibility, and security testing across the delivery lifecycle.
• Establish quality metrics, reporting, and dashboards to give delivery and government stakeholders clear visibility of risk.
• Drive a shift-left approach, embedding testing into design, refinement, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Own end-to-end test environments, test data strategy, and integration testing across modern and Legacy components.
• Lead defect triage, root cause analysis, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to release planning, go/no-go decisions, and operational acceptance criteria for live services.
• Ensure services meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards, GDS service standards, and security assurance requirements.
• Engage with security, architecture, product, and delivery leads to balance quality, risk, and pace.
  
  Strong experience leading testing across complex, multi-team digital programmes.
• Demonstrable experience defining test strategies that span modern (microservice, serverless, web) and Legacy (mainframe, monolithic) systems.
• Design, delivery, and oversight of test management plans in a complex environment, balancing different types of products and services.
• Hands-on experience with test automation frameworks across API, UI, and service layers (eg, RestAssured, Postman/Newman, Cypress, Playwright, Selenium, JUnit, Jest).
• Experience integrating automated testing into CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, GitLab CI).
• Strong understanding of non-functional testing, including performance, resilience, and security testing approaches.
• Solid grasp of accessibility testing (WCAG 2.2) and assistive technology validation.
• Experience with test management and defect tracking tools (eg, Jira, Zephyr, TestRail, Azure DevOps).
• Experience leading testers in Agile or hybrid delivery models (Scrum, Kanban).
• Experience working in regulated, security-conscious, or high-assurance environments.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to articulate quality risk to senior stakeholders.
• Experience delivering testing within a UK public-sector or government context.
• Familiarity with GDS service standards, the Technology Code of Practice, and the GOV.UK Design System.
Desirable
• Experience testing Mainframe integrations or coordinating testing across Legacy modernisation programmes.
• Experience supporting services through GDS Alpha, Beta, and Live assessments.
• ISTQB Advanced, ISTQB Test Manager, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience with contract testing (eg, Pact) and chaos/resilience testing tooling.
• Experience building or scaling testing communities of practice.
  
  Scrumconnect Consulting is a UK-based digital transformation consultancy delivering secure, scalable, and user-centred solutions across government and enterprise organisations. We specialise in agile delivery, cloud platforms, data, and modern engineering practices-helping clients build reliable services that meet high operational and compliance standards., At Scrumconnect Consulting, we believe diversity drives innovation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and supported.
We actively encourage applications from women, people with disabilities, individuals from under-represented communities, and those seeking flexible working arrangements. As a Disability Confident Level 1 employer, we provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment to ensure equal opportunity for all.