Test Manager - Financial Services - Retail Bank - Digital Transformation

We are looking for an experienced Test Manager with a strong background in retail banking and payments to lead end-to-end testing for a large-scale payments transformation programme. This role sits within an established engagement with a major retail banking client, where we already have a strong delivery presence. As part of continued growth in this relationship, we are expanding our team and capabilities across the programme. You'll play a critical role in migrating legacy payment systems to a modern, digital transaction banking platform, ensuring high-quality delivery, regulatory compliance, and a seamless customer experience. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep expertise in payments testing and the ability to operate effectively in a complex, multi-vendor environment.,

• Define and own the overall test strategy, governance, and delivery approach for large-scale payments initiatives
• Lead end-to-end testing across legacy systems and new digital platforms
• Manage all phases of testing including System Testing, Integration Testing, UAT, and Regression
• Ensure comprehensive test coverage across payment flows, including high-volume and real-time transactions
• Coordinate closely with business stakeholders, delivery managers, and technology teams
• Oversee defect management, including triage, prioritisation, and resolution
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, security, and audit requirements in a banking environment
• Provide clear status reporting, risk assessments, and test metrics to senior stakeholders
• Support go-live readiness, cutover planning, and post-implementation validation
  
  Proven experience as a Test Manager within a large retail banking environment
• Strong hands-on experience with real-time and faster payments systems
• Demonstrated experience delivering testing for banking payments implementations
• Experience operating within Agile delivery models in regulated environments
• Solid background in large-scale legacy-to-digital transformation programmes
• Deep knowledge of payments, transaction banking, cash management, or corporate banking domains
• Experience managing large test teams and working across multiple vendors
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Good understanding of test automation approaches (UI, API, performance), even if not hands-on
Highly Desirable
• Knowledge of domestic and international payment systems, including BACS, CHAPS, SEPA, ACH, and RTGS, alongside messaging networks such as SWIFT Experience with API-driven architectures