AMS PSR

On behalf of UKRI we are looking for a Test Manager (Inside IR35) for a 6 month contract. Hybrid working with 1 day per week in Swindon. 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK.

UKRI invests £8 billion of taxpayers’ money each year into research and innovation and the people who make it happen. They work across a huge range of fields – from biodiversity conservation to quantum computing, and from space telescopes to innovative health care. They give everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, bringing together people and organisations nationally and globally to create, develop and deploy new ideas and technologies.

We are seeking an experienced Test Manager to lead the end-to-end testing of The Funding Service (TFS) project—a public-facing JavaScript-based web application adhering to strict usability and style guidelines. The project will be delivered using the SCRUM methodology.

As a Test Manager your main responsibilities will be to:

• Embed and implement best practice testing within the Agile process, ensuring quality assurance is an integral part of each sprint cycle.
• Define and implement the overall test strategy, processes, and quality standards, aligning them with Agile principles.
• Plan, manage, and allocate test resources effectively across functional (SIT, UAT) and non-functional (performance, security, accessibility) testing.
• Collaborate closely with Developers, Product Owners, Business Analysts, and User Centred Designers, to ensure test coverage meets business and technical requirements.
• Participate actively in sprint ceremonies (planning, daily stand-ups, retrospectives), contributing to backlog grooming and ensuring testability of user stories.
• Define and oversee test automation strategies, integrating automated tests within CI/CD pipelines for efficient and continuous quality validation.
• Manage test execution within sprints, ensuring timely defect identification, tracking, and resolution.

Essential:

• Proven experience in test management and execution for JavaScript-based web applications in an Agile/SCRUM environment.
• Strong background in designing and implementing test strategies for multiple project releases, covering SIT, UAT, and non-functional testing.
• Hands-on experience in test execution, defect management, and test automation.
• Experience working with third-party vendors in a testing environment.
• Ability to develop and deliver comprehensive test approaches, plans, and reporting.
• Experience managing the end-to-end testing lifecycle within SCRUM teams, ensuring testing aligns with iterative delivery schedules.
• Familiarity with Agile testing tools, such as Jira (for test management and defect tracking.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, using tools like GitHub.
• Strong understanding of automated testing frameworks and their role in Agile delivery.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to articulate testing outcomes and risks effectively.

Desirable:

• Public Sector or Financial Services experience.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, UKRI guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".