Quality Assurance Test Lead
hace 3 días
City of London
HYBRID IN LONDON OR MANCHESTER The Role: We’re looking for a Lead Test Assurance Engineer to support our testing and assurance efforts, to ensure our products and services meet the highest quality standards, to be applied across the client’s change and BAU portfolios. This role resides within the Test Assurance team, under the wider Technology Integration and Assurance directorate. The Technology Integration and Assurance directorate sits within the Service Delivery function and is responsible for managing the client’s end-to-end delivery through a structured governance process, on time, within budget and to the required standards for successful in-life operations. The successful candidate will report to a Test Assurance Manager, and will be required to drive the definition and delivery of test assurance activities across our Change and / or In Life Change BAU portfolios. For their allocated projects, the Lead Test Assurance Engineer will need to define and manage the delivery of assurance activities across: The Pre-Integration Testing (PIT) Phase • Defining the required governing test approach artefact(s), • Overseeing the preparation, execution and closure of PIT, • Ensuring the client’s Service Providers are aligned to our delivery obligations by monitoring and assuring their delivery, • Directing resources from our Systems Integrator in order to undertake and deliver the required assurance activities per Service Provider, • Collaborating with the Service Provider to document the results of testing to be assessed against the agreed completion criteria, • Navigating the required governance forums to agree test completion The Systems Integration Testing (SIT) Phase • Defining the required governing test approach artefact(s), • Overseeing the preparation, execution and closure of SIT, • Ensuring our Systems Integrator is aligned to our delivery obligations by monitoring and assuring their delivery, • Personally undertaking and delivering the required assurance activities, • Collaborating with the Systems Integrator to document the results of testing to be assessed against the agreed completion criteria, • Navigating the required governance forums to agree test completion The User Integration Testing (UIT) Phase • Defining the required governing test approach artefact(s), • Liaising with the Systems Integrator to ensure Pre-User Integration Testing is adequately scope and delivered, and required SI support for Testing Participants is in place, • Liaising with Testing Participants to ascertain the scope of testing planned, ensuring they are fully equipped to conduct testing within the defined user window (including procurement of any the client’s devices etc), • Supporting Testing Participants through preparation and execution during the agreed User Testing window, • Documenting and assuring any Testing Issues raised during the User Testing window, • Presenting progress and Testing Issues reporting to the required governance forums to agree Severity and acceptance into service What does the role entail? The Lead Test Assurance Engineer will work under the guidance of a Test Assurance Manager to define the required testing and assurance activities for each of their allocated projects, and to drive the delivery of these activities. The candidate must have experience in testing and assurance, strong technical and communication skills, in addition to a deep understanding of modern testing methodologies and tools. The Lead Test Assurance Engineer will provide and/or deliver the below key areas of responsibility for their allocated projects and programmes: Preparation • Support the requirements engineering process by collaboratively assuring the quality of requirements artefacts utilising best practice in requirements validation techniques to deliver unambiguous, complete and testable requirements, • Review and enhance the quality of test basis artefacts such as design specifications including HLDs, LLDs, interface specifications and other design artefacts, • Support the development of project commercial artefacts, ensuring all required testing activities are included whilst challenging costs where appropriate to drive value for money in testing, • Lead the development of Test Approach and any relevant subsidiary documentation, ensuring an optimal risk based approach to testing and assurance activity is clearly defined, with appropriate completion criteria, • Communicate the Test Approach to each of our impacted Service Providers, and to our Systems Integrator, ensuring they understand and will comply with its contents, • Agree the Test Approach with the relevant internal and external boards, including gaining approval from the Testing Advisory Group (TAG) subcommittee of the SEC Panel, • Define and agree the required scope of both functional and regression testing with the relevant Service Providers (in the case of the PIT Phase); with the Systems Integrator (in the case of the SIT Phase), • Assure and sign off the Service Provider and Systems Integrator testing artefacts, including test plans, test scenarios, heatmaps, test traceability matrices etc; ensuring they align to the test approach and deliver the required testing scope to the required schedule, • Assurance and sign off the Systems Integrator Pre-UTS scope, ensuring readiness of the User Integration Testing environment for Testing Participants to conduct their planned testing within the defined User Testing window Execution • Define, schedule and deliver an appropriate risk based volume of test witnessing and test evidence review, to audit Service Provider and Systems Integrator test execution, • Assure the quality, completeness and accuracy of testing issues (defects) raised during execution, ensuring severity assessments correctly assess the impacts to various stakeholders, • Drive the triage and resolution of testing issues to the required timescales, ensuring Service Providers understand the relative priority and criticality of each testing issue, • Agree work-off plans with each Service Provider for any issues outstanding at the conclusion of test execution, ensuring resolution timescales align to contractual SLAs, • Provide support to Testing Participants during user testing within any defined User Testing window in the UIT environments Completion • Assure and sign off the Service Provider and Systems Integrator test completion artefacts including test exit reports, test traceability matrices, and testing issue work off plans, ensuring all required scope has been discharged in line with the governing test approach documentation, or variances agreed, • Communicate any variances in scope, or outstanding testing issues in a work-off plan with the relevant internal and external stakeholders, justifying the proposed approach and gaining approval to proceed, • Develop a Test Completion Report, summarising the key elements of testing and assurance conducted, and assessing results against the completion criteria defined in the governing test approach documentation, • Agree Test Phase Completion with the relevant internal and external committees, including the client’s internal Test Assurance Board (TAB), and the SEC Panel’s TAG, by presenting a summary of the testing and assurance activities conducted to discharge the completion criteria, • Document and present any required materials to Operations to support the acceptance of any change into Service, via agreed Operational Acceptance artefacts Stakeholder Engagement • Serve as the primary point of contact for test and assurance activities for allocated projects and programmes, with both internal stakeholders across multiple functions, and externally with Service Providers, the Systems Integrator, the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), OFGEM, and the SEC Panel TAG, • Monitor and report progress of test preparation, execution and completion of activities to both internal and external stakeholders, including project and programme management, Service Delivery leadership, Operations, DESNZ, OFGEM, and the SEC Panel TAG, • Identify, manage and apply appropriate mitigation for testing and assurance risks and issues, clearly communicating the impacts, and agreeing the optimal course of action with the appropriate internal and external stakeholders, • Develop and manage collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to influence decision making and achieve positive outcomes, • Support Testing Participants in the preparation, execution and subsequent reporting of user testing during any defined User Testing Window Essential Skills and Experience • 5+ years experience in testing or test assurance roles, with at least 2 years in test lead or equivalent roles, • Ability to direct and manage the daily activities of more junior resources in order to deliver testing and assurance activities to the required timescales and quality criteria, • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, • Deep knowledge of testing and assurance methodologies, frameworks and best practices, • Experience working and delivering within a highly regulated environment, • Excellent communicator with a proven ability to influence and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, • Proficient at drafting and presenting technical reports and proposals, pitching the level of detail to the required target audience, • Ability to identify improvement opportunities and drive them to implementation Desirable Skills and Experiences • Understanding of the Smart Metering and Utilities industries, • Testing or assurance certification such as ISTQB Advanced, • A track record of staying up to date with the latest trends and advancements in testing, and assurance, • Familiarity with AI/ML in testing, DevOps and continuous testing practices, and their associated technology stacks, • Proficiency in testing within CI/CD pipelines and integration of testing processes within iterative delivery methodologies