Principal Test and Assurance Lead in Newcastle upon Tyne

In this role, you are accountable for:

• Provide in-depth test and assurance expertise and consultation across all areas of DDaT in a wide range of test areas including, but not limited to:
• Functional integration acceptance testing (including UI, API and database)
• Accessibility testing
• Compatibility testing
• Performance testing
• Security test techniques
• Data processing testing
• Data migration validation
• Support multiple test and assurance teams across DDaT services to achieve efficient delivery of quality outcomes, promoting both functional and non-functional testing.
• Provide feedback on solution designs, specifications, functional and non-functional requirements to ensure proposed solutions are testable and the overall needs of the business and users are being met.
• Define, document and socialise NHSBSA test standards, methods and tools in line with international test standards and best practice.
• Ensure they are applied effectively across DDaT and are iterated to provide continuous improvement.
• Design and execute a wide range of testing techniques and approaches.
• Make decisions on the appropriateness of the scope of testing.
• Ensure the appropriateness of test tools used, the test data design and the test environment(s) in which DDaT is tested.
• Communicate test results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, alerting the business to defects, helping to prioritise them based on defect severity.
• Manage the assurance of software test activities across a range of projects including internally built, 3rd party partnerships and fully outsourced deliveries.
• Develop appropriate measures and processes to provide sufficient insight into project delivery health.
• Identify trends and anomalies, reporting at agreed frequency on development needs and deviations from standards.
• Ensure appropriate governance of quality controls and test practices are followed through the use and implementation of assurance processes such as code, peer, lead and release reviews to ensure quality code is being delivered into the test environments and beyond.
• Ensure test practices follow a risk-based approach within the agreed risk appetite.
• Take the lead on investigative work into problems and opportunities in existing processes, absorbing large amounts of conflicting and complex information, taking the opportunity to think creatively, ask the right questions and critically evaluate and communicate findings.
• Lead and support the Test Community of Practice, being accountable for test and assurance specialists aligned to your designated projects and services.
• Act as an escalation point for test and assurance issues arising across the project delivery lifecycle.
• Apply experience and collaboration skills to find appropriate solutions, coordinating with professionals from within and outside of the project team as necessary.
• Innovate and horizon scan to ensure DDaT and the Test Community is kept abreast of the latest technological developments and advances in software testing.
• Planning and implementing where possible to support innovative and creative delivery of Testing via workshops, proof of concepts and showcases.
• Identify programme and DDaT level risks and issues within software testing across multiple services and raise through appropriate channels.
• Identify, prioritise and lead the strategic implementation of risk mitigations, improvements and efficiencies, ensuring that the organisation derives maximum value across multiple services.

Knowledge management

• Take an active, lead role in your professional development.
• Keep up to date with the latest technologies and software testing standards and best practice, through self-directed and NHSBSA organised learning activities.
• Identify, investigate and champion the application of emerging technologies, test techniques and approaches within software testing and assurance.
• Identify and support opportunities for teams to develop their skills to meet the changing needs of the business.
• Take ownership for decision making within your area, seeking support and feedback to develop well thought out solutions, processes and work as required, and in conjunction with agreed procedures.

Relationship management

• Foster relationships and partnership, to identify and deliver value to the organisation.
• Collaborate across multiple disciplines to achieve strategic aims, ensuring consistent approaches, methods, standards, and patterns holistically applied:
• Delivery and Product Ownership
• User Centred Design
• Architecture
• Security
• Data
• Development
• Platform, including DevOps
• Live Support
• Commercials
• Finance
• Work with People Managers to identify, implement and support team and individual development, career progression, performance management, providing mentorship and guidance for other software test and assurance resource.
• Consult with wider UK Government departments and agencies, and industry to define and achieve strategic aims.
• Deputise for the Head of Software Engineering as required.

Information management

• Maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information systems through compliance with relevant legislation and regulations and that controls and management strategies are designed and implemented to support this.

Delivery management

• Manage own workload, completing tasks to a high quality and within agreed timelines.
• Deliver continuous improvements to enhance own and business areas; co-ordinate delivery of work across multiple strands such as continuous improvement, project related work, and operational tasks, escalating issues at appropriate times.
• Along with other Principal Test and Assurance Leads and the Professional Lead for Test, take overall responsibility for service and application testing and its practical implementation, ensuring it complements the DDaT and wider NHSBSA strategy and agenda.
• Prepare plans to enable the delivery and management of projects and programmes undertaken by the professional leadership team.
• Provide strategic and operational direction in the preparation of plans to deliver systems and services across DDaT and the organisation.
• Manage and implement approaches strategies, standards, practices and policies across the test profession, ensuring and monitoring the timely delivery of business objectives within budget.
• Proactively identify warning signs of significant delivery challenges and provide a decisive response.
• Contribute to and lead procurement processes for hardware, software and outsourced capability.
• Review functional and non-functional requirements to ensure the overall needs of the business are met from a DDaT perspective.

Financial management

• Contribute to budget management processes in accordance with NHSBSA's policies, standing orders, financial regulations and legislative requirements.
• Contribute to and prepare proposals for change, including producing necessary estimates, mandates and business cases.
• Monitor budget spend and resource estimates against projects and change initiatives.

Staff management

• The general management of activities and standards of staff within professional disciplines across multidisciplinary teams.
• Enable the performance of others, including objectives setting fully aligned to departmental and organisational objectives and goals, and the development and motivation of staff to achieve them.
• Mentor and coach staff, advising on career paths to encourage pro-active development of skills and capabilities.
• Conduct meaningful appraisals and 1-1s, identifying and meeting development needs, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the impact and success of learning and development plans.
• Receive, act upon and, where possible, resolve a range of escalations including staffing, disciplinary procedures, resourcing business and technical, to secure satisfactory outcomes.
• Where unable to resolve, provide sufficient detail, escalating to the appropriate levels within the organisations, within agreed policies, procedures and processes to ensure appropriate resolution.
• Undertake recruitment and selection in line with organisational processes.
• Participate in the implementation and delivery of initiatives to secure suitable resources, increase skill levels and develop talent pools to meet the changing needs of the business landscape.
• Provide feedback to support and encourage teams and individuals to develop thinking and independently work through issues, to reach solutions-based outcomes.
• Lead by example by seeking, providing and implementing individual feedback to improve ways of working and own performance.

In addition to the above accountabilities, as post holder you are expected to:

• Undertake additional duties and responsibilities in line with the overall purpose of your role and as agreed by your line manager.
• Demonstrate NHSBSA values and core capabilities in all aspects of your work.
• Foster an environment where your own and colleagues' safety and well-being is promoted.
• Contribute to a culture which values diversity and inclusion.
• Comply with NHSBSA policies, procedures, and protocols as they apply to your role.

Person specification

Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills

• Essential criteria
• Practitioner in software testing in agile deliveries and techniques.
• Understands and can explain the necessity of robust test and assurance processes and capabilities within the organisation.
• Expert in implementing and/or reviewing long term testing strategies in line with corporate risk appetite, offering advice and consultation as the Subject Matter Expert in testing.
• Expert in developing and implementing operational test standards, processes and procedures including behaviour-driven development (BDD), functional and non-functional testing, test automation, test assurance, as well as generic testing standards.
• Expert in evaluating testing proposals from internal delivery teams and external suppliers, and making recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Expert in version control (Git), CI/CD build pipelines and release strategies.
• Expert in evaluating test results and reports, including the residual risk, and making recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Strong working knowledge of release and change management.
• Strong working knowledge of requirements capture and ensuring requirements are testable.
• Strong working knowledge of investigating and prototyping new and emerging test tools, techniques and technologies.
• Working knowledge of 3rd line application support providing thorough defect analysis to the business including reproducible steps to the issue and appraising remediation actions through review of retest results.
• Ability to provide leadership and support across a wide range of test areas including, but not limited to:
• Functional integration acceptance testing (including UI, API and database)
• Accessibility testing
• Compatibility testing
• Performance testing
• Data processing testing
• Security test techniques
• Data migration validation
• Working knowledge of a wide range of testing tools across a wide range of test areas including, but not limited to:
• Selenium Java, Serenity, Karate, Postman [functional integration acceptance testing]
• Wave, Axe, Lighthouse and assistive technologies, e.g. screen readers such as JAWS and speech recognition such as Dragon [accessibility testing]
• SauceLabs [compatibility testing]
• JMeter [performance testing]
• OWASP ZAP [dynamic application security testing]
• Working knowledge of business change, rationalisation and transformation.
• Desirable criteria
• Practitioner in risk management covering identify, define, assess and treat stages.
• Working knowledge of requirements capture and product selection through formal procurement processes.
• Awareness of commercial procurement processes and frameworks.

Experience

• Essential criteria
• Demonstrable ongoing Continuous Professional Development.
• Leadership of a technical community of practice, preferably one focussing on technical test assurance practices and international software testing standards such as ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119.
• Leading functional and non-functional test and/or test assurance activities of large-scale, cloud hosted, web-based solutions.
• Exposure to agile delivery teams, with experience of scrum lifecycle, ceremonies and concepts such as user stories, acceptance criteria and the definition of done.
• Experience of automated and manual testing techniques, using and testing open source technology and testing solutions built on a variety of cloud platforms (for example AWS, Azure, Oracle, Fabric).
• Defining a strategic approach to optimise robust test strategies and approaches.
• Identifying testable functional and non-functional requirements and ensure they are analysed and implemented as part of a project.
• Author of software test standards, policies and supporting guidance.
• Stakeholder engagement across a wide range of professions and business functions, building relationships to support delivery of user and business needs.
• Presenting to large and varied audiences with effective communication techniques.
• Oversight of test and assurance activities across multiple delivery teams, defining successful approaches, analysing progress and test results and proactively resolving problems.
• Creating and implementing robust test and assurance processes across the software test and assurance discipline.
• Understanding the impact and awareness of project plans and delivery commitments by implementing risk-based test approaches.
• Mentoring and leading a community of practice of testers, identifying learning and development opportunities, identifying improvements and optimisation, and introducing new test tools and methods.
• Influencing and managing teams and people in a large, complex matrix managed organisation.
• Desirable criteria
• Developing and promoting strategy and translating emerging trends and technologies into the test profession to benefit the organisation.
• Applying Government and/or NHS Service Standards to deliver solutions to meet user needs, with particular emphasis on those that impact or require test effort.
• Business change, rationalisation and transformation Interaction with a range of external, third-party suppliers.
• Use of common agile supportive tooling such as Jira, Confluence, Miro.

Qualifications

• Essential criteria
• Level 6 equivalent qualification in IT or related subject (e.g. BSc Computing) OR Relevant experience of the subject matter.
• Desirable criteria
• Level 7 equivalent qualification in IT (e.g. MSc Computing).

The NHSBSA is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, which is a great place to work and truly reflects the diversity of our customers. We welcome applications from talented people of diverse characteristics including age, disability, gender identity and expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any marginalised group. We also welcome applications from all those in the Armed Forces Community. At the NHSBSA we pride ourselves on being a Disability Confident Leader, Stonewall Top 100 employer and we've recently been awarded the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion Gold Standard benchmark. We offer an invitation to the first stage of the selection process for people with disabilities that wish to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme, and for members of the Armed Forces Community, where all of the essential criteria in the person specification are met.