At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead testing efforts and implement best practices across diverse teams.
- Company: Join HM Revenue & Customs, a dynamic government organisation.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, 25 days holiday, and retail discounts.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on user experience for 76,000 colleagues.
- Qualifications: Experience in test management and strong problem-solving skills required.
- Other info: Great career growth opportunities in a supportive environment.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Join to apply for the Test Manager role at HM Revenue & Customs.
This range is provided by HM Revenue & Customs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more. Base pay range 60% Flex/Hybrid working per month from NE98 hub. 25 days holiday + 1 day per year in service. Cycle to work scheme + Family friendly policies + Personal support + Upskilling. Retail Discounts, Schemes and free entry to most Heritage England sites + more.
Role closes 11:55pm Friday 14/11/25
About the Role
Do you have experience of working in a diverse team of differing responsibilities, and leading direction and test strategy in a large business function? We are looking for a strong Test Manager who can focus on complex problem solving, provide technical understanding and support product and platform teams and influence the members of the Service Central organisation. You will also be part of a centralised community of testers and as a leader you will have the opportunity to participate in defining and rolling out best practice across the HMRC estate.
About the Team
Within HMRC’s Chief Digital & Information Group (CDIO), specifically in the Service Central and Technical Services (SC&TS) team we exploit the ServiceNow platform capability to optimise user experience and build capability across our organisation. We deliver reliable, secure, and supportable solutions to around 76,000 colleagues across HMRC. Our teams are accountable for the support, management and development of platforms, tools and infrastructure that sit within Service Central eco-system. Our focus is on ensuring consistent and excellent customer experience.
Job Description
As a Test Manager you will implement a risk-based testing approach across agile, multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring best practices are embedded early and consistently. You will collaborate with delivery teams and customers, providing strategic direction on testing processes and acting as an authority for issue resolution.
Key Responsibilities
- Takes ownership of delivery, create the test plans and leads its implementation.
- Manage and co-ordinate testing efforts in complex platform environments (e.g., ServiceNow, SAP), ensuring robust quality standards for both internal and third-party solutions.
- Technical Expertise & Problem-Solving – Apply advanced test techniques, influence senior stakeholders, and identify opportunities for process improvements.
- Be responsible for test improvement and optimisation.
- Tooling & Governance – Assess, implement, and optimize test tools while establishing governance for supplier and third-party initiatives.
- Quality & Risk Management – Validate security, usability, and accessibility requirements, write test approaches, and drive continuous improvement through retrospectives.
Person Specification
This role requires a strong, well rounded, disciplined, and dynamic individual with proven test management capabilities. The individual must be analytical to support the testers and developers providing strategic test direction. The person should have a demonstrable ability to work and report across all levels of stakeholders and third parties.
You Will:
- Lead testing to mitigate the risks of change across the Service Central Platform.
- Advise, design and execute functional test cases.
- Assess and peer-review the work of others.
- Coach and mentor others.
- Design & execute non-functional test cases using standard testing techniques.
- Think creatively, ask the right questions and critically evaluate and communicate findings to a larger team.
- Understand the hierarchy of test environments and the levels of testing as the product moves the life cycle to Production.
- Demonstrate a good working knowledge of different tools and techniques and can train others.
- Advise others on testing techniques and frameworks.
- Analyse and review data to identify problems and opportunities and make informed recommendations in line with strategic business objectives.
- Communicate test approaches and make recommendations to influence senior stakeholders.
- Solve complex problems, applying logical reasoning.
- Actively hold (or be willing to obtain) SC Clearance.
Essential Criteria
- Lead full lifecycle testing, including unit, functional, and end-to-end testing, ensuring quality throughout within Service Now environment.
- Establish and drive quality initiatives, selecting appropriate testing tools, methodologies, and approaches and embed best practices across teams, platforms and complex environments.
- Lead cross team testing and liaise with team members to enhance User stories.
- Ensure "Three Amigo" sessions are conducted for complex User Stories to improve clarity.
- Manage and track defects using appropriate tools ensuring timely resolution and retesting.
- Coordinate and schedule test activities across multiple teams, platforms, and complex environments.
- Produce quality-driven test reports and ensure functional and non-functional requirements are embedded in solutions.
- Communicate findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
- Communicate effectively to coach, collaborate, influence, and lead diverse teams while driving continuous improvement in testing practices.
Ideal Experience
- Experience implementing and optimizing test automation frameworks (e.g. Automated Test Framework (ATF), Tosca).
- Background and experience in one or more programming languages.
- Experience testing across a range of platforms e.g. Client/Server/Web/Unix/VME etc.
- Proficiency with test management and automation tooling such as Zephyr, JIRA, SOAP UI, Selenium, Postman, JMeter, Cucumber.
- Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and associated tools i.e. Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Jenkins.
- Experience working within Agile/Scrum team.
- Working knowledge of ITIL 4.
Transitional Sites Information
If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.
- Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
- Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford
Seniority level Mid-Senior level
Employment type Full-time
Job function Analyst, Management, and Information Technology
Industries: Government Administration
Test Manager in Newcastle upon Tyne employer: HM Revenue & Customs
Contact Detail:
HM Revenue & Customs Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Test Manager in Newcastle upon Tyne
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former employees at HM Revenue & Customs on LinkedIn. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by practising common questions related to test management. Think about how you’d tackle complex problem-solving scenarios and be ready to share examples from your past experiences.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your skills during the interview! Bring along a portfolio of your previous work or case studies that highlight your testing strategies and successes. This will help you stand out as a strong candidate.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team at HMRC.
We think you need these skills to ace Test Manager in Newcastle upon Tyne
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Test Manager role. Highlight your relevant experience in leading testing strategies and working with diverse teams, as this will show us you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t forget to mention your technical expertise! We want to see your experience with tools like ServiceNow, JIRA, and any programming languages you know. This helps us gauge how well you can fit into our tech-savvy environment.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read through your achievements and skills. We appreciate a straightforward approach!
Apply Through Our Website: Remember to apply through our official website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need there.
How to prepare for a job interview at HM Revenue & Customs
✨Know Your Testing Frameworks
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of testing frameworks like Automated Test Framework (ATF) and tools such as Selenium and JIRA. Be ready to discuss how you've implemented or optimised these in past roles, as this will show your technical expertise and problem-solving skills.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
As a Test Manager, you'll need to lead diverse teams. Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed cross-team testing efforts and influenced stakeholders. Highlight your experience in coaching and mentoring others, as this will showcase your ability to drive continuous improvement.
✨Understand the Agile Environment
Since the role involves working within Agile/Scrum teams, be prepared to discuss your experience in these environments. Share specific instances where you've contributed to sprint planning or retrospectives, and how you've ensured quality throughout the testing lifecycle.
✨Communicate Effectively
Strong communication is key for this role. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely, especially when discussing complex testing strategies or findings. Be ready to explain how you've communicated test approaches to senior stakeholders in the past.