Test Lead - 12 month FTC in London

The Testing Services team defines testing strategy, standards, tooling, and governance, and provides testing capabilities across projects and BAU change within Pacific Life Re (PL Re). We are seeking an experienced Test Lead to join the Testing Services team on a fixed-term contract (FTC) to cover maternity leave. The role is responsible for leading the planning, coordination, and execution of testing activities across assigned applications or initiatives, delivering high-quality, consistent, and controlled outcomes aligned with Testing Services standards.

The Test Lead will work closely with the Testing Services Manager, project teams, and third-party partners, acting as the primary point of contact for testing execution, readiness, and defect management.

• Lead end‑to‑end test delivery for assigned initiatives, ensuring activities are executed and reported in line with agreed plans and Testing Services standards.
• Coordinate testing across multiple phases, including system testing, integration testing, and support for user acceptance testing.
• Oversee defect management, ensuring timely logging, triage, and resolution in collaboration with delivery and support teams.
• Provide clear and accurate reporting on test status, risk, and readiness to stakeholders.
• Contribute to release and deployment readiness by providing informed testing input and assurance.
• Drive test efficiency across execution by identifying opportunities to improve coverage, quality, and delivery timelines.

• Produce and maintain test plans, schedules, and estimates aligned with Testing Services governance and delivery frameworks.
• Ensure test artefacts (test cases, scripts, evidence, and reports) are complete, accurate, and audit ready.
• Adhere to defined testing standards, controls, and approval processes to ensure compliance and consistency.
• Support continuous improvement by enhancing test processes and ways of working.

• Act as the primary testing point of contact for project and workstream stakeholders, clearly communicating progress, risks, and dependencies.
• Work closely with business analysts, developers, infrastructure teams, and third party suppliers to coordinate testing activities.
• Provide direction and support to test analysts and contract resources engaged in delivery.
• Escalate risks and issues appropriately, with clear options and recommendations.
• Support capability uplift within delivery teams by sharing knowledge, guidance, and best practice.

• Testing certifications (e.g. ISTQB / ISEB).
• Strong experience in software testing, including experience in a Test Lead or Senior Test Analyst role.
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and the role of testing within it.
• Experience working across Agile and Waterfall delivery approaches.
• Hands‑on experience with test management and defect tracking tools (e.g. Zephyr, JIRA).
• Experience coordinating testing activities across third‑party delivery teams and business testers.
• Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt to changing delivery timelines.

• Experience with test automation tools and frameworks.
• Experience with non‑functional testing, such as performance or security testing.
• Experience working in a regulated environment.
• Experience in the (re)insurance industry and/or enterprise platforms (e.g. SAP, Oracle).

Every person in our global team is valued for the unique qualities they bring to our business and we seek to build their expertise and support their individual ambitions at every step. Of course, we take our work seriously and we know our team can operate under great pressure. We work hard and thrive on achievement, but we also know how to have fun and relax too. We regularly host a range of team building days to strengthen our team's connection with each other and reflect on their successes. Providing employees with a healthy work-life balance is very important to our culture. We have a wide range of employee benefits and we host regular social activities and well being initiatives. We are also committed to supporting our employee's involvement in their communities, by actively fundraising, hosting charity events and overseeing volunteering opportunities.

• 25 days of annual leave with option to buy/sell more days
• Adoption and fertility leave
• Generous enhanced parental leave
• Comprehensive private insurance coverage for employee and dependents
• Group Life Insurance coverage of 9x basic annual salary and Group Income Protection up to 75% of basic annual salary
• Optical benefits
• 15% combined employee/employer contributions
• Subsidized gym membership
• Access to Employee Assistance Program
• Cycle to Work and Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Time off for volunteering
• Charitable matching of employee donations

We are committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion that embraces the authenticity of all employees, partners and communities. We support all employees to thrive and achieve their fullest potential. As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we will provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure equal access to applicants with disabilities. Please contact us about your needs so that we can discuss these with you to make sure that suitable adjustments are made, where possible.