QA Test Manager in Houghton-Le-Spring

Renaissance is a global leader in education technology. We help schools and school groups in the UK and around the world with educational assessments, practice and intervention solutions, and data analytics. Renaissance now incorporates GL Assessment (known internationally as GL Education), too – a leading provider of educational assessments. Together, our assessments offer the ideal starting point to help teachers understand their students' strengths and pinpoint areas of need. Our teaching and learning tools then provide effective next steps, with online literacy and maths solutions that meet students exactly where we are. Worldwide, we support over 18 million students, operating in over 100 countries.

At Renaissance, our Tech Hub is growing and we’re excited to welcome a QA Test Manager who’s passionate about quality, collaboration and continuous improvement. If you love empowering teams, shaping QA strategy, and delivering exceptional software experiences, we’d love to hear from you.

As our QA Test Manager, you’ll play a key role in ensuring we deliver high‐quality, reliable products that meet the needs of our customers and the business. You’ll lead our QA strategy, champion best practices, and help embed a culture where quality is everyone’s responsibility.

• Leading our Quality Assurance strategy, including setting standards for the responsible use of AI to support the delivery of high‐quality, dependable software.
• Designing, implementing, and evolving robust QA processes, proactively identifying risks and ensuring quality across the entire software lifecycle.
• Owning and optimising end‐to‐end testing activities—from System and Integration testing to Automation, Regression, Performance, Security, UAT and more.
• Overseeing test planning, estimation, execution, defect management and reporting across multiple products and delivery teams.
• Driving the adoption and evolution of automation frameworks and test tooling to improve efficiency, coverage and consistency.
• Embedding quality practices into Agile teams, ensuring testing happens throughout the development cycle—not just at the end.
• Partnering closely with Product, Sales, Support and Customer teams to ensure requirements are clear, testable and aligned with business needs.
• Championing a risk‐based approach to testing, focusing resources where they make the biggest impact.
• Leading root‐cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives to help prevent repeat issues.
• Encouraging the practical, responsible use of AI tools (e.g. test scenario generation, documentation enhancement, data analysis) to boost productivity and quality.
• Coaching and supporting Test Analysts, fostering a culture of learning, inclusion and shared ownership of quality.

• Previous experience in software testing and Quality Assurance, including leading testing across complex systems.
• Experience developing and delivering QA strategy, governance and risk‐based testing.
• Strong understanding of both functional and non‐functional testing (automation, regression, performance, security, UAT).
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments with modern engineering practices such as CI/CD and shift‐left testing.
• Hands‐on experience with test automation frameworks and test management tools.
• Ability to assess system risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with confidence working with both technical and non‐technical audiences.
• Experience coaching and developing Test Analysts or team members.
• Strong analytical, critical‐thinking and problem‐solving skills.
• Curiosity and practical experience using AI‐assisted tools (e.g. for test case generation, data insights, documentation or productivity improvements).
• Understanding of responsible, ethical and safe use of AI within software delivery.

This is a hybrid role based at our Houghton Le Spring office, with the team typically coming together a couple of times per week.

• 25 days’ holiday (including 3 days for our Christmas shutdown)
• An additional day off for your birthday
• Access to a benefits and discounts platform with thousands of offers (via Reward Gateway)
• BUPA Healthcare, Life Assurance and health insurance
• Flexible working options and childcare benefits via salary sacrifice
• Enhanced pension scheme with 8% employer contribution
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Office events and 5 volunteering days to support causes you care about

We have an ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and have taken strides to become a more welcoming and inclusive workplace, including the introduction of our DEI Matters Network which is owned and driven by our staff. We are an equal opportunities employer. We encourage and welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, as we believe and strive for community representation within our organisation.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend any interview, please contact us and we will talk this through with you. All your information will be kept confidential according to GDPR guidelines. Please note that we can only consider applicants who already hold a full work permit. This role is subject to DBS and background checks.