The Role
For this role, alongside the mechanics of managing test and test teams, we are looking for strong examples of softer leadership skills, including how complex testing risks are communicated to senior audiences, how confidence is built with leadership, and how the function is led rather than managed.
Your responsibilities: (Up to 10, Avoid repetition)
1. Executive Level Test Leadership & Ownership
2. Senior Test Delivery Oversight & Governance
3. Defining and Embedding “What Good Looks Like”
4. Hands On Leadership, Coaching & Capability Uplift
5, Delivery Focus & Go Live Readiness
6. Risk Based Test Management & Assurance
7. Stakeholder & Relationship Management
Your Profile
Essential skills/knowledge/experience: (Up to 10, Avoid repetition)
Executive Level Test Leadership & Ownership
• Act as the accountable owner for the Keystone test function, with clear authority over test scope, priorities, and quality decisions.
• Engage directly with C suite and Executive Directors, providing clear, concise, and credible commentary on test status, risk, and confidence levels.
• Lead resolution of test related conflicts and trade offs, balancing delivery timelines, risk exposure, and quality outcomes.
• Translate deep technical and operational detail into high level, board ready views, enabling informed senior decision making.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to programme and executive leadership on test strategy, readiness, and go live risk.
Senior Test Delivery Oversight & Governance
• Provide oversight across complex, multi workstream testing landscapes, including vendor led and internal delivery streams.
• Establish and embed robust test governance, including:
• Clear quality gates and entry/exit criteria
• Meaningful reporting and metrics
• Transparent risk and dependency management
• Ensure test activity is aligned to programme milestones and critical path delivery.
• Proactively identify, quantify, and manage test risks with a pragmatic, delivery focused mindset.
Defining and Embedding “What Good Looks Like”
• Rapidly assess the current maturity of the test function across people, process, tooling, and governance.
• Define a clear, realistic vision of “what good looks like” for testing within the context of Keystone.
• Develop and implement a targeted uplift approach that balances immediate delivery needs with longer term capability improvement.
• Ensure modern test practices, tooling, and methodologies are applied in a way that is fit for purpose and achievable within programme constraints.
Hands On Leadership, Coaching & Capability Uplift
• Work closely with the existing Test Lead, providing active coaching, mentorship, and constructive challenge.
• Support the Test Lead’s development by strengthening decision making confidence, prioritisation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Role model strong leadership behaviours, clarity of thought, and disciplined execution.
• Build confidence across the wider testing community by providing clear direction, support, and visible leadership.
Delivery Focus & Go Live Readiness
• Operate with urgency and focus, able to rapidly come up to speed in a fast moving, complex programme environment.
• Keep the team relentlessly focused on enabling successful delivery of key milestones, particularly the first Go Live at end of July.
• Ensure testing activity directly supports programme outcomes, avoiding unnecessary complexity while safeguarding quality and risk.
Risk Based Test Management & Assurance
• Lead a risk based approach to testing, ensuring test effort and coverage are aligned to business, customer, regulatory, and operational risk.
• Define and agree risk appetite and test coverage strategy with programme and executive leadership.
• Prioritise testing activity, defect resolution, and assurance effort based on impact and criticality, not volume.
• Provide clear visibility of residual risk, test confidence, and go live readiness, enabling informed executive decision making.
• Acts as the single accountable authority for test related risk recommendations into Go Live decisions.
Stakeholder & Relationship Management
• Operate as an integral part of the programme leadership team, working collaboratively with delivery, product, technology, and vendor partners.
• Build strong, credible relationships quickly across senior leadership and delivery teams.
• Communicate with clarity and authority across both technical and non technical audiences.
• Act as a calming, confidence building presence during periods of delivery pressure.
Key Experience & Attributes
• Proven experience operating in a Head of / Leadership role on large scale, complex transformation programmes.
• Strong track record of executive and board level engagement, including presenting risk, status, and recommendations.
• Deep understanding of modern testing practices and delivery within regulated, multi vendor environments.
• Highly credible leader with the presence, judgement, and communication skills to influence at the most senior levels.
• Pragmatic, delivery driven approach, combined with a passion for building sustainable capability.
Head Of Testing in Reading employer: Tcs Uk
As a Provisioning Engineer at our company, you will thrive in a dynamic work culture that prioritises innovation and collaboration. We offer competitive benefits, including professional development opportunities and a supportive environment that encourages growth in the rapidly evolving telecom sector. Located in a vibrant area, our team enjoys a balance of work and life, making it an excellent place for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment.
