Test Manager

Test Manager – London Markets Insurance

Permanent £100-110k

London - Hybrid

The Test Manager is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the end‑to‑end testing process for large and medium initiatives, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality outcomes aligned with business needs.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience managing large-scale testing implementations across major programmes, alongside a strong background in software testing, test automation, team leadership, and a commitment to quality and continuous improvement. You will also ideally have strong / recent Insurance industry knowledge or broader Financial Services.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide assurance across the full testing lifecycle, ensuring alignment with industry standards and best practices.
• Develop and implement test strategies, plans, and processes for projects.
• Ensure comprehensive test coverage and requirements traceability.
• Collaborate with developers, IT Quality Assurance Engineers, product managers, domain owners, and other stakeholders to define quality goals and success/sign‑off criteria.
• Oversee the creation and execution of test cases, test scripts, and scenarios.
• Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with business stakeholders and manage end‑to‑end testing at project conclusion.
• Partner with engineering teams to ensure appropriate planning and execution of Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT), Non‑Functional Testing (NFT), and Disaster Recovery (DR) testing.
• Compile test evidence and consolidate test results across all testing areas.
• Provide clear reporting on test progress, metrics, and quality status to stakeholders.
• Manage the defect lifecycle, including triage, prioritisation, and closure.
• Work closely with business teams to ensure defects are prioritised according to impact and business needs.
• Collaborate with implementation partners to ensure adherence to the testing strategy and delivery commitments.
• Facilitate sign‑off processes with business and relevant stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement in testing methodologies and practices.

Required Experience / Qualifications

• Extensive experience managing large‑scale testing initiatives and coordinating testing activity across major programmes.
• Strong background in software testing, including leadership of testing teams.
• Experience working with Agile/Scrum methodologies.
• Strong understanding of QA methodologies, tools, and processes.
• Experience with test management tools (e.g., JIRA).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organisational skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• ISTQB or equivalent certification.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Experience with performance and security testing.
• Familiarity with automation tools such as Selenium, JUnit, or TestNG (beneficial but not essential).