Test Lead

Test Lead – Pensions (Hybrid / Remote with travel to Preston) Salary circa £65,000 (DOE)About the role This is a brand-new opportunity for an experienced Test Lead to join our growing Change Team during a period of significant transformation and continuous improvement.As a senior member of the team, you will act as the strategic owner of testing, defining the roadmap while also leading delivery across projects.You will:- Define and lead the testing strategy and lifecycle- Ensure all systems and products meet quality standards prior to release- Champion best-in-class testing practices across LPPA- Build strong relationships and collaborate effectively across teams About LPPA LPPA is a multi-award-winning organisation and one of the UK’s leading pension administration providers, supporting over 1,500 employers and 700,000 members across Local Government, Police and Firefighter pension schemes.What we offer- 25 days’ holiday + bank holidays + concessionary days + birthday leave- Option to buy/sell leave- Local Government Pension Scheme (generous employer contribution)- Health or Dental Plan- Employee Assistance Programme- Reward discount scheme ("Your Perk Site")- Wellbeing initiatives and social events- Free fruit/snacks and parking in Preston Key responsibilities Test Strategy & Governance- Define test strategy, tools and methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, DevOps)- Embed shift-left testing principles- Establish and track KPIs (e.g. defect density, coverage, pass rates)- Lead testing governance across the business- Define automation roadmap and maintain testing velocity Technical Leadership & Delivery- Develop detailed test plans, scenarios and estimates- Identify risks and implement mitigation strategies- Carry out complex testing and support delivery as needed- Manage environments and test data requirements- Oversee defect management, triage and root cause analysis- Produce clear reporting on progress, risks and quality Team Leadership- Manage, mentor and grow a team of test analysts- Allocate work based on skills and development needs- Lead daily syncs and drive continuous improvement Stakeholder & Relationship Management- Collaborate with project teams to ensure shared quality ownership- Align testing with Change Governance- Partner with Business Analysts to ensure high-quality requirements- Work closely with Systems teams on releases and change planning- Coordinate UAT with business teams- Manage third-party relationships to ensure quality standards What we’re looking for Essential- Strong expertise in DevOps, SQL and API testing- Experience developing or maintaining automation frameworks- Excellent analytical and reporting capabilities- Strong communication skills, able to simplify complex issues- Effective time management and delivery focus- Proactive, self-motivated and aligned to LPPA values- Minimum 3 years’ experience in a QA/Test leadership role Desirable- Experience in pensions (ideally UPM) or public sector- Experience with Azure DevOps and CI/CD pipelines- Website / digital testing experience- ISTQB certification (Advanced Test Manager or equivalent)Our values- Working together- Committed to excellence- Doing the right thing- Forward thinking