Test Lead

We’re seeking a hands-on Test Lead to join a major public sector programme driving large-scale, data-led transformation. This role combines technical leadership with active delivery—you’ll be leading test strategy, managing a small team, and directly contributing to the testing of complex ETL processes, data warehouses, and large-scale data systems.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading and managing a test team: overseeing day-to-day activities, allocating work, and ensuring quality delivery across multiple streams.
• Providing mentorship and coaching to junior and mid-level testers, raising capability, and embedding best practices.
• Hands-on testing of Big Data, ETL workflows, APIs, and UIs—personally executing test cases and validating data accuracy and transformations.
• Designing, building, and maintaining manual and automated test suites using tools like Playwright, Pytest, and Behave.
• Developing and managing comprehensive test plans, scripts, and reports, ensuring traceability back to requirements.
• Driving quality across Agile teams by reviewing user stories, defining test conditions, and ensuring both functional and non-functional coverage.
• Promoting a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing, encouraging collaboration across delivery teams.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience managing and leading testers in Agile delivery environments, including workload management and coaching.
• Strong hands-on expertise in Big Data, Data Warehousing, and ETL testing—comfortable interrogating data and validating complex transformations.
• Solid Python skills, with experience applying frameworks like Pytest and Behave to build scalable automation.
• A balance of strategic leadership and practical delivery—able to plan, coordinate, and lead, while also directly executing tests when required.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a team culture of quality, accountability, and professional development.
• You will need active SC Clearance for this role - Unfortunately unable to accept any other applications for this role.

This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys leading from the front—balancing management responsibilities with direct technical contribution.