Test Manager (ARE) at The Scottish Government in Edinburgh
About the role
Lead the quality strategy behind digital services that support more than £600 million of payments into Scotland's rural economy every year.
As a newly created Test Manager role, you will provide technical leadership for the functional, automation and performance test teams within the Division, in addition to providing guidance and advice to the Directorate’s user acceptance test function. You will own ARE’s Test Strategy and engage with stakeholders across and outwith the Directorate, forming productive relationships to deliver value and build confidence in the critical assurance activities.
This post reports to the Head of Software Engineering (C2) at the heart of the Digital Service Operations branch, which is responsible for the effective running of ARE’s digital services.
The Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) Directorate of the Scottish Government is part of the DG Net Zero family of Directorates. ARE’s mission is to work together with stakeholders to enable vibrant and thriving communities and businesses, that protect and enhance Scotland’s nature. ARE relies on digital services to deliver its commitment to support Scotland’s sustainable economic growth in agriculture, the food industry and in rural areas. It does this through direct payments; a broad range of best practice support and education; and ensuring compliance with regulations.
For example, approximately £600 million is paid annually to customers using the major Rural Payments and Services (RP&S) digital platform and other supporting systems. ARE Digital and Data (AD&D) is responsible for providing the capability and capacity that ensures these digital services are reliable, secure and up to date. This requires a broad range of technical competencies, mostly provided by in-house and contracted specialists working in multidisciplinary teams.
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job, and they include the mix of experience, skills and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.
Experience:
- Lead Criteria 1 - You Lead It: Proven experience of leading a test function across functional and non-functional testing in an authoritative position, providing advice and guidance on test planning and execution, and working with external delivery suppliers.
- Lead Criteria 2 - You Design It: Experience of designing and executing a wide range of testing techniques, and communicating test results and expectations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- You Collaborate: Demonstrable ability to work effectively with cross-functional business and technical teams.
- You Know It: In-depth knowledge/qualification of industry standards for testing, including Test automation frameworks and products, and a solid understanding of the risks presented by delivery.
