Job Description

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.

• Shape the testing function through recruitment and development, including training and addressing skills gaps.
• Creation, implementation, and continued maintenance of the Directorate’s Test Policy/Strategy.
• Provide recommendations on test tooling and techniques, implementing and embedding these into standard practices in the overall QA approach, including automation and service validation.
• Responsibility for seeking industry best practices and advising on QA improvements, such as refining existing processes or creating new ones and embedding automation.
• Liaise with stakeholders to establish and maintain the risk-based test approach to all areas of testing, including system, SIT, and OAT, with a strong appreciation for promoting test automation.
• Work closely with delivery and product teams to manage timelines, test coverage, and overall test quality across the portfolio.
• Oversee multiple work streams and assure all test deliverables on the work stream adhere to the standards defined in policy. This includes supplier-led deliveries, regular maintenance updates, and small to medium-sized deliveries.
• Responsible for portfolio management, including establishing and maintaining influential relationships across the work stack and future-proofing the team’s capability.
• Take responsibility for talent, succession planning, and supplier management.
• Establish and maintain influential relationships with teams internal and external to the Digital team with the view of implementing policy and/or consulting on best practices.
• Lead on remediation and coordination between multiple teams in the pursuit of resolving defects.
• Report on progress, risks, issues, and dependencies at all stages of test delivery.
• Accountable for all test documentation, including processes to adhere to compliance and auditability.