Service Validation and Testing Manager

Job summary

At Acas, we help make working life better for everyone.

We are looking for a Service Validation and Testing Manager to join our Digital, Data and Technology directorate at an exciting time, as we establish a new Service Validation and Testing Team.

This is a great opportunity to shape how testing is done across Acas, build a new team, and make a real difference to the quality and reliability of the digital services people rely on.

You will have the space to develop and improve our testing approach, support colleagues to build good practice, and help ensure our services are robust, accessible and ready for users.

You will be joining a friendly, collaborative and supportive working environment where people are encouraged to learn, share ideas and grow their careers. We value different perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

If you are passionate about quality, enjoy working with others, and are looking to develop your test leadership experience, we want to hear from you.

The Service Validation and Testing Team is a new team being established in the Technical projects team at Acas.

The Service Validation and Testing Manager will lead Acas's service validation and testing capability within DDaT. The role will establish and continuously improve a proportionate, risk-based testing approach for new and changed digital and technology services.

The post holder will line manage two Grade 9 Service Validation and Testing Analysts and build consistent testing practice across DDaT.

The role will work with delivery teams and service transition to provide clear evidence on quality, risk and release readiness.

The role will help Acas deliver robust and reliable digital services by strengthening test planning, defect management, reporting, quality gates and post-implementation learning.

Job description

The main accountabilities of this role are as follows –

Strategy and standards

• Define and maintain Acas's service validation and testing approach, standards, templates and reporting.
• Establish risk-based test planning across new and changed services, including appropriate functional, integration, regression, performance and user acceptance testing.
• Define quality metrics and use test evidence, defect trends and post-implementation findings to improve delivery practice.

Delivery and assurance

• Oversee test planning and execution for priority releases, projects and service changes.
• Ensure acceptance criteria, test coverage, test data, environments and release-readiness evidence are clear and proportionate.
• Identify, communicate and escalate quality risks, defects and unresolved issues in a timely way.
• Work with delivery, development, architecture, service transition and business teams to embed testing earlier in the lifecycle.

Leadership and capability

• Line manage and mentor two Grade 9 Service Validation and Testing Analysts.
• Coach colleagues in good testing practice and support consistent ways of working across DDaT.
• Champion pragmatic improvements in automation, CI/CD quality gates and performance testing.

Continuous improvement

• Support post-implementation reviews and translate lessons learned into improved testing standards.
• Keep the testing approach aligned with changing technologies, services and user needs.
• Identify opportunities to improve test tooling, reporting, automation and knowledge-sharing.

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent, manage and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent, manage or resolve workplace problems.

Acas: Britain’s Workplace Experts

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards; it is a Disability Confident Leader, a Pay Gap award winner, and an Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Person specification

Experience

Essential Criteria:

• Evidence of influencing technical and non-technical stakeholders, including explaining quality risks and release-readiness evidence in plain language (Lead criterion).
• Leadership and capability building: evidence of managing, mentoring or coaching testers, analysts or colleagues and improving team practice.
• Delivery and stakeholder management: evidence of successfully coordinating testing across several delivery teams, managing risks and communicating findings.
• Experience translating business requirements, acceptance criteria and user needs into proportionate test coverage.

Technical

Essential Criteria:

• Test strategy and risk-based assurance: evidence of defining and applying risk-based test strategies for digital or technology services, including deciding appropriate test depth, coverage, sequencing and release-readiness evidence (Lead criterion).
• Defect management: evidence of using test evidence, defect trends, quality metrics and reporting to inform delivery decisions, escalate risks and improve testing practice.
• Modern testing practice: evidence of using programming, scripting or low code automation to support testing and CI/CD quality gates.

Desirable Criteria - (the following will be assessed only in the event of tie-breaker scenarios)

Technical

• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics, CRM/case management platforms, cloud services, performance testing.

Qualifications/Memberships

• Membership or chartership of a relevant professional body (for example BCS) or a testing qualification (for example ISTQB Foundation or equivalent experience) is desirable, not essential.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,750, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service contributes £13,543 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

We’re big believers in rewarding people for the amazing work they do, take a look at some of the fantastic benefits we offer:

• Learning and Development;
• Health and wellbeing;
• Pension scheme;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Interest free season ticket loans;
• Volunteering opportunities.

Could you ask for any more?

You’ll have access to a Lifestyle website, where you’ll be able to grab savings over a wide range of products from holidays to your weekly shop.

To find out more please check out - Working for Acas

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