Test Lead

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes. 

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

About the College/Department

Digital Solutions and Services designs, delivers and supports the digital capabilities that underpin learning, teaching, research and the University’s professional services. Working in partnership with colleagues across the University, we develop and manage secure, reliable and accessible applications, data and integrations, ensuring that technology investment delivers measurable value and continually improves the experience of our students and staff.

Our multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in solution architecture, application development and management, enterprise systems, data services, integration and supplier management. We are playing a central role in the University’s transformation ambitions modernising and connecting our digital services, strengthening the use of data, enabling responsible innovation and AI, and creating simpler, more joined-up experiences.

You will join a collaborative and supportive department where quality, continuous improvement and shared ownership are central to delivering sustainable change.

About the Role

As Test Lead, you will provide strategic leadership and assurance for testing across a major University transformation programme and its associated digital, data, integration and service-change releases. You will define and implement a proportionate, risk-based test strategy that ensures solutions are safe, accessible, reliable and ready to support our students and staff.

You will lead the planning, coordination and assurance of end-to-end testing across multiple workstreams, delivery partners and suppliers. This will include functional, system integration, user acceptance, regression, data migration, accessibility, performance, security and operational-readiness testing. You will establish clear quality standards and governance, oversee defect management, test environments and data, and provide senior stakeholders with evidence-based recommendations on quality, release readiness and go/no-go decisions.

A key objective will be to build a sustainable and continually improving testing capability for the University. You will introduce reusable processes and standards, develop a proportionate approach to test automation and regression testing, and coach colleagues to embed shared ownership of quality throughout the delivery lifecycle.

In the short term, you will establish the programme test strategy, governance, integrated test plan and quality measures. Over the medium term, you will coordinate testing across key programme releases, strengthen supplier assurance and develop effective automation and regression capabilities. Longer term, you will help embed a consistent, mature and reusable quality-engineering approach across Digital Solutions and Services.

You will lead and coordinate testing activity undertaken by internal colleagues, business users, delivery partners and suppliers. At present there is no formal line management responsibility, however this may change in the future. There is no routine shift or on-call requirement; however, flexibility will be needed to support planned releases, cutovers and intensive testing periods outside normal working hours where required. You will also be required to work flexibly across University locations and remotely according to programme and testing needs.

This fixed term contract offers the opportunity to develop specialist experience in complex, enterprise-scale transformation within Higher Education, including Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure-integrated services, data migration, automation, accessibility and end-to-end student lifecycle processes.

Due to the time-sensitive nature of the project, there will be a short turn around been the closing date and interview. Interviews will be held on Friday 13th November 2026.

About You

You will be an experienced Test Lead or Test Manager with a strong track record of leading testing across complex, large-scale digital transformation programmes involving multiple systems, integrations, suppliers and stakeholders. You will combine strategic leadership with a practical, hands-on approach and be confident establishing test strategies, integrated plans, quality standards and evidence-based release decisions.

You will have substantial experience of end-to-end testing, including system integration, user acceptance, regression, data migration and relevant non-functional testing. You will also understand test automation, defect management, requirements traceability, test environments and data, and the use of quality measures to provide clear assurance on delivery progress and risk.

An effective communicator and collaborative leader, you will be able to coordinate multidisciplinary teams, business users, delivery partners and suppliers. You will use sound judgement, constructive challenge and clear evidence to influence senior stakeholders and build shared ownership of quality across the delivery lifecycle.

Experience of Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, CRM, portals, Azure-integrated services or Higher Education would be advantageous, as would advanced testing or Agile qualifications. Most importantly, you will bring the credibility, judgement and collaborative leadership needed to establish a sustainable culture of quality and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
• Discounted onsite gym
• Holiday purchase
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A flexible working environment
• A commitment to personal and professional development

Key Contact

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Nick Hinckley, Associate Director of Digital Solution & Services via [email removed] 

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via [email removed]

Important Information

This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the