Job Title: Test Manager
Job Description
This Test Manager role is a 100% hands-on technical position based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, operating on a hybrid model of three days per week on site. You will take full ownership of testing across systems in scope, defining the phase test strategy and plans, shaping test environments, and leading end-to-end test delivery in a mixed manual and automated setting. You will manage client and stakeholder expectations while ensuring high-quality outcomes through rigorous test governance, risk management, and continuous improvement.
Responsibilities
1. Define and own the phase Test Strategy and Test Plan, including scope, test levels such as System Integration Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and end-to-end testing (E2E), as well as entry and exit criteria, governance structures, milestones, resourcing, and a risk-based approach.
2. Contribute to and shape the overall Environment Strategy by specifying test environment requirements, including environment types, readiness criteria, stability expectations, access controls, refresh and reset processes, and associated tooling and monitoring needs.
3. Coordinate closely with platform and infrastructure teams to ensure timely provisioning, configuration, and maintenance of test environments that meet agreed readiness and stability standards.
4. Lead test delivery across all systems in scope by overseeing test scenario and test case coverage, coordinating test execution activities, and ensuring robust evidence management and traceability from requirements through to test outcomes.
5. Manage defects, risks, and dependencies by running defect triage sessions, prioritising issues, escalating where necessary, and identifying root-cause themes to support long-term quality improvements.
6. Coordinate cross-team dependencies, working collaboratively with development, data, infrastructure, vendor, and business teams to resolve issues and maintain progress towards delivery milestones.
7. Report on quality status and test progress by providing clear dashboards and updates covering execution progress, environment health, defect trends, and overall readiness.
8. Drive go/no-go recommendations for key milestones and releases based on evidence from testing activities, defect status, and environment stability.
9. Enforce testing controls and standard templates to ensure consistency and quality across all testing activities, including documentation and reporting.
10. Promote and drive continuous improvement in testing practices, optimising ways of working and encouraging the use of automation where appropriate, such as for regression testing, smoke testing, and data validation.
11. Work directly with clients and stakeholders to understand expectations, communicate testing progress and risks, and ensure alignment on testing outcomes and release decisions.
12. Operate effectively in a mixed manual and automated testing environment, ensuring that both approaches are integrated into the overall test strategy and delivery.
Essential Skills
13. Proven experience in test management, with full ownership of test strategy, planning, and delivery across complex systems.
14. Strong background in User Acceptance Testing (UAT), including planning, coordination, and execution oversight.
15. Hands-on experience in manual testing within a structured test management framework.
16. Exposure to or experience with test automation in a mixed manual and automated environment.
17. Demonstrable ability to manage stakeholders and clients, including clear communication of risks, issues, and progress.
18. experience defining and implementing phase Test Strategies and Test Plans, including governance, milestones, and risk-based approaches.
19. experience shaping and managing test environments in collaboration with platform and infrastructure teams.
20. Proficiency in defect, risk, and dependency management, including triage, prioritisation, and escalation.
21. Ability to produce clear quality status reporting, dashboards, and go/no-go recommendations for releases.
22. experience delivering testing within the utilities sector is a strong advantage.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
23. experience promoting and implementing test automation for regression, smoke, and data validation testing.
24. Familiarity with testing controls, standard templates, and best practices for evidence management and traceability.
25. experience working with cross-functional teams including development, data, infrastructure, vendors, and business stakeholders.
26. background in end-to-end testing across multiple systems and integrations.
27. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in identifying root-cause themes from defect data.
28. Ability to drive continuous improvement initiatives within testing functions.
Location
Northern Ireland, UK
Trading as TEKsystems. Allegis Group Limited, Maxis 2, Western Road, Bracknell, RG12 1RT, United Kingdom. No. 2876353. Allegis Group Limited operates as an Employment Business and Employment Agency as set out in the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003. TEKsystems is a company within the Allegis Group network of companies (collectively referred to as "Allegis Group"). Aerotek, Aston Carter, EASi, Talentis Solutions, TEKsystems, Stamford Consultants and The Stamford Group are Allegis Group brands.