Grade/Salary: Grade E: £50,000 to £60,000 depending upon experience
Location: Hybrid – Home and on-site Milton Keynes. Typically, 1-2 days a week on-site
Contract type: Permanent
Travel: To client sites – mainly Milton Keynes
Hours: 37 hours per week
Reporting to: Head of Quality & Analysis
The Role
Owing to our continued growth and trusted reputation, we are seeking a skilled and proactive Software Quality Assurance Manager to join our team.
You will work closely with the Head of Quality & Analysis, Chief Technology Officer, IT Service Manager and Project Managers. The ability to communicate effectively and engage with customers and the wider team is critical.
You will be the primary point of contact for all quality and testing related issues across multiple concurrent projects.
You will be responsible for ensuring the quality standards required for certification to ISO 20000, ISO27001 and any other security or software compliance requirements placed on the company, including the government’s Cyber Security Model version 4 (CSMv4).
Digital Sensitivity Review
The Digital Sensitivity Review (DSR) service is an AI innovation led data toolset and service, developed by SVGC Ltd and being run in partnership with FCDO Services, for identifying sensitive information in digital files for redaction and archiving to The National Archive to meet the needs of the Public Records Act. Already delivered to FCDO, HM Treasury and Home Office with Department of Business and Trade going through implementation and a number of other departments either having completed or about to initiate a feasibility phase, all major and minor government departments will eventually become DSR-enabled. The DSR is a unique and leading-edge technology and has been heralded across government as “…the only game in town” when it comes to the needs of effective digital data sensitivity identification and redaction.
Responsibilities
* Work with the company Head of Quality & Analysis, the Software and the Data Science teams to define and refine the processes for Software Quality Assurance in accordance with ISO 9001.
* Ensure that the Software Quality Assurance processes are followed by working with the Head of Quality & Analysis to introduce appropriate gate reviews and internal audits to review and validate evidence presented by the Software and Data Science teams.
* Act as the primary point of contact for all quality-related issues across multiple concurrent projects.
* Manage non-conformances from identification through to resolution, ensuring timely and effective closure.
* Lead and facilitate Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations, ensuring robust analysis and sustainable solutions.
* Working with the Test Manager, support the Software and Data Science teams by designing, developing and executing independent Test Plans and Test Procedures, covering functional, regression, performance and security testing to validate software quality.
* Act as an independent witness in formal test events.
* Review and approve technical and quality documentation in line with company and regulatory requirements.
* Participate in design reviews, providing quality input to ensure risks are identified and mitigated early in the development process.
* Support bid and proposal activities by contributing quality-related content, ensuring alignment with customer and regulatory expectations.
* Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to understand product and testing requirements.
* Promote a culture of quality and continuous improvement.
* Monitor quality performance metrics and provide insights and recommendations to drive improvements.
* Ensure compliance with applicable standards, procedures, and customer requirements throughout all project phases.
The Person
* Currently hold Security Checked (SC) or be eligible and willing to achieve SC clearance. Note that eligibility requires sole British nationality or Dual nationality, one of which must be British together with 6 years consecutive residency in the UK.
* A degree in Software Quality, Computer Science, Engineering or related field or equivalent vocational experience.
* 5+ years of experience as a Software Quality Manager in an ISO 9001 quality assurance environment.
* Proven ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks and projects simultaneously while maintaining high attention to detail.
* Confidence in engaging with stakeholders at all levels, from shop floor to senior management, across a variety of technical and non-technical backgrounds.
* Strong decision-making capability, with a willingness to take ownership and accountability for resolving issues through to completion.
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly present complex information to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
* Sound understanding of the software development process including Agile and Waterfall.
* Knowledge and experience of using Jira, Playwright, Gitlab and GitHub.
* Ability to spot variations from acceptance criteria.
* 3+ years of experience writing test plans and procedures, defining test data, executing tests and producing test reports.
* Sound understanding and experience of setting up automated testing for testing applications in a web client environment.
* Experience of using Zephyr.
Cultural Fit
1. Seeing the Big Picture
* Anticipate economic, social, political, environmental and technological developments to keep activity relevant and targeted.
* Identify implications of Company and political priorities and strategy on own area to ensure plans and activities reflect these.
* Create policies, plans and service provision to meet citizens’ diverse needs based on an up-to-date knowledge of needs, issues and relevant good practice.
* Ensures relevant issues relating to their activity/policy area are effectively fed into strategy and big picture considerations.
* Adopt a government-wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy.
* Bring together views and perspectives of stakeholders to gain a wider picture of the landscape surrounding activities and policies.
2. Changing and Improving
* Understand and identify the role of technology in public service delivery and policy implementation.
* Encourage and recognise a culture of initiative and innovation focused on adding value – give people space and praise for creativity.
* Effectively capture, utilise and share customer insight and views from a diverse range of stakeholders to ensure better policy and delivery.
* Spot warning signs of things going wrong and provide a decisive response to significant delivery challenges.
* Provide constructive challenge to senior management on change proposals which will affect own business area.
* Consider the cumulative impact on own business area of implementing change (culture, structure, service and morale).
3. Making Effective Decisions
* Push decision making to the right level within their teams, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery.
* Ensure the secure and careful use of all government and public data and information within their area of activity and Company.
* Analyse and evaluate data from various sources to identify pros and cons and identify risks in order to make well considered decisions.
* Draw together and present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of incomplete and complex evidence and data –able to act or decide even when details are not clear.
* Identify the main issues in complex problems, clarify understanding or stakeholder expectations, to seek best option.
* Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved against the need to act.
4. Leading and Communicating
* Be visible to staff and stakeholders and regularly undertake activities to engage and build trust with people involved in area of work.
* Clarify strategies and plans, communicate purpose and direction with clarity and enthusiasm.
* Stand by, promote or defend own and team’s actions and decisions where needed.
* Confidently engage with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels to generate commitment to goals.
* Lead by example, communicate in a truthful, straightforward manner with integrity, impartiality and promoting a working environment that supports the SVGC Team values and code.
* Be open and inviting of the views of others and respond despite pressure to ignore, revert or concede.
5. Collaborating and Partnering
* Actively build and maintain a network of colleagues and contacts to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests.
* Demonstrate genuine care for staff and others, is approachable and build a strong interpersonal relationship.
* Encourage contributions and involvement from a broad and diverse range of staff by being visible and accessible.
* Work as an effective team player, managing team dynamics when working across company and other boundaries.
* Actively involve partners to deliver a business outcome through collaboration that achieves better results for citizens.
* Seek constructive outcomes in discussions, challenge assumptions but remain willing to compromise when it is beneficial to progress.
6 Building Capability for All
* Ensure that individual and organisational learning and talent development opportunities are fully exploited in order to enhance organisational capability.
* Role model work-place based learning and encourage development, talent and career management for all staff.
* Coach and support colleagues to take responsibility for their own development (through giving accountability, varied assignments and ongoing feedback).
* Establish and drive intra and inter team discussions to learn from experience and adapt organisational processes and plans.
* Identify capability requirements needed to deliver future team objectives and support teams to succeed in delivering to meet those needs.
* Prioritise and role model continuous self-learning and development, including leadership, management and people skills.
7. Achieving Commercial Outcomes
* Work effectively with different organisations such as private sector and voluntary groups (in tandem with commercial experts) to commission and source solutions to achieve policy and organisational goals.
* Understand the commercial drivers that will influence a private or third sector organisation and the levers that can be used in negotiating/influencing contractual arrangements.
* Be able to recognise and understand the commercial tools such as pricing models, open book accounting, supply chain management that commercial experts can deploy to extract value from contracts.
* Interact confidently and effectively as an intelligent and highly credible customer with counterparts from the commercial delivery organisations and commercial experts.
* Question and challenge the value being delivered through commercial arrangements with delivery partners.
* Motivate improved performance by suppliers, challenge any gaps between contractual commitments and actual delivery through joint working with commercial /procurement experts.
8. Delivering Value for Money
* Understand impacts of financial position in own area and that of the organisation and use insight to curtail or support business and investment activities.
* Achieve the best return on investment and deliver more for less on specific budgets by managing resources and maximising the use of assets.
* Balance policy aspiration and delivery, outline risk and benefits of different options to achieve value for money ensuring all submissions contain appropriate financial information.
* Weigh up priority and benefits of different actions and activities to consider how to achieve cost effective outcomes.
* Work with financial processes and tools to evaluate options and ensure financial and management information are accurately reflected in business plans.
9. Managing a Quality Service
* Exemplify positive customer service behaviours and promote a culture focused on ensuring customer needs are met.
* Establish how the business area compares to customer service expectations and industry best practice and identify necessary improvements in plans.
* Make clear, pragmatic and manageable plans for service delivery using programme and project management disciplines.
* Create regular opportunities for staff and customers to help improve service quality and demonstrate a visible involvement.
* Ensure the service offer thoroughly considers customers’ needs and a broad range of available methods to meet this, including new technology where relevant.
* Ensure adherence to legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery and build diversity and equality considerations in plans.
10. Delivering at Pace
* Get the best out of people by giving enthusiastic and encouraging messages about priorities, objectives and expectations.
* Clarify business priorities, roles and responsibilities and secure individual and team ownership.
* Adopt clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels.
* Act as a role model in supporting and energising teams to build confidence in their ability to deliver outcomes.
* Maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging others to do the same.
* Review, challenge and adjust performance levels to ensure quality outcomes are delivered on time, rewarding success.
INTERESTED?
Send your cv with a covering email outlining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria listed above to Judith Armatage – Recruitment Business Partner – j.armatage@svgc.co.uk
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