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OAT Test Lead
Location: Hybrid – Birmingham (1 day per week)
Employment Type: Permanent or 12-Month Fixed Term Contract (FTC)
Security Clearance: BPSS (must be eligible)
About Amber Labs
At Amber Labs, we are a people-first technology consultancy delivering secure, scalable digital solutions across the UK public sector. We partner with government organisations to deliver complex digital transformation programmes that improve public services and create lasting value for citizens across the UK.
Our culture is built on collaboration, innovation and continuous learning. We empower our people to take ownership, share knowledge and deliver exceptional outcomes while developing rewarding careers in a supportive and inclusive environment.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT) Test Lead to lead Operational Acceptance Testing activities across a major UK Central Government programme.
Working closely with delivery teams, Service Managers, Operations, Infrastructure, Release Management and business stakeholders, you'll be responsible for ensuring services are operationally ready for transition into live support. You'll oversee the planning, coordination and execution of OAT activities, ensuring operational processes, environments and supporting services have been thoroughly validated before go-live.
This role is ideal for someone with a strong testing background who understands service transition, operational readiness and quality assurance within complex, business-critical environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT) activities.
- Develop and maintain OAT strategies, plans, schedules and operational readiness criteria.
- Ensure operational acceptance activities are completed in accordance with agreed entry and exit criteria.
- Coordinate testing of operational processes including backup and recovery, monitoring, resilience, failover, disaster recovery, support procedures and service transition.
- Work closely with Service Managers, Infrastructure, Release Management, Delivery Teams and third-party suppliers to ensure operational readiness.
- Review operational documentation, support processes, runbooks and knowledge articles to ensure readiness for live service.
- Monitor testing progress, quality metrics, risks and dependencies, providing regular reporting to programme stakeholders.
- Lead defect triage activities relating to operational readiness and support successful resolution prior to release.
- Support quality gate reviews and provide assurance that operational acceptance criteria have been met.
- Promote best practice and continuous improvement across Operational Acceptance Testing and service transition processes.
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Essential Experience
- Demonstrable experience leading Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT) or operational readiness activities on complex digital transformation programmes.
- Experience delivering projects within UK Central Government.
- Strong understanding of Operational Acceptance Testing, service transition and live service readiness.
- Experience developing OAT strategies, test plans, operational acceptance criteria and completion reports.
- Experience coordinating operational testing across infrastructure, application and support teams.
- Experience validating disaster recovery, backup and recovery, monitoring, resilience and failover processes.
- Strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Software Testing Lifecycle (STLC).
- Experience managing defects, operational risks and release readiness activities.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience working within Agile delivery environments.
- Experience using Jira, Confluence and Azure DevOps (or similar collaboration and test management tools).
Desirable Experience
- Experience working with Oracle applications or Oracle database environments.
- Experience using ServiceNow to support service transition, incident, change or operational processes.
- Experience working within ITIL-based service management environments.
- Knowledge of release management and production support processes.
- Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure.
- Familiarity with Government Digital Service (GDS) delivery standards.
- ISTQB Advanced Test Manager, ITIL Foundation or equivalent certification.
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Why Join Amber Labs?
- Permanent or 12-month Fixed Term Contract available.
- Hybrid working with one day per week in our Birmingham office.
- Opportunity to contribute to high-profile UK Central Government digital transformation programmes.
- Supportive, collaborative and inclusive working culture.
- Work alongside experienced multidisciplinary teams delivering secure, user-centred digital services.
- Ongoing opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.
- Play a key role in ensuring critical government services are fully prepared for successful transition into live operation.
What We Offer
- 25 days annual leave plus public holidays
- Private medical insurance with Bupa
- Remote-first working, with access to our Liverpool Street office when you want to collaborate in person
- Personal training budget to support your professional development
- Perkbox membership, with access to discounts across retail, travel, dining, wellness and entertainment
- Electric Vehicle Scheme after one year of service
- Regular team socials and opportunities to connect across the business
- Employer pension contributions
- Referral scheme, offering up to £3,000 for successful hires
- The opportunity to join a growing consultancy early and genuinely influence its direction and success
If you're an experienced OAT Test Lead with a passion for operational readiness, service transition and delivering high-quality digital services, we'd love to hear from you.
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