AAT
Test and QA Lead
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We're Hiring: Test and QA Lead
We're looking for an experienced and proactive Test and QA Lead to lead AAT's testing and quality assurance capability across our technology platforms, products and change initiatives.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about quality, service reliability and continuous improvement. You'll play a key role in ensuring that new systems, enhancements, upgrades and supplier releases are thoroughly tested, fit for purpose, accessible, usable and safe to release.
Working closely with Platform Managers, delivery teams, Service Management, business stakeholders, suppliers and users, you'll help embed quality throughout the delivery lifecycle. You'll provide leadership, assurance and practical expertise to improve release confidence, reduce avoidable incidents and support the delivery of high-quality technology services.
What will you be doing?
As a Test and QA Lead, you'll be responsible for leading AAT's approach to testing and quality assurance across projects, products and platforms.
You'll define testing standards, quality gates and assurance processes, ensuring testing activity is proportionate to risk and aligned with business needs. You'll work across multiple initiatives, coordinating internal teams, suppliers and business users to ensure solutions are thoroughly tested and operationally ready.
You'll combine hands-on testing expertise with leadership and governance responsibilities, helping teams make informed decisions about release readiness while driving quality improvements across the organisation.
Major objectives
- Lead and develop AAT's testing and quality assurance approach across technology projects, platforms and products.
- Define and implement risk-based test strategies that balance delivery pace, business impact, user experience and operational stability.
- Ensure appropriate testing is planned and delivered, including functional, integration, regression, user acceptance, performance and supplier testing.
- Provide quality assurance oversight and act as the escalation point for quality risks, defects and release readiness concerns.
- Define and maintain testing standards, quality gates, governance processes and assurance frameworks across AAT.
- Coordinate testing activities across internal teams, business users, suppliers and delivery partners.
- Support confident release decisions through quality metrics, defect management and clear go/no-go recommendations.
- Champion a user-centred approach to quality, ensuring solutions are accessible, usable and aligned to business needs.
- Drive continuous improvement in testing practices, tooling, automation and release quality.
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What are we looking for?
- Significant experience in software testing, quality assurance or test leadership across projects, products or technology platforms.
- Strong understanding of software testing methodologies, quality assurance principles, Agile delivery and risk-based testing.
- Proven experience developing test strategies, test plans and assurance approaches for complex business and technology change.
- Experience coordinating testing across business users, technical teams, suppliers and delivery partners.
- Strong defect management, analytical and problem-solving skills, with excellent attention to detail.
- Experience supporting release readiness, regression testing, defect triage and quality assurance for business-critical services.
- Knowledge of supplier assurance, release governance, quality metrics and operational service risks.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence decisions and explain quality risks clearly.
- Experience using test management and defect tracking tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira or similar platforms. ISTQB or equivalent testing qualifications would be advantageous.
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We offer
- 📍 Hybrid Working: 1-2 days per week in our Canary Wharf office
- 💷 Salary: £60,000 - £65,000 per annum, based on experience.
- 📅 Closing Date: 5 October 2026. We may close applications earlier if sufficient applications are received
- 🎤 Interviews: Interviews are expected to commence from 19 October 2026.
Why join AAT?
At AAT, you'll have the opportunity to shape and mature testing and quality assurance practices across the organisation. You'll work on a varied portfolio of technology change, collaborate with committed colleagues and suppliers, and help ensure that the services we deliver to students, members and staff are reliable, effective and user-focused.
This is a role where you'll be able to make a visible impact by improving quality, strengthening release confidence and helping AAT deliver technology change safely and successfully.
Our Benefits
- 25 days' annual leave with the opportunity to buy and sell, increasing one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days, plus bank holidays and discretionary days over Christmas
- Group personal pension scheme whereby AAT will contribute up to 10.15%
- Life assurance and critical illness cover
- Health cash plan
- Enhanced maternity and shared parental leave contributions of up to six months' full pay depending on length of service
- Regular wellbeing initiatives
- Cycle2Work scheme and much more.
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