LPPA Pensions
Test Function Lead
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Test Function Lead
Test Function Lead (Hybrid or Remote) (with regular travel to Preston, Lancashire)
Remote/Hybrid Working
- Home working contracts available for candidates 50+ miles from Preston offices
- 37 hours per week
- Competitive salary: £60,000 – £70,000 per annum (DOE) (inclusion in annual Bonus scheme)
A Glance at the Role
We’re seeking a Test Function Lead to join our Change Team, shaping, governing, and continuously improving testing across LPPA’s Change Roadmap.
A senior opportunity for an experienced test leader to:
- Set the strategic direction, establish standards and methodologies.
- Collaborate closely with:
- Project teams
- Business teams
- Systems colleagues
- External partners
- Support high-quality delivery.
Key responsibilities:
- Lead and develop the testing function.
- Champion early testing involvement.
- Embed a culture of quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the testing lifecycle.
About Us
Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) is a multi-award-winning organisation and a leading UK pension administration company.
- Operations:
- Deliver services for over 1,500 employers.
- Manage over 700,000 member accounts.
- Support penalties Local Government, Police, and Firefighter schemes.
- Partner closely with employers to educate and support pension management.
What We Can Offer You
- Salary and benefits: £60,000 – £70,000 (DOE), with bonus eligibility.
- Leave entitlements:
- Flexible: 25 days’ holiday + 3 bank holidays + 2 concessionary days + 1 birthday day.
- Paid time-off: ‘Buy and sell leave’ flexibility.
- Pension scheme: Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (employer contributions).
- Healthcare & support:
- Health or dental plan option.
- Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
- Earning opportunities:
- Referral bonus scheme.
- Discount benefits:
- Bespoke Reward Discount Scheme (‘Your Perk Site’).
- Wellbeing & social engagement:
- Wellbeing webinars.
- Office social events.
- On-site perks:
- Complimentary free fruit and snacks.
- Secure free parking in Preston City Centre.
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What You’ll Be Doing
-
Strategy & planning:
- Define the overall test strategy for the Change Roadmap:
- Methodologies
- Deliverables
- Tool selection
- Create the automation strategy and roadmap for long-term testing efficiency.
- Define the overall test strategy for the Change Roadmap:
-
Lifecycle involvement:
- Embed testing early in the development lifecycle.
- Act as a quality enabler for change deliveries.
-
Metrics & governance:
- Establish and track KPIs (defect density, test coverage, pass/fail rates).
- Ensure release readiness through testing alignment.
-
Team leadership & development:
- Lead, coach, and develop the testing team:
- Resource planning
- Task allocation
- Daily synchronisation
- Peer review management
- Lead, coach, and develop the testing team:
-
Project execution:
- Create/test plans, provide detailed estimates, and scenarios.
- Sustain engagement suitable for the Change Roadmap’s pace.
-
Risk management:
- Identify testing risks upfront, design mitigation strategies.
-
Hands-on leadership:
- Demonstrate expertise by supporting complex testing activities in high-pressure periods.
-
Environment & data prep:
- Validate testing environments, define test data requirements.
-
Defect & reporting:
- Oversee defect control and daily triage, conduct root cause analysis (collaborating with systems teams and external partners).
- Produce regular test execution reports:
- Progress against plans
- Pass/fail rates
- Outstanding risks
-
Stakeholder management:
- Build relationships with:
- Business Analysts.
- Project/Business teams.
- External partners.
- Deliver shared quality outcomes.
- Build relationships with:
-
Coordinating user acceptance testing (UAT):
- Align and manage the UAT process.
- Up-front resource planning with business teams.
- Align and manage the UAT process.
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What We Need from You
Core Requirements:
- 5+ years’ experience in leading testing teams, including:
- Performance management.
- Coaching and mentoring.
- Demonstrated leadership in QA/Test roles:
- Held senior coordinator roles.
- Practical experience:
- Resource planning and capacity management.
- Allocation of testing resources across multiple projects/priorities.
- Change management leadership:
- Experience managing teams through technological, process, or organisational changes.
- Technical expertise:
- DevOps knowledge.
- SQL for data validation.
- API testing skills.
- Automation capabilities:
- Developed/maintained automation frameworks to boost efficiency.
- Analytical and reporting strengths:
-Strong analytical skills, including:
- Code and complex data review.
- Actionable report production.
- Clear communication of issues and resolutions to non-test teams.
- Ability to cut through complexity for wider stakeholders.
- Time and workload management:
- Drive testing efficiency.
- Minimise risk of change fatigue.
- Proactive mindset:
- Self-motivated.
- Independent working.
- Committed to upholding LPPA’s core values.
Nice to Have (N/A)
Candidates with the following would be additionally valued:
- Industry experience:
- Pension administration
- UPM software
- Public sector.
- Azure DevOps know-how:
- Testing management.
- Defect tracking.
- CI/CD pipeline integration.
- Digital testing familiarity for websites.
Qualifications
- Recommended certifications:
- ISTQB Advanced Level (Test Manager).
- Or, ISTQB Foundation Level with Agile Tester Extension.
Working with and Upholding Our Values
- Working together – Collective problem-solving.
- Committed to excellence – High standards in everything.
- Doing the right thing – Ethical and have integrity.
- Forward thinking – Innovate and progress responsibly.
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