THIS IS A FLEXIBLE, HYBRID WORKING ROLE, GIVING YOU THE WORK LIFE BALANCE TO WORK FROM HOME AND MANAGE YOUR OWN DIARY IN REGARDS TO ON-SITE OFFICE TIME IN LEEDS

What's in it for you?

Along with offering a competitive salary package, we also offer:

• A supportive team environment where everyone really is working toward the same goal
• A strong open door policy within management
• An environment where you will be given the tools and opportunities to further your career
• Pension scheme
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays with option to buy additional holiday
• FREE Onsite Parking
• Flexible home working
• Cycle to work Scheme
• Reward schemes

Job Summary:

Defines, develops and executes Global Cross Functional Test Team Policy/Strategy and Structure. Ensuring the highest quality of output from GIS developments and minimum risk of failure in our Production Systems. Provides high quality, cost effective, and efficient systems, services and processes to ensure we meet current and future demands. Identifies and pursues opportunities for improving testing methods and procedures. Monitors industry trends for applicability of technology direction and industry best practice. Optimizes technology and approach to support business processes and technology information systems/platforms. Provides oversight and direction regarding team assignment, financial and operational activities/overheads.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Global responsibility for Managing Cross Functional Test Team activities, expansion and development
• Develop a Test Strategy to define techniques, tools and workforce required to execute Premier Farnell strategic objectives.
• Working with Test Team Leads/managers in all test disciplines to implement suitable tools and techniques ensuring testing is in line with industry best practice wherever possible.
• Manage Training, recruitment, equipment and contract workforce budgets across multi-functional global test teams.
• Collaborate closely with all Premier Farnell Team Managers to ensure that overall Test Strategy is aligned with the strategy and requirements of all Teams.
• Work with Director, eCommerce Software Engineering and other management peers to set and Manage Stakeholder expectations in formal planning and reporting sessions for global and regional project implementations.
• Development of permanent team skills through annual reviews, Aspiration and development planning and regular 1-2-1s. (Including Skip level 1-2-1s with individual team members within each test function.)
• Management of multiple teams across multiple locations
• Working with 3rd party managed and augmented testing services both Offshore and landed

• Drive and Promote Test Strategy for Agile/DevOps transformation/improvement initiatives.
• Analysis and measurement of the effectiveness of existing test processes and development of sustainable, repeatable and quantifiable improvements.
• Design and delivery of tester training programs that may be applied globally.
• Ensuring the quality of project technical deliverables by executing test plans and confirming outcomes meet functional and non-functional requirements.
• Plan, direct, monitor and coordinate activities related to projects and programs ensuring cost, schedule, scope and technical deliverable requirements are met.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Level Specifications:

• Develop strong relationships with 3rd party resource and service providers, attend participate in and lead negotiation meetings to ensure that we obtain best value for money.
• Defining and Maintaining the SLAs for the test support of other Global GIS teams.
• Identifying areas of weakness in team and mitigating with training or recruitment.
• Management of 3rd party test workforces – both on and off-shore.
• Planning and executing the expansion requirements of a global testing team.
• Managing Stakeholder/sponsor expectations and representing the Various Test functions in meetings with the senior leadership team.
• Promoting the Test team and presenting strategic objectives and test progress updates in PF Global Town Hall meetings and other companywide updates.
• Running Multiple Globally dispersed teams with different Test Functions/technical requirements and project requirements across multiple streams of project activity.

Work Experience:

• Typically 10+ years Test Experience
• Minimum 5+ years of Supervisory, Leadership Test Planning experience
• Automation Test Tools (QTP, UFT, Selenium, Cypress, Postman, SOAP UI etc…)
• Non-Functional Test Tools (Rational Performance tester, Loadrunner, Storm Runner, Silk Performer, JMeter, NEO Load etc…) 

Education and Certification(s):

Required:

• Computer Science Degree or equivalent experience
• (Minimum) Intermediate Level - ISTQB Qualification Software testing or equivalent experience.

Desired:

• ISTQB/BCS Practitioner Qualification In Software Test Management
• Prince 2 Foundation in Project Management
• Scrum Master Qualification/Agile Testing qualification
• Knowledge of development Languages

Distinguishing Characteristics:

• Global Role
• Multifunctional, Multi-discipline Teams
• Multiple Portfolio/delivery cycles to Manage
• Multiple delivery methods
• Stakeholder Management Responsibilities
• Collaborative
• Agile Mindset
• Open minded, Tool and process agnostic
• Innovative