Testing Lead

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date given.

Testing Lead

If you’d like to be considered for this opportunity, we encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment as if applications are high the role will close before the closing date.

Berkshire

Working pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight. We will consider flexible working requests so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle. Just let us know your preferred working pattern on your application.

Let us introduce the role

To lead and oversee testing across digital and data delivery initiatives, embedding quality assurance practices throughout the delivery lifecycle. The Testing Lead is responsible for defining and maintaining enterprise-wide testing standards, managing the testing team, and ensuring that all digital solutions meet quality, security, and performance expectations prior to deployment.

Key Accountabilities 

Standards and Policies: Accountable for owning and developing the enterprise testing strategy, standards, and frameworks, ensuring alignment with delivery and design governance. 

Testing Strategy and Governance: Define, own, and continuously improve the enterprise testing strategy, frameworks, and standards, ensuring alignment with delivery governance and architectural principles. 

Quality Assurance Leadership: Ensure testing activities across all programmes and projects meet defined quality, coverage, and assurance standards, including functional and non-functional testing. 

Team Leadership and Capability Development: Ensure the right skills, tools, and resources are in place to support delivery at scale. 

End-to-End Test Lifecycle Management: Oversee all phases of the test lifecycle—planning, execution, defect management, and reporting—across multiple concurrent initiatives. 

Operational Readiness and Risk Mitigation: Ensure testing contributes to secure, reliable, and fit-for-purpose solutions, supporting business readiness and minimising go-live risks. 

Compliance and Audit Readiness: Ensure testing practices comply with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and audit standards. 

Key Responsibilities 

Define and maintain testing policies, frameworks, test plans, and quality metrics. 

Support delivery teams in developing robust test strategies, including unit, system, integration, UAT, regression, performance, and security testing. 

Champion modern testing practices such as test automation, continuous testing, and integration into CI/CD pipelines. 

Review and assure the quality of test artefacts including test cases, scripts, traceability matrices, and defect reports. 

Promote early testing engagement and embed “shift-left” practices across the delivery lifecycle. 

Evaluate and implement testing tools and environments that improve efficiency, coverage, and traceability. 

Coordinate test data management and ensure compliance with data privacy regulations. 

Collaborate with cross-functional teams including development, architecture, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure quality is a shared responsibility. 

Provide regular reporting on test progress, quality metrics, and risk indicators to senior stakeholders. 

Manage third-party testing vendors or offshore teams, ensuring alignment with internal standards and delivery expectations. 

Maintain a repository of reusable test assets and best practices to support continuous improvement. 

Some reasons we think you’ll love it here:

AWE has a wide range of benefits to suit you. These include:

9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.

Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).

Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.

Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.

Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.

Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).

Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.

Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

The 'Working at AWE' page on our website is where you can find full details in the 'AWE Benefits Guide'.

All candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role.

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above,

Next steps:

Everyone who works at AWE brings unique skills and perspectives to the table. We recognise that great people don’t always ‘tick every box’. That’s why we focus on your potential, your fit with our values, your transferable skills as well as your experience. Even if you don’t meet every point above, but you feel that this role and AWE are a great fit for you, please go ahead and apply, we’d love to receive your application.

Important things you need to know:

• We encourage you to apply promptly to avoid disappointment if applications are high and the role therefore closes.
• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. 
• We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.