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# Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) Lead - 6 months - Inside IR35 - Hybrid in Reading

- **Company:** Hamilton Barnes
- **Location:** Reading, UK
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Contract
- **Skills:** JIRA, Microsoft Azure, Batch Processing, System Configuration, Disaster Recovery, Test Data, Data Logging, Performance Testing, Integration Tests, Performance Monitor
- **Published:** July 2, 2026
- **Apply:** https://computerjobs.com/gb/en/mob/job/A603DB7C779CB267C0

## About the Role

* 10+ years in Testing, Quality Engineering, or Service Readiness
 * Strong hands-on experience in Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)
 * Experience delivering within large-scale transformation programmes
 * Strong knowledge of integration testing, batch processing, and enterprise operational workflows
 * Familiarity with ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change Management)
 * Experience with JIRA and/or Azure DevOps
 * Strong stakeholder management and vendor coordination skills
 * Proven ability to manage risks, dependencies, and operational readiness

## Description

Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) Lead - 6 months - Inside IR35 - Hybrid in Reading

Overview of the Role

We are currently seeking an experienced Operational Acceptance Test (OAT) Lead to join a major transformation programme within the utilities sector. This is an excellent opportunity for a senior testing professional to lead operational readiness and ensure business-critical systems are prepared for production deployment.

This role will focus on validating operational processes, service readiness, non-functional assurance, and production stability across a complex enterprise ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities:

 * Define and own the end-to-end Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT) strategy
 * Develop OAT plans, scope, timelines, entry/exit criteria, and governance framework
 * Validate operational readiness across business processes, support models, monitoring, and system integrations
 * Ensure production readiness for batch jobs, scheduling, logging, alerting, and business continuity
 * Lead non-functional testing including stability, resilience, backup, recovery, and disaster recovery
 * Coordinate production-like environment setup and test data readiness
 * Manage OAT defects, risks, and issue resolution with cross-functional teams
 * Validate support readiness across L1/L2/L3 teams including runbooks and SOPs
 * Support Go-Live decision-making through readiness reporting and KPI tracking

Required Skills & Experience:

 * 10+ years in Testing, Quality Engineering, or Service Readiness
 * Strong hands-on experience in Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)
 * Experience delivering within large-scale transformation programmes
 * Strong knowledge of integration testing, batch processing, and enterprise operational workflows
 * Familiarity with ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change Management)
 * Experience with JIRA and/or Azure DevOps
 * Strong stakeholder management and vendor coordination skills
 * Proven ability to manage risks, dependencies, and operational readiness


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