Test Lead

The Test Lead will coordinate and support testing across projects and change initiatives delivered by Leek Building Society. The role combines test leadership with practical test analysis and execution, ensuring testing is proportionate, structured, appropriately evidenced and aligned with the Society’s Change Management Framework.

The role holder will plan testing activity, support the creation and execution of test scripts, coordinate colleagues involved in business testing, oversee defect management, maintain requirements traceability and provide clear reporting on testing progress, quality, risks and issues.

This is both a practical delivery and testing-governance role. The role holder will contribute directly to testing where needed, including writing scripts, executing tests, preparing test data, reviewing evidence and supporting project teams to demonstrate that requirements have been appropriately tested before implementation.

We welcome applications from people who can demonstrate relevant testing experience or transferable capability gained through a range of projects, organisations or career paths., The Test Lead is responsible for the planning, coordination, delivery support and reporting of testing across assigned projects and has proven experience of:

• Developing test strategies, test plans and test approaches appropriate to project risk, scope and complexity.

• Creating, reviewing and executing test scripts, including functional, integration, system, regression and user acceptance testing scenarios.

• Supporting business areas to define test scenarios, expected outcomes and acceptance criteria., * Maintaining clear traceability between requirements, test cases, test scripts, defects and test outcomes.

• Coordinating test resource requirements, test schedules, test environments and test data requirements.

• Managing defects from identification through to resolution, retest and closure.

• Providing regular testing updates, including progress, quality, coverage, risks, issues and readiness recommendations.

• Working with Project Managers, Business Analysts, business stakeholders, Application Support, developers and third party suppliers to ensure testing activity is completed effectively.

• The Test Lead will work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and adapt their communication style for business, technical and supplier audiences.

• The role holder will build collaborative relationships across the Society and with external providers, helping to ensure that testing is practical, clearly understood and delivered to the required standard.

In addition, the Test Lead will be expected to:

• Own the creation and maintenance of project test plans and associated testing documentation.

• Work with project teams to ensure entry and exit criteria are agreed, understood and evidenced.

• Provide hands on support for test preparation and execution, particularly where business teams require guidance or where test capacity is constrained.

• Facilitate defect triage sessions, ensuring defects are prioritised, assigned, tracked and escalated appropriately.

• Ensure test evidence is stored and maintained in a way that supports governance, audit and implementation readiness decisions.

• Identify gaps in test coverage and work with the project team to address them before go live.

• Support the development of reusable testing templates, standards, processes and reporting approaches.

• Contribute to lessons learned and continuous improvement activity, helping to mature the Society’s testing operating model.

• Where appropriate, support service handover and early life support by ensuring known issues, defects, evidence and testing outcomes are clearly understood.

• Carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required., * Be aware of their personal legal obligations and the legal obligations of the Society in relation to Financial Crime

• Be aware of the Society’s Anti-Money Laundering systems and controls and follow the Society’s procedures

• Be alert for anything suspicious in respect of money laundering or fraud and report any suspicions in line with internal procedures

• Do not discuss any suspicions with anyone outside of the Society and do not ‘tip off’ a customer or prejudice an investigation, * Planning or coordinating testing across projects or change initiatives.

• Writing, reviewing or executing test scripts and test cases.

• Supporting user acceptance testing with business stakeholders or subject-matter experts.

• Recording test outcomes, evidence and defects clearly.

• Working collaboratively with technical and non-technical colleagues.

• Planning and prioritising activity across more than one Experience piece of work.

Desirable:

• Creating test plans, reports and traceability documentation.

• Facilitating defect triage and supporting defects through retesting and closure.

• Working with external technology providers or third-party suppliers.

• Testing within a regulated or financial-services environment.
• Supporting improvements to testing processes, templates or standards.

• You must act with integrity.
• You must act with due skill, care and diligence.
• You must be open and co-operative with the FCA, the PRA and other regulators.
• You must pay due regard to the interests of customers and treat them fairly.
• You must observe proper standards of market conduct.
• You must act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers., Essential:

• Practical working knowledge of software-testing principles, methods and lifecycle activities.

• Working knowledge of test planning, design, execution, defect management and reporting.

• An understanding of requirements traceability and how test coverage can be demonstrated.

• An understanding of waterfall, agile or hybrid projectdelivery approaches.

• An appreciation of the importance of controlled testing, Qualifications and appropriate evidence and implementation readiness within knowledge a regulated environment.

Desirable:

• ISTQB Foundation Certificate or an equivalent testing qualification or level of practical experience.

• Experience or knowledge of financial services, building societies, mortgages, savings or regulated change.

• Awareness of operational resilience, customer outcomes and regulatory considerations in change delivery.

• Familiarity with tools used for test management, defect tracking or requirements management., * Effective planning and organisational skills, with the ability to structure testing activity clearly and proportionately.

• Analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to identify gaps, inconsistencies and testing risks.

• Ability to produce clear, repeatable and outcome-focused test scripts.

• Ability to execute tests accurately and record evidence and outcomes clearly.

• Ability to raise concerns and provide constructive challenge where testing is incomplete, unclear or insufficiently evidenced. Skills and abilities * Clear and adaptable communication skills, including the ability to explain testing requirements to colleagues who are not testing specialists.

• Ability to build agreement and support effective decisionmaking across different stakeholder groups.

• Facilitation skills that can be applied to defect triage, test planning and readiness discussions.

• A collaborative, practical and improvement-focused approach.

• Ability to work with detailed information while maintaining awareness of project outcomes, member impact and business readiness.

• Occasional travel to other Society locations may be required. Where possible, this will be planned in advance. Other * There may occasionally be a need to support requirements implementation or critical testing activity outside the normal working pattern. Any such requirement will be discussed and planned in advance wherever reasonably possible.