Test Manager

Test Manager

£95,000 - £100,000?|?Hybrid (2-3 days per week in the office)?|?London

We are partnering with a global, regulated financial services organisation undertaking significant investment in its enterprise testing capability.

This is a newly created leadership role designed to formalise & elevate testing across complex transformation & BAU portfolios. The mandate extends well beyond operational test management this appointment will define strategy, strengthen governance, optimise third-party delivery, & establish a scalable Test Centre of Excellence.

This is a high-visibility role reporting into senior IT leadership, with direct exposure to executive stakeholders & programme boards.

You will:

• Define & own the enterprise-wide test strategy aligned to regulatory, audit & resilience requirements
• Establish & mature a Test Centre of Excellence to standardise tooling, governance, & quality frameworks
• Lead & optimise a strategic third-party testing partner (onshore & offshore model)
• Drive the transition from manual-heavy delivery to a scalable, automation-led approach
• Introduce measurable KPIs, cost transparency & vendor performance management
• Embed quality assurance across Agile & traditional delivery environments

The organisation operates within a regulated financial services environment where governance, compliance & resilience are critical. Testing must provide demonstrable assurance at programme & enterprise level.

It is a strategic leadership mandate requiring commercial acumen, governance maturity & the ability to influence at Director level.

We are seeking a senior Test Manager or Head of Testing with experience in:

• Leading third-party testing vendors at scale
• Operating within regulated financial services environments
• Establishing or transforming a Test Centre of Excellence
• Defining & delivering automation strategy across enterprise systems
• Engaging senior stakeholders with risk-based reporting & assurance frameworks
• Working across complex portfolios including SaaS & bespoke platforms

You will combine strategic thinking with delivery credibility & be able to evidence where you have built capability, reduced risk exposure, improved automation maturity & enhanced vendor performance.

Strong stakeholder presence & commercial awareness are essential.

This is a rare opportunity to build a testing capability properly with executive backing & clear investment intent.

The successful candidate will shape the organisation's long-term quality framework, materially influence cost efficiency, & elevate testing from operational function to strategic assurance capability.

Apply via the link or contact Brushoth Kannapiran at brushoth@pioneer-search.com.