Test Manager - £450p/d Inside IR35 - Hybrid

Test Manager Contract
Location: London - hybrid
Rate: £450 per day
IR35: Inside IR35
We are looking for an experienced Test Manager to lead testing strategy, governance and assurance across a large-scale technology transformation programme.
This role will sit across multiple workstreams and suppliers, ensuring that testing is appropriately planned, evidenced and completed before solutions progress through programme assurance and readiness gates.
Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the overall programme testing strategy.
• Establish testing standards, governance, reporting and evidence requirements.
• Review and challenge supplier and workstream test approaches.
• Lead and coordinate SIT, E2E, integration and UAT activities.
• Define end-to-end test scenarios across critical business and technical journeys.
• Coordinate test schedules, environments, dependencies and participants.
• Oversee defect triage, prioritisation, remediation and retesting.
• Assess residual testing risk and escalate significant concerns.
• Produce consolidated testing status and assurance reporting.
• Present testing readiness and outcomes to senior stakeholders and governance forums.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience leading testing across large-scale IT or digital transformation programmes.
• Strong experience across SIT, E2E, UAT and integrated testing.
• Experience working across multiple suppliers, delivery teams and workstreams.
• Strong understanding of testing governance, assurance and readiness processes.
• Experience managing defects, risks, dependencies and test evidence.
• Comfortable presenting testing status and readiness to senior stakeholders.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience within Public Sector, NHS or Arm s Length Body environments.
• Exposure to M365, Identity, ServiceNow, EUC or Enterprise Services programmes.
• Experience supporting major organisational integrations or mergers.
• ISTQB or equivalent testing qualification.

This is a programme-level Test Manager role, so we are particularly interested in candidates with experience owning testing governance and assurance across complex environments, rather than purely hands-on test execution.