Senior Test Manager - Public Sector
| Posting date: | 06 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £90,000.0 to £105,000.0 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £90000 - £105000 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 13 March 2026 |
| Location: | London, London, EC2V 6DN |
| Company: | Hays Specialist Recruitment |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 4777066_1772792203 |
Summary
A major professional services organisation is establishing a new, "best-in-class" Quality Engineering and Testing practice with a clear mission: to accelerate business change. By combining deep internal industry expertise with leading testing tools, methods and practices, the aim is to help clients deliver efficient, high‑quality transformation while minimising risk.The organisation is currently recruiting Senior Managers to support its public‑sector advisory team. Successful candidates will play a key role in shaping and expanding the Quality Engineering and Testing practice through sector expertise, client engagement and identifying new business opportunities.This role involves helping to define and grow the testing offering within the public sector, taking responsibility for revenue goals, expanding the business development pipeline and creating compelling value propositions across a wide range of public services, including government, healthcare, defence, education and transport.
You will support the Testing Practice Director and Partners in:
- The development of the Testing Practice by formulating unique, value-add propositions and solutions that meet public sector client requirements, in addition to managing and directing pursuit activity.
- Delivering an individual revenue sales target.
- Mentoring and coaching other members of the team.
- Developing and converting a pipeline of opportunities across public sector clients.
- Performing a key role in account and sector development across IGH, helping the leadership to build the top line.
- Building and maintaining strong client relationships across public sector clients, leveraging proven industry content and delivery capability.
- Performing a senior role in delivery of engagements as required.
Job Requirements:
- Sales and Delivery, with associated sales and utilisation targets. Strong bid management abilities, with a proven ability to mentor and coach more junior team members.
- Solution development, showing a clear ability as a Quality Engineering and Testing Subject Matter Expert to enhance existing solutions, and develop new ones, with specific emphasis on software testing as it relates to IT solutions and transformation in the public sector.
- People management, building a team of consultants with the right mix of grades, competencies and experience to support client opportunities and projected growth.
- Project management, with a proven ability to work as Programme Director / Engagement Manager running multiple client projects simultaneously where required.
Industry Skills and Experience:
- Experience working for a major advisory business or leading industry institution, ideally with a successful track record of Business Development and successful delivery in the public sector (either across IGH or specialising in a particular area such as government, healthcare, or defence).
- In-depth experience gained in sell-side institution with exposure to shaping and delivering significant programmes of IT Change.
- Demonstrable track record of Business and Practice Development within a Consulting environment
- In-depth understanding, knowledge and experience of the testing industry to include:
- testing services (type, costing, route to market),
- tools (commercial/open-source, selection and implementation),
- practices (methods by SDLC-type, test accelerators),
- metrics (selection, implementation), and
- key players (suppliers, tool vendors, industry "regulators").
Key areas of technical interest include:
- Test automation and quality engineering
- Non-functional testing
- Accessibility testing
- Testing with AI, and testing of AI
Individual skills:
- Experience in the management of complex testing programmes across customer-facing and back-office systems
- Experience of leading multiple, diverse and complex client programmes.
- Recognised as having both exceptional technical delivery skills and very strong business knowledge (in the public sector).
- Strong experience of working with, or for, public sector clients, with a good understanding of the public sector environment (or particular area, such as the government or education sector).
- Ability to take client aspirations and ideas and support them in turning them into a practical delivery approach for a major programme, in line with relevant standards and business drivers.
- Experience working closely with technology functions throughout the delivery lifecycle to enable a seamless transition to implementation within tight timeframes.
- Solid problem-solving skills, ability to analyse complex data, identify core issues, investigate, evaluate and reach appropriate conclusions/solutions.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior management and stakeholders, and to build and maintain strong team and client relationships.
- Broad personal networks across industry to support business development opportunities.
- Strong interpersonal & written communication skills, both a self-starter and strong team player.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk