Technical test lead

Are you passionate about assuring the quality, resilience and security of critical systems that help support the UK's national security and defence missions? Join our Aerospace, Defence and Security team as a Technical Test Lead, where you'll play a pivotal role in leading technical testing activities across complex infrastructure and systems environments.

Working within a highly skilled team, you’ll provide technical leadership across both functional and non-functional testing, ensuring systems, networks and infrastructure components meet stringent performance, reliability and security requirements. Alongside delivery responsibilities, you'll help shape and improve testing practices, champion new technologies and methodologies, and support the development of testing capability across the wider team. This is a fantastic opportunity to combine hands-on technical expertise with team leadership and stakeholder engagement within a challenging and rewarding environment.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading, mentoring and coordinating a team of Technical Test Analysts to deliver high-quality testing outcomes.
• Producing test strategies, reviewing test plans and guiding the creation of test cases and test scripts for infrastructure environments.
• Providing estimates for technical and specialist testing activities and supporting delivery across functional and non-functional testing.
• Driving continuous improvement by applying industry best practice, evaluating test tools and promoting more efficient and effective testing methods.
• Managing test environments, coordinating testing activities across multiple stakeholders and facilitating the resolution of defects and issues.
• Producing test reporting, test completion reports and escalating risks that could impact quality or delivery timelines.

What you'll bring:

• Demonstrable experience working as a Test Lead or in a similar technical testing leadership role.
• Strong technical background with proven experience in infrastructure testing or systems engineering.
• Experience using testing and defect management tools such as Azure DevOps or Jira.
• The ability to estimate, plan and coordinate complex testing activities across multiple workstreams.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently while building effective relationships with technical teams and stakeholders.

It would be great if you had:

• Knowledge of modern enterprise technologies including Windows Server, virtualisation platforms, desktop technologies and application delivery solutions.
• Understanding of security, compliance, identity and access management principles.
• Experience with risk-based testing approaches and technical testing tools such as TestRail or Zephyr.
• Appreciation of networking fundamentals and enterprise deployment tooling.
• Scripting experience and knowledge of infrastructure maintenance and patching activities.
• Professional testing qualifications, including Foundation level testing certifications or equivalent.

If you're interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we're looking for, please do apply, we'd love to hear from you!

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent.

Location: Gloucestershire with a mix of onsite and home-based working.

Security Clearance Level: Enhanced Developed Vetting (eDV).

Internal Recruiter: Rebecca.

Salary: £75,000 - £90,000.

Benefits: £5,400 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy additional days, private medical, life assurance, pension, and generous flexible benefits fund.

Although this role is advertised as full-time, we believe that flexibility at work can promote work/life balance, increase your motivation, reduce stress and improves performance and productivity. We support different ways of working and can offer a range of flexible working arrangements. So, if you're interested and need to work flexibly, we encourage you to apply and talk to us about what might be possible.

Loved reading about this job and want to know more about us? Sopra Steria's Aerospace, Defence and Security business designs, develops and deploys digital solutions to Central Government clients. The work we do makes a real difference to the client's goal of National Security, and we operate in a unique and privileged environment. We are given time for professional development activities, and we coach and mentor our colleagues, sharing knowledge and learning from each other. We foster a culture in which employees feel valued and supported and have pride in their work for the customer, delivering outstanding rates of customer satisfaction in the UK's most complex safety- and security-critical markets.