Howdens Joinery

Howdens are looking for an experienced Test Automation Lead to join our growing core systems team at Howdens. In this role you will lead a team of automation specialists, develop our automation tooling and help drive faster, higher quality releases across our digital platforms, including (url removed). This is a permanent full-time opportunity. Our Automation engineers are based at Brackmills Business Park, Northampton and Croxley Park, Watford therefore we would like you to be based from one of these offices and be expected to travel and work onsite 4 days per week. What you will do - Lead, coach and develop a team of automation engineers - Own and improve automation frameworks and tooling including Tosca, Selenium, Ranorex and Robot Framework - Increase automation coverage to support frequent website releases - Oversee design, build and maintenance of automation scripts - Drive best practice, continuous improvement and platform roadmaps - Partner with stakeholders across IT and the business - Manage vendor relationships and ensure systems remain secure and effective What we are looking for - Extensive experience of developing and managing automation tools and test engineers to support frequent, high quality releases to public facing websites in large organisations. - Hands on experience in managing enterprise test automation solutions in a multi-site environment - Proven track record of leading teams in delivering high-quality test automation solutions and enhancements and upgrades - Strong understanding of modern system, development and support best practices - Familiarity with ITIL service management processes - Effective communicator able to translate technical detail when communicated with stakeholders - Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, develop, and retain technical talent - Analytical and problem-solving mindset with a focus on performance optimisation and continuous improvement - Collaborative approach, working effectively across business, technical, and vendor teams - Ability to balance strategic platform development with day-to-day operational needs - The role is based in Northampton, Northamptonshire or Croxley Park in Watford, you must live within 75 minutes of us - Some travel will be expected therefore a Driving License is required What we offer - Competitive salary and annual company bonus - Company car or car allowance - Private medical insurance - Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%) - 25 days holiday + bank holidays with the option to buy additional days - Free lunch at our onsite canteen (Howden site only) - Staff Discount - Employee Assistance Programme - Exceptional Reward and Recognition events About Howdens: Howdens Joinery is the UK s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we have an ambitious growth agenda. As well as the opportunity to develop within a fast paced and commercial environment, you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Best Big Companies to Work For. How to apply We re building a future where world-class service, innovation, and sustainability are embedded within our DNA. If Howdens sounds like the kind of place where you can build and develop your career, then we re keen to hear from you. Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email removed) with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you

Howdens are looking for an experienced Test Automation Lead to join our growing core systems team at Howdens. In this role you will lead a team of automation specialists, develop our automation tooling and help drive faster, higher quality releases across our digital platforms, including (url removed). This is a permanent full-time opportunity. Our Automation engineers are based at Brackmills Business Park, Northampton and Croxley Park, Watford therefore we would like you to be based from one of these offices and be expected to travel and work onsite 4 days per week. What you will do - Lead, coach and develop a team of automation engineers - Own and improve automation frameworks and tooling including Tosca, Selenium, Ranorex and Robot Framework - Increase automation coverage to support frequent website releases - Oversee design, build and maintenance of automation scripts - Drive best practice, continuous improvement and platform roadmaps - Partner with stakeholders across IT and the business - Manage vendor relationships and ensure systems remain secure and effective What we are looking for - Extensive experience of developing and managing automation tools and test engineers to support frequent, high quality releases to public facing websites in large organisations. - Hands on experience in managing enterprise test automation solutions in a multi-site environment - Proven track record of leading teams in delivering high-quality test automation solutions and enhancements and upgrades - Strong understanding of modern system, development and support best practices - Familiarity with ITIL service management processes - Effective communicator able to translate technical detail when communicated with stakeholders - Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate, develop, and retain technical talent - Analytical and problem-solving mindset with a focus on performance optimisation and continuous improvement - Collaborative approach, working effectively across business, technical, and vendor teams - Ability to balance strategic platform development with day-to-day operational need - The role is based in Northampton, Northamptonshire or Croxley Park in Watford, you must live within 75 minutes of us. - Some travel will be expected therefore a Driving License is required What we offer - Competitive salary and annual company bonus - Company car or car allowance - Private medical insurance - Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%) - 25 days holiday + bank holidays with the option to buy additional days - Free lunch at our onsite canteen (Howden site only) - Staff Discount - Employee Assistance Programme - Exceptional Reward and Recognition events About Howdens: Howdens Joinery is the UK s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we have an ambitious growth agenda. As well as the opportunity to develop within a fast paced and commercial environment, you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Best Big Companies to Work For. How to apply We re building a future where world-class service, innovation, and sustainability are embedded within our DNA. If Howdens sounds like the kind of place where you can build and develop your career, then we re keen to hear from you. Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email removed) with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you

Howdens Joinery are looking for a Senior Project Manager to join our busy Digital Solutions team at our offices in Croxley, Hertfordshire. As an FTSE 250 business undergoing an exciting period of transformation and growth, the role offers the opportunity to work closely with the Project Management team to ensure that our business-critical projects are delivered on time, to budget and to exceptional levels of quality. As a Senior Project Manager, you'll be the go-to person for everything involving a project's budget and the leadership of our Project Managers. Primary Accountabilities Support the Head of Programme Delivery to ensure that Project repositories are well maintained, accurate and up to date including RAID, Financials, Milestones, Project Schedules, and Resource Plans. Act as a beacon for all projects ensuring that interested parties such as Service Delivery, Cyber Security, Training, Testing and Business Information teams are identified as key stakeholders and regularly engaged from the initiation stage of each project. Consistently monitor the output of the project teams against the planned activity, making changes to the baselined plans where necessary whilst continuing to ensure that resource scheduling is to a high standard and that visibility of plans and changes to plans is maintained throughout the lifecycle of each project. Ensure that the appropriate level of governance is agreed and established at the start of each project and that a satisfactory level of adherence is maintained throughout the lifecycle of each project. Knowledge and Experience: IT experience specifically in a role with project delivery leadership responsibility Experience of working in an Agile software delivery environment (preferably Scaled Agile) Up-to-date Project management qualifications (e.g. AgilePM, SAFe, Prince 2, APM Practitioner PQ) A demonstrable track-record of having delivered technology projects using Waterfall and Agile methodologies An advanced working knowledge of MS Project in addition to strong MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills Working experience of using Azure DevOps (formerly VSTS) or similar Experience of managing multiple complex technical projects simultaneously in a busy environment Experience of budget management and exposure to financial controls Benefits of working for Howdens : Competitive Salary, Company Bonus, Car Allowance or Company Car and Private Healthcare. Pension Plan with core 6% employer contribution, further 2% matching available 25 days holiday + bank holidays Ongoing support and development Free snacks and refreshments Free onsite car parking Friendly and supportive environment offering exceptional reward and recognition Howdens Joinery is a highly successful? FTSE 250 ?business, with more than 780 depots nationwide, more than 10,000 staff and last year our sales reached circa £1.5 billion.? Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values.? Join our rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the? Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For .?

Howdens Joinery are looking for a Lean Portfolio Manager to join our busy Digital Solutions Team. This role could be based in our Croxley office in Hertfordshire, our office in Brackmills Business Park or our Raunds office in Northamptonshire. As a FTSE 250 business which is undergoing a digital transformation, this role offers a confident and engaging Lean Portfolio Manager an excellent opportunity to support the delivery of our transformation plans, connecting the portfolio to business strategy, agile portfolio process management and lean governance. As a Lean Portfolio Manager, you will be a role model for lean agile portfolio principles, process & practices including championing a culture of continuous improvement and flow. The role contributes strongly to the definition of the IT strategy, vision, and the technology roadmap. Understanding the impact of change across the technology and business processes are fundamental. Reporting to the Enterprise Architect, you will be a trusted business partner to one or more portfolio domains, providing insight and challenge across all areas of delivery, covering costs, value and benefits. In your role, you will provide a consolidated view of the technology change agenda across several portfolios. As a Lean Portfolio Manager, you will be implementing and leveraging the coaching, frameworks and best practice ways of working through the SAFe Agile framework to enable the efficient running of the Portfolio process, with good Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) practices, and focus on collaboration with business and delivery transformation teams. Working within a dynamic digital team, you will also be actively involved across all elements of strategy and portfolio planning and will be engaged in working with the team to share information and facilitate workshops to investigate, align and agree proposed changes. In your role you will be: Establishing the Portfolio Vision Implementing Lean Budgeting and Guardrails Establishing flow with the Portfolio Kanban Establishing Strategy and Investment funding Applying Agile Portfolio Process and Operations Applying Lean Governance Building a plan for implementing the Lean Portfolio Management function Coordinating Value Streams Measuring the Lean Portfolio Management function performance An active member of the Lean Agile Centre of Excellence (LACE) Key Experience & Skills needed: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science or related field. 3+ years of experience in product life cycle management, program management, or portfolio management in a high technology setting A passion for agile and lean portfolio management. You will have worked as a Scrum Master or RTE in the past and now scaling up as an Agile Portfolio Manager. Added advantage if you have any SAFe or Agile certification Strong experience in defining and managing Portfolio Management processes Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to synthesise complex information and prepare concise and compelling presentations. Strong people management skills, able to lead your team effectively. Excellent prioritisations skills, able to understand the impact of delays. Demonstrates a high degree of innovation and creativity, balanced with the ability to make the complex appear simple by swift logical and analytical thinking. Confident, engaging and possesses a strong work ethic with a passion for transformation and innovation. Demonstrable effectiveness in driving change, influencing outcomes and gaining senior management support. Strong experience in programme management. Good knowledge or experience in Agile methodologies and frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, SAFe Demonstrable experience in developing, delivering and supporting product roadmap, transition and delivery processes. Comprehensive knowledge of product development lifecycle and the roles of product managers, product owners, development managers and business stakeholders Experience in identifying and implementing continuous improvement efforts and coach team on agile principles and best PLM practices through the LACE Good knowledge of supporting tools (Azure Dev Ops) Howdens Joinery is a highly successful FTSE 250 business, with more than 750 depots nationwide and more than 10,000 staff. Last year our sales reached circa £1.5 billion and we continue to experience significant growth and success. Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values. We have a very competitive salary and benefits package including 25 days holiday increasing to 27 days after 5 years, annual company bonus, fully expensed company car or car allowance, private medical insurance and a contributory pension. There is also great coffee and other refreshments and snacks, onsite car parking, subsidised gym membership, exceptional social events and a friendly and supportive working environment. As well as the opportunity to develop within a high-profile FTSE 250 company , you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For .

Howdens Joinery are looking for a Lean Portfolio Manager to join our busy Digital Solutions Team. This role could be based in our Croxley office in Hertfordshire, our office in Brackmills Business Park or our Raunds office in Northamptonshire. As a FTSE 250 business which is undergoing a digital transformation, this role offers a confident and engaging Lean Portfolio Manager an excellent opportunity to support the delivery of our transformation plans, connecting the portfolio to business strategy, agile portfolio process management and lean governance. As a Lean Portfolio Manager, you will be a role model for lean agile portfolio principles, process & practices including championing a culture of continuous improvement and flow. The role contributes strongly to the definition of the IT strategy, vision, and the technology roadmap. Understanding the impact of change across the technology and business processes are fundamental. Reporting to the Enterprise Architect, you will be a trusted business partner to one or more portfolio domains, providing insight and challenge across all areas of delivery, covering costs, value and benefits. In your role, you will provide a consolidated view of the technology change agenda across several portfolios. As a Lean Portfolio Manager, you will be implementing and leveraging the coaching, frameworks and best practice ways of working through the SAFe Agile framework to enable the efficient running of the Portfolio process, with good Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) practices, and focus on collaboration with business and delivery transformation teams. Working within a dynamic digital team, you will also be actively involved across all elements of strategy and portfolio planning and will be engaged in working with the team to share information and facilitate workshops to investigate, align and agree proposed changes. In your role you will be: Establishing the Portfolio Vision Implementing Lean Budgeting and Guardrails Establishing flow with the Portfolio Kanban Establishing Strategy and Investment funding Applying Agile Portfolio Process and Operations Applying Lean Governance Building a plan for implementing the Lean Portfolio Management function Coordinating Value Streams Measuring the Lean Portfolio Management function performance An active member of the Lean Agile Centre of Excellence (LACE) Key Experience & Skills needed: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science or related field. 3+ years of experience in product life cycle management, program management, or portfolio management in a high technology setting A passion for agile and lean portfolio management. You will have worked as a Scrum Master or RTE in the past and now scaling up as an Agile Portfolio Manager. Added advantage if you have any SAFe or Agile certification Strong experience in defining and managing Portfolio Management processes Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to synthesise complex information and prepare concise and compelling presentations. Strong people management skills, able to lead your team effectively. Excellent prioritisations skills, able to understand the impact of delays. Demonstrates a high degree of innovation and creativity, balanced with the ability to make the complex appear simple by swift logical and analytical thinking. Confident, engaging and possesses a strong work ethic with a passion for transformation and innovation. Demonstrable effectiveness in driving change, influencing outcomes and gaining senior management support. Strong experience in programme management. Good knowledge or experience in Agile methodologies and frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, SAFe Demonstrable experience in developing, delivering and supporting product roadmap, transition and delivery processes. Comprehensive knowledge of product development lifecycle and the roles of product managers, product owners, development managers and business stakeholders Experience in identifying and implementing continuous improvement efforts and coach team on agile principles and best PLM practices through the LACE Good knowledge of supporting tools (Azure Dev Ops) Howdens Joinery is a highly successful FTSE 250 business, with more than 750 depots nationwide and more than 10,000 staff. Last year our sales reached circa £1.5 billion and we continue to experience significant growth and success. Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values. We have a very competitive salary and benefits package including 25 days holiday increasing to 27 days after 5 years, annual company bonus, fully expensed company car or car allowance, private medical insurance and a contributory pension. There is also great coffee and other refreshments and snacks, onsite car parking, subsidised gym membership, exceptional social events and a friendly and supportive working environment. As well as the opportunity to develop within a high-profile FTSE 250 company , you will be part of a rewarding organisation recognised for excellence in the workplace in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For .