At AQA, we're committed to advancing education and we're committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it's our people who make this happen.
Non-Functional Test Lead Permanent Manchester Salary: £50,800 - £57,500 Working Arrangements: Hybrid working - 2 days a week in office
Could you be the person who makes sure critical digital services perform at their best when it matters most? If you're passionate about quality, performance and security, this is an opportunity to shape how critical technology solutions are tested and delivered.
As a Non-Functional Test Lead, you'll play a key role in ensuring AQA's digital services perform reliably, securely and effectively for colleagues, customers and learners across the UK.
Your expertise will help AQA maintain high-quality digital services that support our mission of enabling learners of all abilities to realise their potential.
Purpose of the Role You'll lead the planning and delivery of non-functional testing across a range of technology projects, ensuring that performance, security and operational requirements are fully understood, tested and achieved. Working closely with project teams, stakeholders and delivery partners, you'll help deliver technology solutions that are robust, scalable and ready for live operation.
You'll thrive in this role if you're a technically capable testing professional who enjoys solving complex challenges, influencing others and driving quality improvements.
In this role, you'll be responsible for:
- Leading the strategy, planning and delivery of performance, security and operational acceptance testing across multiple projects and programmes.
- Providing expert analysis and recommendations to identify risks, improve system performance and support successful project delivery.
- Collaborating with delivery teams, stakeholders and third-party suppliers to ensure non-functional requirements are clearly defined, tested and met.
Personal Qualities & Experience
- Proven experience delivering performance and non-functional testing on large-scale, complex technology projects.
- Strong knowledge of performance testing approaches, tools and techniques, including practical experience with tools such as JMeter.
- Experience working in Agile environments with a sound understanding of software development and testing lifecycles.
- Ability to analyse test results, identify root causes and communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- A collaborative mindset with the ability to build relationships, support colleagues and influence successful delivery outcomes.
What's in It for You This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact while continuing to develop your technical and leadership skills. Work on complex and varied technology projects that support education and assessment services across the UK. Develop your expertise within a supportive testing community, working alongside experienced Test Managers and technical specialists. Opportunity to influence testing standards, frameworks and best practice across the organisation.
Flexible working arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance.
Be part of an organisation with a strong purpose, inclusive culture and commitment to continuous improvement.
Diversity and Inclusion Statement At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone-regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background-is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.
Full Job Description Summary At AQA, we're committed to advancing education and we're committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over seven million GCSEs and A-levels each year and it's our people who make this happen. As we continue to scale and enhance our software platforms, the Non-Functional Test Lead will be instrumental in ensuring that AQA's key operational systems are capable of meeting the performance demands of our end users.
As Non-Functional Test Lead you'll be a key member of the Assessment Technology test team, accountable for ensuring that the non functional requirements for performance, security and operational acceptance testing have been fulfilled in line with project team and business expectations. You will support and collaborate with the project delivery teams, working closely with project Test Managers to ensure that the non functional test activities are planned, resourced and delivered on time. AQA's Test community is an environment where you can enhance your technical knowledge and leadership skills with the full support from peers, Test Managers and the Head of Test.
General Work
- Work with the business stakeholders and delivery teams to ensure that NFRs (Non Functional Requirements) are identified, clear and measurable as part of the testing process.
- Define the Non Functional test strategies.
- Design and create test plans, test scripts, test data and ensure coordinate the preparation of test environments for testing of NFRs.
- Ensure traceability between requirement and coverage.
- Review and sign off test artefacts produced by 3rd party delivery partners such as test strategies, test plans.
- Perform risk analysis to determine the scope and level of testing.
- Provide root cause analysis for any NFR issues that occur on production to help prevent issues occurring again.
- Establish appropriate test metrics for NFR testing required by the Head of Test.
- Collate test results, metrics and documentation for presentation to key stakeholders.
- Continual review of performance test environments and test tools to ensure optimum performance.
- Identify areas of improvement in the team and address with corrective measures.
- Mentor, coach and inspire other team members.
Performance Testing
- Provide expertise on performance testing and the creation of performance testing frameworks according to project team demands.
- Oversee the performance test processes and ensure adherence.
- Perform load, stress, volume and soak testing.
- Perform data and results analysis with optimisation recommendations.
- Identify bottlenecking, scalability issues, configuration issues and resource issues.
Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT)
- Have hands on experience of operational acceptance testing.
Security Testing
- Collaborate with the Security and Risk division on defining and agreeing Pen Test scope.
- Being a point of contact for 3rd parties performing Pen Test.
- Ensuring that 3rd parties performing Pen Test have the required access, user accounts and test data and user journeys.
- Presenting on Pen Test outcomes and advisories with wider project stakeholders and ensuring appropriate action is taken to support successful go live.
Essential
- Experience of delivering performance and other non-functional testing for large scale complex projects.
- Experience of working in fast paced environment across multiple parallel streams of work.
- Experience of working in Agile environments, with a sound understanding of the test and development life cycles.
- Advanced, demonstrable knowledge of performance testing UI's, API's and databases.
- Advanced, demonstratable knowledge and practical usage of performance testing and analysis tools, e.g. JMeter.
- Experience of reporting and presenting to business stakeholders.
- Experience of defect tracking and task management tools, e.g; JIRA, Azure DevOps.
- Technical flexibility, versatility and an aptitude to pick up new skills.
Desired
- Experience in leadership and mentoring of test teams.
- Experience of Azure DevOps software development platform or, other Issue Management software such as Jira.
AQA is an independent charity that sets and marks over half of all GCSEs and A-levels in the UK every year. Our purpose is to advance education by helping students and teachers to realise their potential. As part of AQA, you'll very quickly appreciate the determination and unwavering passion to deliver this goal in everything we do. To help drive these ambitions, AQA invests in the development of its people by offering a range of professional development and learning opportunities leading to over 50% of our permanent roles being filled internally.
Reasonable Adjustments Reasonable Adjustments If you have any requirements for reasonable adjustments in relation to the application, interview or the prospective job, please contact Faye Harrison (she/her) at or on . We are asking for this information to make the process as equitable as possible for each candidate. Please note that Faye will not be able to assist you with enquiries regarding Temporary vacancies or non-recruitment enquiries. If you have query regarding Temporary vacancies, please contact:
Smart Working We're operating a smart working model. This allows for our colleagues to work from two days a week in one of our offices across England.
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