Non-Functional Test Lead

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

£49,700 - £57,000

Smart Hybrid Working

Are you an experienced Non-Functional Test Lead who is looking to enhance your skills in a fast-paced environment where innovation is encouraged? AQA are a charity whose aim is to never let a learner down by ensuring that our examinations and products to support teachers and learners are the best they can be.

As Non-Functional Test Lead, you will play a critical part in ensuring that our performance, security, and operational acceptance testing meet and exceed business expectations, working alongside talented professionals.

You will work on a variety of projects that challenge your skills and allow you to influence best practices in non-functional testing in a thriving test community where you can enhance your technical knowledge and leadership capabilities, supported by peers, Test Managers, and our Head of Test.

What’s in it for you?

If the above isn’t enough of a reason to make an application, here is just some of our current benefits package.

• Competitive compensation and benefits – Enjoy a generous private pension scheme, competitive base pay, private medical insurance, death in service grant, and income protection.

• Flexible working arrangements – Benefit from smart hybrid working options, flexible working hours, and a 35-hour workweek to support your personal and professional life.

• Organizational support for work-life balance – Take advantage of 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 days), 4 additional holiday days for Christmas closure, and career break schemes to balance life and work commitments.

• Opportunities for continuous learning and development – Access funded sponsored qualifications, our Coaching Academy, and a Learning Management System to help you learn new, highly desired skills.

• Job security and stability – With AQA's strong commitment to employee retention, you’ll feel supported by income protection, a secure pension plan, and long-service awards.

• Supportive and inclusive company culture – Thrive in a collaborative environment with support networks like the Employee Forum and Diversity Networks (Empowering Women, Disability, LGBTQ+, Ethnic Minority, Neurodiverse).

• Meaningful and impactful work – Engage in challenging projects that help advance education and make a tangible difference in society through AQA’s charitable mission and values.

• Opportunities for growth and career advancement – Explore clear paths for career progression, professional development opportunities, and long-term growth within a leading educational charity.

What You'll Do:

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to identify and define clear, measurable Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs).

• Design robust test strategies and create comprehensive test plans, scripts, and data tailored for each project.

• Ensure traceability from requirements to coverage and perform risk analysis to shape your testing approach.

• Provide valuable root cause analysis for NFR issues, helping us continuously improve our processes.

• Oversee performance testing, including load, stress, and volume tests, and offer optimization recommendations based on data analysis.

• Work closely with our Security and Risk division to manage Pen Testing and ensure compliance with security protocols.

What will you need to succeed?

• Experience: Proven track record in delivering performance and non-functional testing for large-scale projects, particularly in Agile environments.

• Technical skills: Advanced knowledge of performance testing tools (e.g., JMeter) and experience with defect tracking tools like JIRA and Azure DevOps.

• Leadership: A desire to mentor and inspire team members, sharing your expertise and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Flexibility: A willingness to learn new skills and adapt to evolving technologies and methodologies.

How to Apply:

If you’re ready to make a significant impact and advance your career with us and be part of a team that values your contributions and celebrates your successes, we’d love to hear from you!

Upload your most recent CV with a cover letter to explain how your skills and experience match what we are looking for.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received with face to face interviews planned for the beginning of November

All applications will receive a written response.

AQA is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes people unique. 

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Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

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.
Working on varied projects, you will be influential in adopting the best NFR practices. 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 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 artifacts 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