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Barclays seeks a Consumer Risk Testing Lead to design and execute testing strategies for large-scale data and platform transformation programmes in Consumer Banking, onsite in Northampton, with hands-on leadership of test activities, automation and AI-enabled approaches, and strong governance to ensure quality, risk controls and compliance as systems migrate to cloud platforms. The role requires shaping test scope, environments, data strategies and release readiness, collaborating across Product, Engineering, Data, Operations and third parties, and potentially leading QA teams. To apply, tailor your resume to show end-to-end testing leadership on complex migrations, evidence of automation, CI/CD, APIs, data, risk governance, and impact on delivery; include metrics and stakeholder outcomes; align with Barclays values and leadership behaviours.

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To design, develop, and execute testing strategies to validate functionality, performance, and user experience, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve defects, and continuously improve testing processes and methodologies, to ensure software quality and reliability. 

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of comprehensive test plans and strategies to validate software functionality and ensure compliance with established quality standards.
• Creation and execution automated test scripts, leveraging testing frameworks and tools to facilitate early detection of defects and quality issues.         .
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams to analyse requirements, participate in design discussions, and contribute to the development of acceptance criteria, ensuring a thorough understanding of the software being tested.
• Root cause analysis for identified defects, working closely with developers to provide detailed information and support defect resolution.
• Collaboration with peers, participate in code reviews, and promote a culture of code quality and knowledge sharing.
• Stay informed of industry technology trends and innovations, and actively contribute to the organization's technology communities to foster a culture of technical excellence and growth.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Join us as a Consumer Risk Testing Lead at Barclays, where you will play a key role in delivering strategic transformation initiatives across the Consumer Banking technology landscape. You will lead the testing strategy for large-scale data and platform transformation programmes, ensuring robust quality assurance, governance and risk management as critical banking capabilities are modernised and migrated to cloud-based platforms.

This role requires a hands-on testing professional who has experience leading testing activities across complex migration or transformation programmes. Working closely with Product, Engineering, Data, Operations, and business stakeholders, you will define testing strategies, oversee delivery, and drive the adoption of modern testing practices, including automation and AI-enabled testing capabilities.

To be successful as a Consumer Risk Testing Lead, you should have:

• Proven experience defining test scope, entry and exit criteria, test environments, data strategies and release readiness across large-scale technology transformation programmes

• Strong understanding of testing risks, quality assurance and control frameworks with the ability to identify quality gaps, assess compliance impacts and ensure appropriate risk and governance controls are in place.

• Experience working collaboratively across Product, Engineering, Business, Data, Operations and third-party partners to coordinate testing activities and deliver successful programme outcomes

Some other highly valued skills may include (3 desirable skills):

• Experience leading QA or Test teams including work allocation, mentoring, performance management and fostering a high-performing testing culture

• Ability to prioritise testing activities based on business risk, regulatory impact and delivery value within complex financial services environments

• Strong understanding of test automation, CI/CD pipelines, APIs, databases, cloud platforms and AI-assisted testing approaches to improve quality and delivery efficiency