We’re recruiting for a Head of Test here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Digital Probation team.

This role aligns against Lead Test Engineer from the Government Digital and Data Framework

As a Head of Test, you will provide organisational leadership to foster a cohesive quality strategy across the organisation. You will build capability across the profession and product teams, ensuring teams are equipped to support the strategic direction. You will provide guidance, coaching and mentorship to teams to adopt and embed modern quality practices to deliver the digital services that Probation officers, citizens and court workers use on a daily basis.

You will advocate for early, sustainable quality activities and a proactive, quality first, risk aware culture. Your role will be instrumental in influencing quality metrics, governance and continuous optimisation of strategies, test plans and methodologies.

This role requires a high level of strategic thinking, technical understanding, capability building and the ability to influence organisational change.

You will be responsible for the line management structure of various other test professionals within the organisation

The Team

You will be part of a forward thinking and innovative community, working closely with the software development community, product managers, user researchers, designers, business analysts, and delivery managers to champion quality and testing excellence.

We cultivate an inclusive, diverse, transparent and agile environment, where quality is everyone’s responsibility. We encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

As a Head of Test you will;

• Define and execute a long-term quality and testing strategy, ensuring alignment with business and user needs.
• Work with the Head of Engineering to lead, guide, and influence testing and quality engineering practices across the organisation, ensuring scalable, sustainable, and robust methodologies are in place.
• Drive the integration of quality practices at every stage of the software development lifecycle to embed a culture of built-in quality.
• Promote the strategic use of automation, ensuring teams are equipped to implement effective, scalable automation frameworks that support efficient and repeatable testing.
• Shape and refine testing design principles, governance, metrics, and reporting, ensuring insights are used to drive continuous improvement and informed decision-making.
• Develop capability across the testing profession, mentoring and coaching teams, and supporting their professional growth.
• Engage with cross-government communities to share knowledge, collaborate on best practices, and contribute to the broader testing strategy within the public sector.
• Build and maintain a diverse, inclusive culture within the testing profession, ensuring an environment that encourages learning, experimentation, and innovation.
• Champion a quality-driven mindset, ensuring testing and quality are seen as shared responsibilities across teams.
• Monitor emerging technologies, tools, and trends, ensuring that the organisation stays at the forefront of quality engineering innovation.
• Oversee supplier and vendor relationships, ensuring third-party testing services align with organisational goals and quality standards.

Benefits

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms
• Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
• 5 days volunteering paid leave.
• Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience defining and implementing holistic quality strategies across large-scale digital projects.
• Expertise in applying and adapting testing methodologies across different development lifecycles, ensuring effective integration into Agile and DevOps environments.
• Knowledge of testing tools and automation frameworks, using them to improve efficiency, mitigate risk, and enhance overall quality assurance.
• Ability to use change management initiatives, enabling teams to adopt sustainable quality engineering practices without compromising productivity.
• Experience in ensuring teams are set up to support quality needs and work to agreed standards
• Building an inclusive, diverse testing culture, fostering an environment where innovation and collaboration thrive.
• Ability to champion and advocate quality engineering both internally and externally, shaping best practice, while promoting innovation.

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.