Lead Test Manager

Are you ready to lead test teams and define assurance strategies across some of the UK’s most complex programmes? At Leonardo, our Test Managers provide vision, leadership, and delivery oversight, ensuring that test activities are resourced, governed, and executed to the highest standards. 
 
Your work at Leonardo UK will see you take the lead in solving customer problems in an agile, innovative and team-centric manner. The role may involve a blended hybrid working model, with a mixture of working from home and working on site at one of our Leonardo offices to ensure close collaboration with the wider team and with our customers. 

• →Provide leadership to test teams, including line management, workforce planning, and career development. 

• →Shape and oversee delivery strategies for testing across multiple projects and programmes. 

• →Take responsibility for test outcomes across cost, schedule, quality, and security. 

• →Represent testing at programme boards, customer reviews, and senior leadership meetings. 

• →Own test governance, assurance, and reporting processes at programme level. 

• →Support bids, proposals, and business winning activities with authoritative input on test strategy. 

• →Foster a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and standardisation across the test community. 

• →Mentor Principal and Senior Test Engineers, building the next generation of leaders. 

• Significant leadership experience across test teams and programmes. 

• Proven ability to deliver test and assurance solutions at scale. 

• Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to represent testing at senior levels. 

• Leadership of large engineering or test teams, including multi-level line management 

• Experience managing test delivery across complex systems and secure environments 

• Strong understanding of test governance, quality assurance, and accreditation requirements 

• Familiarity with ITIL, service management, and engineering governance frameworks 

• Experience with budgets, schedules, and resource planning for test programmes 

• Experience shaping divisional test roadmaps and contributing to enterprise strategy 

• Recognised leadership or project management qualifications (ILM, PRINCE2, ITIL, APM) 

• Exposure to test management in Agile/SAFe environments 

• Familiarity with automation, CI/CD integration, and DevSecOps principles at programme level 

• Experience engaging with customers, regulators, and external partners on test strategy 
  

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting 

This role can be based at one of our UK sites, Bristol, with hybrid/custom working options where appropriate.