Head of test

Band 8c · Test manager · 637 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Head of test

Most often performed at Civil Service grade G6.

A head of test sets the strategy for test quality and influences testing practices across a broad area. They develop, monitor and evaluate testing standards, practices, methods and specifications, and make strategic decisions that improve testing in an organisation.
At this role level, you will:
lead and influence testing activities to ensure the organisation implements quality test frameworks
select and guide the implementation of testing tools and technologies
define good practices, standards and ways of working, continuously improving testing capability
escalate risks to senior stakeholders
contribute to cross-government test communities to improve test practices
lead the organisation in adhering to test industry compliance and regulatory standards

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Set the organisation's testing strategy, standards, and frameworks for digital health services.
Make sure the organisation's testing meets clinical safety, medical device, and other regulatory requirements.
Choose testing tools and technologies, and manage the testing budget and supplier contracts.
Advise senior leaders on quality and safety risks before major releases and go-live decisions.
Lead and develop test managers, analysts, and engineers, and build the organisation's testing capability.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Communicating between the technical and non-technicalUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: mediate between people and strengthen relationships, adopting the appropriate communication method with stakeholders at all levels manage stakeholder expectations and moderate difficult discussions about high risk and complex topics, even within constrained timescales speak on behalf of, and represent the community to, large audiences inside and outside the organisation
Designing and executing testsUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: set standards and influence organisational decisions for test types, techniques, design and execution coach others in test types, techniques, design and execution advocate for continuous improvement and refinement of test types and techniques make strategic decisions on new or improved test types and techniques used in your area
Managing, reporting and resolving defectsUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: lead and coach others in improving test and defect management processes support others in assessing complex and challenging defects across the organisation lead and coach others in using defect patterns and trends to make tactical and strategic recommendations influence improvements to quality processes, informed by defect patterns and trends
Test analysisUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: lead and guide multiple teams in test analysis, ensuring it is implemented early in the life cycle advocate for risk-based analysis to drive improvements across many teams set standards and principles for test analysis across the organisation
Test and quality planningUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: create and manage multiple quality testing plans, approaches and strategies lead and guide multiple teams in adopting quality testing strategy advocate for early quality testing involvement in organisational delivery processes guide teams across an organisation in optimising quality testing approaches, plans and strategies by using appropriate data
Test engineeringUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: explain why testing processes, environments and tools are important follow test engineering practices and standards, with support support the maintenance of automated tests and tools required for testing
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse how a service fits into care pathways across organisations work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead hazard identification and risk assessment for a product or change write and maintain hazard logs and clinical safety case reports agree risk controls with product teams and check that they work advise teams on applying clinical risk management standards
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead data protection impact assessments and information sharing agreements advise teams on lawful basis, consent, confidentiality, and retention investigate incidents and recommend improvements
Medical device software regulationThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: assess whether a product is a medical device, and its likely class plan the regulatory work for a product with quality and clinical colleagues
People managementThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead managers and shape the culture of a large area design workforce plans and organisational change coach leaders and resolve complex people issues
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits
Commercial managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: act as the point of contact for contracted suppliers understand appropriate internal contacts and processes within a government department understand how and when third parties should be brought into digital, data and technology projects

Typical qualifications and experience

Extensive experience of leading testing across an organisation.

Band 8c outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge, and wide organisational and sector understanding.
Autonomy: Sets strategy for a function; accountable to a director.
Scope: A function or department.
Leadership: Leads a function through several management layers.
Accountability: A function's performance, workforce, and budget.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	5	Implements and develops a range of policies or services for a directorate.	45
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programmes as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	3	Carries out research or development within formal programmes as a main duty.	21
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8c: 630 to 674)			637