Job Description

What you'll be doing?

Supporting the business and our divisional offices, our Head Office functions cover all departments from our Executive Board through to our support functions such as Group Design and Technical, HR, Health and Safety, IT, Sales and Marketing, Commercial, Procurement, Group Finance, Corporate Affairs, as well as Legal and Company Secretariat. We also have a specialised function - Barratt Partnerships.

The position of Quality Assurance Manager has responsibility for defining the strategy, leading the team, and ensuring high standards of delivery for IT Testing and Quality Assurance activities across all Barratt Redrow BAU/ Small Change and Project/ Programme Portfolios. The role also requires significant experience and expertise of quality assuring modern IT Software and Integration Platforms, particularly the Microsoft Power Platform and Azure Service Bus.

The position reports directly into the Head of IT Platforms and a hybrid approach to working location will be provided. Frequent travel to our operating Divisions, Executive office in London and supplier locations may also be required.

You will be expected to:
Responsible for leading and managing the Quality Assurance Team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment. This includes line management, performance management, staff development, recruitment (permanent, interim and partner) and reporting. Responsible for defining the strategy for Quality Assurance activities across all Barratt Redrow IT Platforms. Responsible for managing the overall quality of the service/ outputs delivered by the Quality Assurance Team. This includes end-to-end management of all Test Strategy, Test Planning, Test Execution, alignment with IT Strategy and management of the IT Change Portfolio from a Quality Assurance perspective. Responsible for instilling a culture of continuous improvement to ensure a progressive approach to the evolution of the function and the quality of service/ outputs delivered. Responsible for partner management, including administration of contracts/ SoWs and pro-active performance management where we have 3rd parties supporting IT Platform delivery. Responsible for supporting audit activity including both internal and external audits. Responsible for ensuring all relevant audit actions are completed and all necessary compliance controls are present and followed without exception. Work closely with business stakeholders, other Group IT teams and partners to understand business needs and support with estimation and planning activities, both in terms of initial high-level estimates and detailed delivery plans. Responsible for ensuring the performance of their team members is actively managed including objective setting, talent mapping and addressing poor performance (up to and including formal performance plans and disciplinary action if required). Ensuring all operating and Project/ Programme budgets align with forecasts etc from a Quality Assurance perspective. Take direct ownership of all Quality Assurance activities across both the BAU/ Small Change and Project/ Programme Portfolios, whilst managing the successful delivery of these within agreed time, cost and quality parameters. Provide clear and accurate reporting of the status of all Quality Assurance activities across all BAU/ Small Change workstreams and Project/ Programme Portfolios. Responsible for the tools utilised and ways of working adopted by the Quality Assurance team (i.e. the software tools, standards and methodologies employed), ensuring that processes, data and environment provisioning are optimised to meet the needs of the function, whilst driving an automation agenda where applicable. Guide and mentor their team during all Quality Assurance activities, ensuring they converge towards delivery of high-quality IT Platforms that meet business needs and are compatible with the wider Barratt Redrow IT Strategy and Solution Architecture. Responsible for maintaining a short to medium term resource plan, including making recommendations regarding permanent/ interim recruitment decisions and partnering resource requirements. Where applicable, lead on the development and delivery of new ways of working as part of the Barratt Redrow Change Delivery Framework. Develop and maintain an in-depth knowledge of the Barratt Redrow IT Solution Architecture. Maintain a detailed understanding of how individual work items and decisions relating to these impact the broader Barratt Redrow delivery landscape and IT Solution Architecture. Keep up to date with emerging IT Platform trends and current events in the IT industry, to enhance Barratt Redrow's overall IT capability and ensure implementation of modern software engineering and integration technologies and techniques. Act as deputy for the Head of IT Platforms from time to time.

What you'll need?

The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of leading Quality Assurance teams, defining strategy and consistently delivering high quality IT Platforms in a similar FTSE/ Corporate environment. They will also likely have the following qualifications and experience:


Strong academic record, most likely with graduate level education. Excellent inter-personal skills, to include: + Strong written and verbal communication ability, + Consultancy skills (e.g. workshop facilitation, presentation skills, driving business effectiveness, change management, strategic thinking and leveraging IT solutions to deliver business benefit),
+ Influencing skills (e.g. stakeholder management, negotiation skills and assertiveness).
Strong analytical capability, with the ability to solve complex problems. Strong financial and commercial awareness. Extensive experience of managing Quality Assurance delivery across a range of IT Platforms, particularly the Microsoft Power Platform, COINS APIs and A-Site mobile applications, but also including Lansa, IBM DB2, C#, ASP.NET, XML, JavaScript, Azure Data Factory, SQL Server and Sitecore. Extensive experience of managing Quality Assurance delivery across a range of modern integration technologies and techniques including Cloud Integration, RESTFUL Integration, Data Bricks, SOAP, Web API, Jitterbit and Azure Service Bus. Extensive experience of utilising the Microsoft Azure DevOps tool to schedule, manage and track progress of Quality Assurance tasks and defects as part of the software development lifecycle. Extensive experience of leading a Quality Assurance function using some or all of the following techniques: + Test Script creation, + Functional Testing,
+ Non-functional Testing (Performance/ Volume/ Security Testing etc),
+ Integration Testing,
+ User/ Business Acceptance Testing,
+ Regression Testing,
+ Test Automation.
Extensive experience of the production of Test Strategies and Plans. Extensive experience of the production of Test Status Reports and Test Completion Reports. In-depth understanding of the software development lifecycle and a range of IT Platform delivery methodologies (Waterfall, Agile etc). Strong understanding of IT Platform delivery best practices including SCM, build pipeline configuration and processes, code quality and Test Automation methodologies. Experienced in working closely with Product Owners, Senior Managers and other delivery teams, with demonstrable understanding of collaborating to analyse, design, develop, test and implement complex IT Platforms. A good understanding of ITIL practices in the context of IT Platform delivery, service transition and post-delivery operations. Ability to establish, develop and maintain effective relationships with both technical and non-technical stakeholders up to Director level. Experience of working within large-scale IT change portfolios and of developing and implementing new ways of working, methodologies and delivery frameworks within large, complex and distributed organisations such as Barratt Redrow. Ability to translate technical details into language easily understood by business stakeholders. Ability to plan and organise effectively, whilst taking the initiative within agreed parameters. Ability to read and comprehend system-level documents including technical specifications, database schemas and data dictionaries. Strong knowledge of applications and technologies utilised within the construction industry. Demonstrable experience of improving the performance of a team. Strong and visible leadership capabilities, with an innovative and forward-thinking approach. Resilient and adaptable - Capable of changing direction where required and showing flexibility to meet new demands in a fast-paced environment. Customer focussed - Able to meet the demands of business stakeholders. Strong work ethic, with dedication to meeting deadlines and achieving high standards. High attention to detail, with the ability to identify and mitigate risks across the delivery lifecycle. Drives change and continuous improvement, with a strong commitment to professional learning and development both personally and with their team. Ability to adapt to a fast-moving IT landscape and keep pace with latest thinking and new technologies. Ability to manage multiple project/ backlog demands concurrently and to prioritise workloads effectively when required. A passion for IT Platform delivery and for helping their team to deliver high quality outcomes. Thrives on change, showing an ability to drive the Barratt Redrow IT Solution Architecture forwards. An analytical mind capable of managing numerous information sources and providing data analysis reports to senior leadership. Excellent communication skills - Providing verbal and written communication that is outstanding to both their team and senior leadership, as well as other colleagues. Forms strong business relationships that help drive the delivery of high-quality IT Platforms. A high degree of personal impact, positivity, and drive.

Our Company and Benefits

We've been nationally recognised as a 5 star housebuilder since 2010 for supplying high-quality homes for all generations. That's more than any other major housebuilder. It's because we combine the brightest minds, the latest technology, and a genuine commitment to putting customers first. We want the best people in the industry to help us shape the future of building. We have tailored opportunities for apprentices, graduates, experienced professionals and ex-Armed Forces personnel to come and help us stay one step ahead, and build the homes that Britain needs.



Barratt adopts a hybrid way of working which assumes that where roles allow, our office-based colleagues divide their time between working in the office, on our construction sites and sales offices, and working from home, as the role dictates. We recognise the many benefits that an effective hybrid working culture brings to both the Company and our colleagues.



We are building an organisation where anyone with drive and talent can pursue the career they want. We are building a culture where anyone, regardless of gender, race, age, sexuality, disability, background or any other characteristic, can progress and be proud to work for us.


As part of working for Barratt Redrow PLC and specifically for this role we offer:
Competitive Salary Competitive Bonus Scheme Private Medical Cover - Single Cover Annual Medical Health Assessment 26 days' holiday (increase by 1 day for every 3 years' continuous service up to 29 days) Choice of Flexible Benefits * Enhanced Family Friendly Policies