Close Brothers have been growing over a number of years and has ambitious plans. As a result, transformational change is taking place across the Bank, which has seen the requirement grow for a Quality Engineering & Assurance Services and Centre of Excellence. The Quality Engineering & Assurance Services will provide testing capability across all areas of the business working on multiple portfolios.Reporting to the CTO, the primary focus of role of Head of Quality Engineering & Assurance Services is on proactive strategic leadership (80%) rather than day-to-day operational execution (20%) across IT. They will be responsible for:Directing the transformation and shape the structure of delivery assurance and testing across the organisation through an effective end to end strategyAssures quality products and processes by establishing and enforcing quality standards; testing materials and methodology for business process testing, including tools and frameworks for assessing benefits and risksProvides vendor management, including due diligence assessments of vendor suitability for Quality Engineering & Assurance Services. Supports the implementation of the governance model and regulatory controls across the wider organisation and owning governance and regulatory control issues within the Quality Engineering & Assurance Services.Providing expert opinion and advice on testing solutions for strategic business challenges.

The EMEA Testing Practice Manager is responsible for implementing, supporting and developing all aspects of testing within the region. They will act as “testing champion” defining and leading the overall testing strategy and ensuring that it is understood and implemented on all projects with a view to improving quality of deliverables and increasing Professional Services revenue from testing activities.In addition to providing strategic internal leadership on all testing activities the Testing Practice Manager will also provide high end consultancy and strategy guidance on identified client projects working closely with both clients and 3rd party vendors to ensure that project objectives are satisfied.

Proven Experience in managing and overseeing:

• Organisational development• IT Strategic and Tactical alignment
• Business and IT alignment
• Portfolio Management
• Quality Assurance methods
• Assurance Controls
• Process development
• Methodology implementation and integration
• Supplier Management
• Service Due Diligence
• Developing Testing Services
• Strong operational and interpersonal skills
• Excellent collaboration skills

Having worked in various areas of the financial service sector and sub sectors over a number of years. 
Malcolm has worked directly for the end client(s) in a permanent arrangement and indirectly via a consultancy providing support and effective advise in direction and implementation of requirements.Also has provided corporate level assurance with defined levels of best practice integrated methodology and validation.

The Head of Quality Assurance is accountable for the quality of all processes in the Kiln Group, has responsibility for ensuring that standards are defined, promulgated, understood, implemented and adhered to throughout the business and IT functions. The Head of Quality Assurance ensures that Kiln's quality policy and quality goals are defined, achieved and maintained by taking responsibility for internal quality evaluations and reviews. Leading member of the CEO IT Strategic Committee and Portfolio Management Board providing assurance and direction. Developed Organisational restructure options for the CIO aligned to the mid term business plan.The role includes responsibility for:• Leading a team of Quality Analysts providing a series of services around assurance, process improvement, organisational improvement, integration, evaluation and monitoring• Developing organisational refreshes and ensuring all functional skills are incorporated without duplication and that all responsibilities are covered throughout all levels• Ensure the quality policy is appropriate to the purposes of Kiln• Ensure quality policy is reviewed for continuing suitability• Ensure quality objectives are established at relevant functions and levels within Kiln• Ensure customer requirements are determined and met with the aim of enhancing customer satisfaction• Implement actions to achieve planned results and continual improvement of processes• Monitor measure and analyse processes• Determine criteria and methods to ensure effective operation and control of processes• Identify processes needed for the quality management system• Ensure production and maintenance of documents needed to ensure effective planning, operation and control of processes• Ensure quality objectives are measurable and consistent with the quality policy• Ensure quality policy provides a framework for establishing and reviewing quality objectives

The Head of E2E Testing had the responsibility for the overall management and operation of the testing function within GPU. To exercise responsibility for the quality of new/changed system delivery for the Global Payments Utility Change Programme across Europe/Africa/ Emerging Markets. Set the strategy for testing and quality assurance across the regional programme delivery, researching & implementing best of breed testing methods, processes, tools and test systems. Provide day-to-day direction to an overall testing team of approximately 140 resources through delegated authority in three core locations onsite and offshore. Annual staff budget responsibility of approximately £8m.

The Portfolio Testing Manager heads up the Test Portfolio Management Office, and has the overall responsibility for the coordination and management of testing for all Organisational Development Initiatives for Global Corporate as well as the overall responsibility for Testing Governance.

Provided consultancy service in the area of Testing and Quality Management

The Head of Testing heads up the Test Programme Management Office, and has the overall responsibility for the coordination and management of all testing for Desk Service Migration programme II (Programme Budget of 400 Million pounds) as well as the overall responsibility for Group Testing Governance.

The Global template programme of projects has been created to provide a globally consistent General Ledger (i.e. non-technical) accounting system across the Group. It is based around the MySAP ERP Financials package which is an industry leader in this area. Italy was chosen to pilot the system and roll-out completed in Dec 2004. The UK region of six companies was chosen as the first non-pilot roll-out, and is due for completion by the end of 2005, ready for the 2006 accounting year. To co-ordinate the User Acceptance Testing for the London project and coordinate with MunichThis a joint project with London, Munich and IBM.

Desktop and Application Delivery Programme formed part of a series of projects being undertaken by PC&I to prepare all software applications to operate on the new Group Desktop Service, and to migrate the current desktop and server environments to the new GDP infrastructure. I.e. XP, Winscape, Portal and Single IP.Phase 1 of the programme has now completed. This brought together the London Property Programme and Group Desktop Programme to move 15 London based locations to a purpose built tower at Canary Wharf. This effort constituted the relocating of 5,000 personnel, the migration of over 500 applications and the move of 1500 London based servers to a centralised server farm. (Programme Budget of 100 Million pounds.)

•Ensure all incidents occurring during multiple testing phases across all Workstreams are recorded in the incident management system. (TestDirector 7.6)•Monitor the overall progress of incidents, identifying bottlenecks and blockages and facilitate action to clear them (in collaboration with Workstream Managers, Workstream Developers, Test Manager and Senior Test Analysts)•Track faults to detect those, which are not resolved (If any) within the Service Level Agreement and escalate as necessary.•Ensure ownership of incidents is correctly determined, and responsibility for resolution has been properly allocated going forward.•Issue regular, meaningful metrics via reports from Test Director to management groups (Steering Group, Testing Management and Workstream Management.)•Track scope of regression test for fixed incident.•Incident Management Process owner for Programme.•SLA Management Process owner for Programme.