Stephen Newton Email & Phone Number

Wokingham, Gb

Wokingham, Gb

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As the Senior Manager of Quality Management, I led SIT/ORT/UAT activities and scrum PODs for global Unisys ITIL service management implementations. I developed and executed comprehensive Test Strategies and Plans, ensuring timely project delivery and enhancements. Leading the Quality Management team, I refined Processes, Templates, RASCI models, and Schedules, while governing global testing practices. I collaborated with onshore, nearshore, offshore, and security-cleared teams, managing outsourced operations for seamless transitions to Steady State. I coached Project Managers on ORT/UAT processes, mentored transitioning team members, and promoted testing within the global community and senior management. I unified service acceptance through cohesive test lifecycles and managed third-party Test-as-a-Service support. By defining and analysing KPIs, I enhanced Testing Function performance and addressed escalations proactively.Below listed are some of my achievements within this role:• Achieved significant SDLC improvements by defining KPIs and leveraging data effectively.• Raised awareness of testing importance and addressed its immaturity within the company on a global scale.• Maintained highest retention in Business Unit by rebuilding SIT team, fostering trust, and earning respect for Quality.• Enhanced UAT processes by researching and securing 3rd Party Testing as Service partner, eliminating need for bench.• Streamlined communication and efficiency across global landscape by consolidating various teams into single Test Community.• Formalised global Transition Processes by introducing and developing Test Templates, including Test Strategy, Master Test Plan, Test Plans, Test Report, and Test Management Workbooks.

Home Based, Uk

Reading, United Kingdom

As the Test Manager for a Government IT Infrastructure project, I spearheaded multiple test teams, ensuring adherence to ITIL principles and consistently delivering high-quality results. I meticulously designed and implemented comprehensive Test Strategies, Plans, and reports, expertly coordinating testing schedules, scopes, and assignments to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. My role involved closely monitoring project progress and promptly addressing any issues, providing clear and actionable updates to management. I offered my test expertise to both programme and senior management, presenting and discussing Schedule Rescue Plans to ensure project milestones were met. By instituting robust processes, I significantly enhanced our verification services and project delivery. I managed a team of Fujitsu staff within the consortium, handling HR tasks such as appraisals, career planning, training authorisation, recruitment, and induction, while representing the consortium in interactions with Fujitsu’s senior management.Below listed are some of my achievements within this role:• Alleviated Contractor budget deficit.• Timely delivered solutions despite external obstacles.• Achieved zero open roles in escalation, reducing total.• Established Security Requirements Analysis Team and procedures.

Farnborough, United Kingdom

Exclaimer produce a mail disclaiming product that adds complex HTML, RTF and Plain Text disclaimers to emails. Exclaimers products include a powerful Outlook Signature Manager that places the disclaimer as a signature in the users Outlook client, also enabling a company to enforce Outlook settings such as mail formatting, font, colours etc. Responsibilities: Included investigate, trial and recommend Scrum procedures for the SDLC. For the company and individuals this proved not to be suitable. We did however adopt some of the concepts in our own bespoke process. Inside of our adopted processes I owned QA, writing the test plans, test scripts, test reports, assigning work, running the tests, QA representative at bug triage, and product planning meetings.Technologies: Windows Server 2003, 2008. MS Exchange 5.5, 2003, 2007. Outlook all variants.Key Achievements:• Scrum Master Accreditation• Identification and planning of Test Automation. (Unfortunately we did not implemented any Test Automation due to pressures of release dates)

Reading, United Kingdom

Clearswift produce mail and web security products such as MIMEsweeper that monitor and control e-mail and web usage, protecting companies from illegal and confidential use. Providing complete network boundary protection. Responsibilities: Were within Engineering, responsible for testing the MIMEsweeper appliance product range. Including acceptance-testing throughout the test cycle e.g., FAT, SAT, UAT and non-functional tests. Generating test requirements, writing test documentation, setting up the environments for manually testing, and automating the manual tests where appropriate. I also initiated an overnight automated testing rig that runs off the back of the development nightly build. Each morning I reviewed the test logs and investigated any failures. Technologies: MIMESweeper, SMTP, HTTP, IEUnit (Test Automation)Key Achievements:• Test Lead for major new value added product feature.• Identifying and instigating a viable Web UI Automation tool• Promotion of and gaining acceptance of Test Automation

London, United Kingdom

Macfarlane Telesystems produce computer telephony products. Primarily call centre products with a voice recognition, ACD, IVR and many other requirements for call routing in a large organisationResponsibilities: Were to be; promoting Quality within the company. This involved identifying the priorities of the business areas in need of QA and developing and implementing QA processes. Due to the time period that I was there, I has little opportunity to perform this task and whilst I initiated processes, most of my time was spent in customer support dealing with technical issues.Technologies: IVRKey Achievements:• Identifying area of business in most need of QA.• Creating draft QA processes for this area.• Customer support and problem identification for major customers E1 interface.

Reading, United Kingdom

Clearswift produce mail and web security products such as MIMEsweeper that with definable policies monitor and control e-mail usage and web usage, protecting companies from illegal and confidential use. The product also utilises Anti-virus software to scan e-mail and web usage for attacks. Providing a complete network boundary protection. Responsibilities: Were within the product integration team; responsible for maintaining various software tool libraries and testing the integration of the company’s products with each other and supported 3rd party software. This includes installing, configuring and maintaining Domains with Win 2003 Advanced Server, MS Exchange and Clearswift MAILsweeper, MIMEsweeper, Clearsecure etc….Technologies: MIMESweeper, SMTP, HTTP, IEUnit (Test Automation)Key Achievements:• Central Database and Library for Anti-Virus testing tools for CRM.• Installation, Configuration of Window 2003 Active directory domain with MS Exchange and various computers, DNS, DHCP configurations etc.• Installation and configuration of Clearswift MAILsweeper products for complex test environment.• Assisting other new starts to get settled and familiar with MS and Clearswift products.

Reading, United Kingdom

Responsibilities: I returned to Ridgeway at the request of management to assist during a high-pressure period. The role was to assist permanent staff where required within the System Test department, including acceptance-testing throughout the test cycle.Technologies: VoIP, H.323, SiP, All Windows 32Bit OS’s, Checkpoint Firewall, Polycomm Video Conferencing, VoIP Gatekeepers and Registrars, introduction to Linux Key Achievements: • QARun Automated Scripts to enable long duration mass Web based UI, Data fill testing• Research and acquisition of test equipment/software• Streamlining of test approach to expedite test runs• Recommendation and specification of methodology to automate test reports

Bracknell, Untied Kingdom

Redwood produce a highly evolved IVR platform that can interface with a large variety of support systems and databasesResponsibilities: Were as both the Quality Manager and as Software Verification Engineer. Key Achievements: • Wrote and implemented new quality procedures whilst managing the existing quality manual.• In my time as Quality Manager I achieved acknowledgement from a customer for the improvements I’d instigated. Had these improvements not been made this order may have been cancelled.

Reading, United Kingdom

Ridgeway produced a product that enables VoIP traffic to traverse network boundaries without compromising security. Overcoming the problems involved in network address translations and opening firewalls.Responsibilities: Team/Project Leader within the System Test department. Composing of 3 to 10 staff depending on the project. Managing the development project throughout the full life cycle including FAT, SAT, UAT and non-functional tests and representing the department at all levels.Technologies: VoIP, H.323, SiP, All Windows 32Bit OS’s, Checkpoint Firewall, Polycomm Video Conferencing, VoIP Gatekeepers and Registrars, introduction to LinuxKey Achievements: • Caretaker Manager after the manager left the company• Formalised many methods into procedures• Formalised and composed Test Plans and Test Reports• Introduced metrics to clearly monitor testing progress

Bracknell

C&W is a major international Telecom provider, providing any form of communications required to mainly business customers.Responsibilities: Management of the Development and Test Centre. A captive network capable of representing over 90% of CWC's services and network. D&TC was responsible for SAT, UAT and non-functional tests.Managing resources for new projects and maintenance and configuration of the test labs to facilitate proof of concept and acceptance testing of new equipement, services and upgrades.Managing space, power and environment of the test lab.Managing, maintaining and configuration of lab services and equipment, including service contracts.Managing resource allocation for new projectsTechnologies: TDM Voice and Data Switching, System X, Ericsson MD110, Nokia DX220, Nortel DMS, SS7, DASS, CAS, Q.931, ISDN, VoIP, TCP/IP, Mux’s, Etc..Key Achievements: • Recognition from a supplier that if I reported a fault it had been investigated beyond their own expectations and was to be taken very seriously.• Improvement of departmental service level to satisfy our customers’ needs beyond their expectations.• Organisation of space and resources to accommodate major business critical projects.

London, United Kingdom

Videotron was one of the early Cable operators and the first in the UK to achieve “Cash flow positive” status. Responsibilities: Responsible for all O&M and development aspects of the Nokia Telephone exchanges. Technologies: TDM Voice and Data Switching, System X, Ericsson MD110, Nokia DX220, Nortel DMS, SS7, DASS, CAS, Q.931, ISDN, VoIP, TCP/IP, Mux’s, Etc..Key Achievements: • Recognition from a supplier that if I reported a fault it had been investigated beyond their own expectations and was to be taken very seriously.• Improvement of departmental service level to satisfy our customers’ needs beyond their expectations.

Watford, United Kingdom

Maintenance and Operations of National Mobile Phone exchanges, both analogue and digital networks.

Coventry, United Kingdom

Installation and commisioning of System X National and International Telephone exchanges. Including Performing Acceptance testing with the client.

Hnd Electronics And Communications Engineering, Telecommunications

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