Head of Quality Assurance
Spanning the historic streets of the “city of dreaming spires,” the University of Oxford has been ranked the world’s leading university for nine consecutive years. A place where centuries of tradition meet world-changing innovation, we offer you the chance to shape the future while working in an inspiring environment that promotes excellence. Here, you’ll contribute to ground-breaking research that tackles global challenges - from advancing sustainability to pioneering healthcare solutions - and join a diverse, inclusive community that champions your wellbeing, development, and aspirations. Apply now to become part of our extraordinary legacy.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Quality Assurance (QA) to join us on a permanent basis. The Head of Quality Assurance is a key leadership role in the Programme and Projects Delivery (PPDG) group within IT Services at the University of Oxford. PPDG comprises c 140 change specialist staff and around 25 day-rate contractors and is responsible for the effective shaping, planning and delivery of a large digital investment programme governed by the University’s Information and Digital Committee and five major portfolios representing the University’s core mission and ambitions.
What We Offer
Working at the University of Oxford offers several exclusive benefits, such as:
• 38 days of annual leave to support your wellbeing, with the option to purchase up to 10 extra days and additional leave after long service.
• One of the most generous maternity and adoption leave schemes in UK higher education, offering up to 26 weeks of full-pay leave, followed by additional statutory and unpaid leave options.
• A commitment to hybrid and flexible working to suit your lifestyle.
• An excellent contributory pension scheme.
• Affordable and sustainable commuting options, including a cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel, and season ticket loans.
• Access to a vibrant community through our social, cultural, and sports clubs.
About the Role
We are seeking an outstanding leader to set the direction for Quality Assurance within IT Services at the University of Oxford. You will bring strategic vision, the ability to lead teams through cultural and delivery change, and the experience to influence senior stakeholders across a complex academic environment. This role requires a confident, forward-thinking leader who can shape practice, build capability, and guide teams as the University moves from traditional project delivery towards agile, continuous improvement and user-centred service design.
As Head of Quality Assurance, you will define and champion the Quality Assurance function across a substantial change portfolio. Working within a matrix model alongside delivery, business analysis and change specialists, you will lead a high-performing team through Portfolio QA Managers, oversee the use of specialist contractors, and ensure quality assurance adds value throughout delivery.
You will act as the University’s expert in quality assurance, advising senior colleagues, contributing to assurance across major initiatives, and aligning practice with architecture, data and service design principles. The role includes responsibility for resource and budget management, developing capability frameworks and communities of practice, and building strong relationships across portfolios, services and external partners to ensure that change is well understood, well governed and delivers clear, measurable benefits.
About You
• Degree educated (or equivalent experience) with substantial relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrates forward-thinking leadership. Thinks and acts strategically, shaping long-term plans that align the team’s work with the organisation’s future priorities while leading through change with clarity and purpose.
• Proven experience in leading cultural change within a high-performing team, with clear evidence of sustained improvement in behaviours, engagement and customer value.
• Excellent leadership skills to effectively lead a team through an agile delivery transition, embedding a culture of continuous improvement and developing T-shaped capability through close collaboration with other practice areas.
• Proven ability to empower the team to foster a culture of challenging embedded ways of working.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Extensive experience as a QA/Test Manager working with external or internal customers in a complex organisation, defining scope, cost and benefits and directing teams to deliver programme and projects successfully.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to interact with staff at all levels of the collegiate University, recognising the demands of an academic environment and the specific challenges that these present. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other members of the department.
• Proven ability in managing suppliers, substantial budgets and human resources in a project or programme environment that operates matrix management.
• Proven ability to manage and develop teams of IT professionals including objective setting, performance management, coaching, personal and professional development and general line management.
• Proven ability to shape a range of diverse QA requirements into coherent and understandable strategies, architectures, and change projects and programmes which can be justified at a strategic level.
• Proven understanding Agile ways of working, as well as waterfall delivery. Formal IS methodologies, tools, and techniques (such as TOGAF, ITIL, ISEB, PRINCE2 or MSP) and how these can be used to modernise and lift the performance with IS departments.
Application Process
To apply, please upload:
• A covering letter/supporting statement
• Your CV
• The details of two referees
The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 18 May 2026. Interviews will take place on Thursday 28th May, 2026, and will be held face-to-face.
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