QA Test Lead /Manager 3-month Contract Berkshire (Hybrid) £300- £310/Day (Inside IR35) We are seeking an SC cleared QA Test Lead/Manager for an initial 3-month contract based in the Newbury, Berkshire area. This role is offering a hybrid working arrangement. The role involves occasional customer site visits across southern, central, and northern England, as well as approximately two visits per month to the head office for collaboration with the wider test team. Candidates must hold active SC clearance and be available for immediate interviews and start. Key skills and experience: Oversee virtual test team and manage test execution. Develop and maintain Test Plans, Test Completion Reports, Test Conditions, Use Cases, and Test Data. Coordinate resource allocation, environments, and testing schedules within workstreams. Manage defects and communicate testing risks, issues, and dependencies to relevant stakeholders. Generate test reports for project and customer use via ALM. Conduct internal reviews on test script infrastructure (e.g., routers, switches, firewalls). Desirable: Telecoms domain experience. Essential Skills: Proficient in Data Centre operations, ALM test management, defect management, and reporting. Act as backup Test Analyst on-site. Experienced with setting up network test equipment for RFC 2544 testing. Strong skills Cisco Switch/Router console commands and using network management tools (e.g., StableNet). Interpret Network infrastructure design from HLD/LLD and understand test phases (Unit, System Integration, Functional, Non-Functional, Disaster Recovery, Operational Acceptance)