Test Manager - Te Huringa Project

Salary: Competitive salary + 5 weeks annual leave

Kia mahi ngātahi mō Pōneke mō tōna āpōpō | Working together for Wellington's future.

Our People & Capability Group (Pūmanawa Tangata) is transforming how we support our people through new systems, smarter ways of working, and a renewed focus on delivering great experiences for our leaders, teams, and kaimahi.

We are replacing our HR and Payroll systems through the Te Huringa Project, and we are looking for an experienced Test Manager on a fixed term basis to lead testing and help ensure our new systems are ready to support our people and the way we work.

This is more than testing new technology. It is about making sure our systems, data and processes work as they should, particularly when it comes to paying our people correctly, protecting information and supporting the day-to-day needs of our organisation.

This is your opportunity to play a key role in one of Council's significant people and technology transformation programmes, helping deliver reliable HR and Payroll systems for the future.

He kōrero mō te tūranga | About the role

You will lead the end-to-end testing approach for Te Huringa, overseeing testing across Workday for core HR and workforce management, Datapay for payroll, and the integrations and data migration that connect them.

Working alongside the project team, Payroll, HR, Finance, Digital & Technology, vendors and business specialists, you will:

• Develop and lead the overall test strategy, plans and governance across the programme.

• Coordinate system, integration, end-to-end, user acceptance and business acceptance testing.

• Lead payroll parallel testing and reconciliation, ensuring pay calculations, leave entitlements, deductions and other payroll outputs are accurate.

• Oversee data migration testing, ensuring employee, payroll and historical data is validated and reconciled.

• Manage defects, risks and issues, working with technical teams and vendors to ensure these are resolved and retested.

• Coordinate business specialists and subject matter experts to test real-world scenarios and confirm the systems meet business needs.

• Report on testing progress, quality and readiness, providing evidence-based advice to programme governance on go-live readiness.

• Lead, coach and develop a small testing team, while remaining hands-on where needed to support delivery.

This is a fixed-term role through to 22 December 2027.Ko wai koe | About you

You will be an experienced Test Manager who understands the importance of thorough testing in a complex systems implementation. You will be comfortable setting the overall direction while getting into the detail, particularly when resolving complex issues around payroll, data and system integrations.

You will bring:

• Extensive test management experience, including developing test strategies and leading testing through to go-live.

• Experience with large-scale HRIS, HCM or payroll implementations or system replacements.

• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, employment legislation and payroll parallel testing.

• Experience managing system integrations, data migration validation and reconciliation.

• Experience leading user acceptance testing and working with business stakeholders to confirm systems meet operational requirements.

• Experience with enterprise platforms such as Workday, SAP, Oracle HCM, Dayforce or similar.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate testing outcomes and risks clearly.

• Experience leading and developing a team, managing priorities and coordinating testing resources.

A relevant qualification and ISTQB Advanced Test Manager certification along with experience in public sector or large enterprise environments, and relevant project delivery or HCM platform certifications, would be advantageous.

You will also bring a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to continuing to grow your knowledge of tikanga Māori and te reo Māori.

Applications close: 12 September 2026.

We may review applications and invite candidates to interview before the closing date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we find the right candidate.

All applications must be submitted online, as we are unable to accept applications via email.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand and be willing to undergo pre-employment Ministry of Justice checks.

Nōu te rourou | What's in it for you

Working for the Council offers you a range of benefits including 5 weeks annual leave, flexible working options, health and wellbeing support, Council staff discounts and a range of learning and development programmes and opportunities.

View our Employee Value Proposition Video to see what our employees say about working at WCC.

Diversity

We want your application to enable you to portray the real you. Skills are gained across many areas of our life, not just formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the advert through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering), we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your cover letter.

We welcome applications from all people and like our workforce to reflect the diverse communities we serve.

Accessibility Support

We want to make sure any accessibility requirements you may have are well supported so the selection process is equitable for everyone. Please let us know if there are any adjustments or support we can offer to make our process more accessible to you by emailing recruitment@wcc.govt.nz.