Integrated Test Manager / Test PMO Lead - Warehouse Automation & ASRS

Location: Spartanburg, SC (5 days onsite)

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Integrated Test Manager / Test PMO Lead to oversee the end-to-end testing strategy, governance, execution, and go-live readiness for a large-scale warehouse automation, ASRS, and distribution systems implementation. This central role will coordinate across Operations, Engineering, Technology, business SMEs, system integrators, automation vendors, and third-party partners. The goal is to ensure integrated systems are fully tested, business processes are validated, and the site is ready for production deployment. The ideal candidate brings strong Test Management, PMO, or Release Management experience, coupled with a practical understanding of warehouse automation, ASRS, WMS, WCS, PLC controls, material handling systems, and distribution center operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and own the integrated test strategy, including the master test plan, testing methodology, governance framework, entry and exit criteria, quality gates, and readiness criteria.
• Lead the end-to-end testing lifecycle, including Functional Integration Testing (FIT), System Integration Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Day-in-the-Life (DIAL), regression, performance testing, cutover, go-live, and hypercare.
• Develop and maintain integrated test schedules, coordinating dependencies across ASRS, conveyors, sortation, automation equipment, WMS, WCS, PLC controls, host systems, interfaces, and supporting technologies.
• Coordinate cross-functional testing activities across warehouse operations, engineering, IT, business teams, system integrators, automation vendors, and technology partners.
• Establish and monitor test readiness gates and acceptance criteria, distinguishing equipment commissioning evidence from integrated testing, business acceptance, and final acceptance.
• Oversee test preparation activities, including developing test scenarios, scripts, data, environments, regression coverage, business process validation, and operational readiness.
• Lead defect governance and triage, including defect prioritization, root-cause analysis, retesting, resolution tracking, escalation, and closure.
• Ensure end-to-end integration validation across WMS/WCS, PLC controls, ASRS, conveyors, sortation, inventory management, interfaces, host systems, and warehouse operational workflows.
• Coordinate equipment functional, rate and performance, and availability testing in collaboration with automation and engineering teams.
• Drive go-live and release readiness by validating exit criteria, open risks, contingency plans, rollback strategies, business continuity plans, and required executive sign-offs.
• Lead cutover planning and execution, including deployment readiness, command center operations, stakeholder communications, issue management, and hypercare stabilization.
• Establish and maintain PMO governance through test dashboards, RAID logs, defect metrics, test execution status, milestone tracking, readiness assessments, and executive reporting.
• Provide clear and timely communication to senior leadership regarding testing progress, risks, dependencies, issues, decisions, and overall go-live readiness.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in Test Management, Test PMO, Program/Project Management, Release Management, or a related discipline.
• Proven experience managing large-scale, multi-phase testing programs, including FIT, SIT, UAT, cutover, go-live, and hypercare.
• Strong understanding of software testing methodologies, test planning, execution, defect management, test reporting, and quality governance.
• Working knowledge of warehouse automation and material handling systems, including ASRS, conveyors, sortation, and related automated equipment.
• Familiarity with WMS, WCS, PLC, host systems, interfaces, and integration concepts, including how these systems interact with warehouse automation.
• General understanding of distribution center and warehouse operations, with the ability to evaluate whether test scenarios and acceptance criteria reflect real-world operational requirements.
• Experience coordinating multiple vendors, system integrators, technology partners, and cross-functional stakeholder groups.
• Strong experience with test governance, stakeholder management, risk management, executive reporting, and PMO processes.
• Experience with tools such as JIRA, Confluence, or similar test, defect, and collaboration platforms.
• Ability to establish measurable acceptance criteria, testing gates, and readiness criteria across complex integrated systems.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Ability to remain engaged throughout extended implementation timelines, scaling involvement during active testing, cutover, and go-live phases.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with large-scale supply chain, distribution center, warehouse management, warehouse automation, or ASRS implementations.
• Experience with WMS/WCS platforms such as Manhattan, WAMAS, Blue Yonder, SAP EWM, or similar solutions.
• Experience working with automated material handling systems, ASRS, conveyors, sortation, PLC controls, and warehouse control systems.
• Experience supporting greenfield distribution centers, major warehouse transformations, or complex automation deployments.
• Experience managing testing programs involving system integrators, automation OEMs, software vendors, and business operations teams.
• Experience with performance, throughput, availability, and operational testing for automated warehouse environments.