Head of Assessment Management and Improvement

Permanent

Guildford or London: £86,100 - £96,500

or

Manchester: £82,700 - £92,700

Smart Working with regular travel between Guildford and Manchester

Do you want a senior leadership role that shapes national and international qualifications, brings clarity to a complex high stakes environment and influences the learning experience of millions of learners every year?

This could be your next role and the one after that, with clear opportunities to grow across the organisation as you widen your network and build your expertise.

As an independent education charity, we set and mark over half of all GCSEs and A levels taken in the UK every year, and our qualifications are trusted by thousands of schools and colleges. Our income is reinvested into research, innovation and initiatives that help young people realise their potential. Your leadership will directly shape the quality and reliability of assessments taken by millions of learners each year.

About the role

You will drive and enhance high quality, reliable assessments that shape fair, meaningful outcomes for thousands of learners each year, empowering your team of assessment managers to strengthen quality, ownership and consistency across their subject portfolios.

As our Head of Assessment Management and Improvement, you will take accountability for the assessment quality of a set of subject portfolios and for strengthening the productivity and ways of working across the Assessment Management team. You will ensure every assessment we create meets regulatory requirements, reflects best practice and delivers meaningful value for teachers, students and schools.

This role does not involve designing assessments from scratch; instead, you will apply well‑established assessment expertise to a defined blueprint, leading your teams to create the live exam each year with consistency and adherence to that blueprint. The focus is on improving processes, ways of working and team ownership rather than hands‑on item writing.

You will work closely with senior leaders across Assessment and the wider organisation and collaborate with our Chief Examiners and associate authoring community to set the direction for how assessments are developed and improved. You will help drive strategic initiatives, support reform activity and bring innovative thinking into practice.

What's in it for you?

Lead assessment quality and ways of working at scale, shaping assessments used by millions of learners in both domestic and international settings.

You will join a senior leadership community that values collaboration, expertise and purposeful impact, with the opportunity to:

• Grow your network across AQA's Executive and senior leadership teams
• Deepen your assessment expertise
• Influence major cross‑organisational initiatives
• Play a central role in national qualification reform and innovation

You will also benefit from AQA's strong, clearly defined reward and wellbeing package, including:

• A generous pension scheme with up to 11.5 per cent employer contribution based on your employee contributions
• 25 days annual leave, rising with service, plus bank holidays and discretionary companywide paid leave in December
• Smart working, combining home working with purposeful in person collaboration
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme and mental health resources
• Professional development and leadership training
  

If you want to apply your people leadership and assessment expertise in a role with real national and organisational reach, this is your moment.

What you'll be doing

• Creating the conditions for specialists to take full ownership of delivering high quality assessment materials with confidence, consistency and clarity
• Strengthening productivity and driving consistent, efficient ways of working across assessment creation, using data and insight to identify where improvements are needed
• Leading a subject portfolio to ensure all assessment materials meet quality, validity and compliance expectations
• Building positive, inclusive relationships across AQA and with Chief Examiners and authoring teams

You'll thrive in this role if you have:

• Proven people leadership experience in a complex assessment and/or education environment
• Well‑established assessment expertise, including knowledge of validity, reliability and design principles across multiple subjects
• Experience leading teams through significant change, bringing diverse perspectives together and developing inclusive, high performing teams
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders in a matrix environment and working with subject experts
• The ability to use data and evidence to guide decisions and improve productivity
• An understanding of digital and future assessment opportunities

Application process

Applications are open until Monday 13 April. After the closing date, we will review all submissions carefully before confirming the shortlist.

• First stage interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams on Thursday 23 April and Friday 24 April.
• Candidates progressing to the final stage will be invited to a face to face interview in Manchester on Wednesday 30 April or London on Thursday 1 May.

All candidates will be notified of outcomes at each stage.

Diversity and Inclusion

At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone-regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background - is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

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