Senior Manager - Assessment Design & Principles

Permanent

Manchester

Salary: £52,000 - £60,500

Hybrid

This is your opportunity to shape the future of assessment for millions of learners.

As our Senior Manager for Assessment Design & Principles, you'll lead a team of experts who define and champion what high quality assessment looks like - both paper and digital.

You'll be the organisation's trusted point of escalation for assessment expertise, the person people turn to for key assessment design decisions because reform needs a steady, experienced hand. With your leadership, AQA's assessments will remain fair, valid, reliable and inclusive. With assessment reform and OFQUAL's digital exam consultation on the horizon, you will influence the future of education and make a national impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, support and develop a team of Assessment Design & Principles Leads.

• Ensure assessment design principles are implemented consistently and effectively.

• Oversee assessment model design for both paper-based and digital contexts.

• Provide expert guidance and act as the escalation point for complex assessment design issues.

• Collaborate closely with internal teams, including Product, Assessment and digital teams, to shape assessment models and digital assessment solutions that are fair, valid, reliable and deliverable.

• Represent the area in governance and strategic initiatives, including regulatory responses.

• Manage risks, resources, priorities and performance across your portfolio.

What's in it for you

If you're someone who wants their work to matter, this role will speak to you. Your team's work shapes the assessment experience for hundreds of thousands of students. The policies and principles you set ripple out through assessment models, exam papers, digital platforms, and the decisions teachers and learners make every day.

You'll be influencing the direction of reform specifications and digital assessment across the organisation. You'll join conversations early, help define the roadmap, and ensure technology genuinely enhances assessment, rather than complicating it.

And you won't be doing it alone. You'll be surrounded by colleagues who care deeply about getting assessment right, from product and research partners to operations, policy and regulatory specialists. It's a role where your judgement is trusted, your voice is heard, and your expertise makes a very real difference.

AQA benefits also include a fantastic pension which could see combined contribution of 18.5%, 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service) and additional office closure of up to 4 days at Christmas, Private medical insurance with BUPA, a variety of employee networks (including LGBTQ+, DisAbility, InterFaith, Parents and Carers, Neurodiversity, Empowering Women) and up to 4 days for volunteering with charities and causes that are important to you.

You'll thrive in this role if you:

• Have deep expertise and experience in translating assessment theory into practice

• Can embed research evidence design principles into assessment models in reformed qualifications.

• Bring deep experience in digital assessment or digital transformation at scale.

• Understand digital assessment platforms and can translate assessment needs into technical requirements.

• Are confident in accessibility and inclusive design in paper based and digital assessments.

• Know how to communicate complex issues with clarity and calmness.

• Are a natural coach who develops and motivates people.

• Feel comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and balancing competing priorities.

• Can interpret data and apply evidence to guide decisions.

• Are decisive, pragmatic, and able to deliver at pace.

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.

How to apply

Upload your most recent CV with a covering letter explaining your motivation and suitability for the role.

Applications will close at 23:59 on Monday 6 April

Interviews will be over two stages:

• Teams interview in the week beginning 13 April

• In person interview in the week beginning 20 April, this will include you giving a presentation, details will be given following successful shortlisting after the first stage interview.

All applications will receive a response

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