Candidate Pack
Compliance Risk and Audit
Manager
A message from our Chief Executive Officer
Welcome to Agored Cymru.
Our vision is “to enable individuals to gain the knowledge and skills they need to maximise their potential, enrich their lives and contribute to their communities and a strong economy”
We achieve this by developing high-quality bilingual products and services that are accessible to all learners and that meet the needs of all types of providers and employers.
Our expert teams have been supporting providers and supporting learner success for over 30 years. To ensure we have maintained our relevance within an ever-changing education sector we have constantly evolved our offer and ways of working to align with the requirements of our providers and stakeholders.
We firmly believe in providing the best service possible with the foundations to ensure our staff have the relevant up-to-date skills and knowledge to support our centres and partners.
If you are ambitious and want to work as part of a team where your skills are recognised and rewarded, we would like to hear from you.
Darren Howells
CEO
About Agored Cymru
Agored Cymru is a recognised awarding body and Access Validating Agency with a proud history of supporting learners, providers and employers for more than 30 years.
Our qualifications, assessment services and educational programmes support thousands of learners across Wales and the wider UK, helping individuals develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to progress in learning, employment and life.
As a charitable organisation and social enterprise, our purpose extends beyond qualification delivery. We are committed to widening participation, promoting social mobility and creating accessible opportunities for learners from all backgrounds.
We work with schools, colleges, universities, training providers, local authorities, employers, third-sector organisations and government stakeholders to develop qualifications and learning solutions that respond to the needs of learners, communities and the economy.
As a regulated awarding organisation, effective governance, risk management and regulatory compliance are fundamental to maintaining public confidence in our qualifications and services. We are committed to developing a culture of accountability, transparency and continuous improvement, supported by strong assurance arrangements and evidence-based decision-making.
The Opportunity
This role offers the opportunity to become a central part of Agored Cymru's governance and regulatory assurance arrangements.
The successful candidate will work closely with senior leaders, quality assurance specialists, qualification development teams and external stakeholders to strengthen organisational resilience, support effective risk management and improve regulatory readiness.
The role combines compliance, risk, audit and assurance responsibilities, providing a unique opportunity to influence organisational decision-making through evidence, analysis and independent challenge.
For candidates with experience in compliance, audit, governance, quality assurance, risk management or regulated environments, this role offers an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to organisational performance, regulatory confidence and learner outcomes.
Why This Role Matters
This is a newly established role within Agored Cymru's strengthened governance and assurance framework.
As a recognised awarding body and Access Validating Agency, Agored Cymru operates within a highly regulated environment where effective compliance, risk management and organisational assurance are critical to maintaining confidence in standards, protecting learners and supporting regulatory compliance.
The Compliance, Risk and Audit Manager will play a key role in providing independent assurance insight to the Responsible Officer and senior leadership team. The role will support the development of a mature, intelligence-led assurance culture by bringing together information from compliance monitoring, risk management, internal audit activity, complaints, appeals, malpractice, maladministration and self-assessment processes to provide a coherent view of organisational performance and regulatory exposure.
Reporting directly to the Deputy Chief Executive and Responsible Officer, the successful candidate will help ensure that risks are identified early, controls are operating effectively and evidence is available to support informed decision-making. The role will provide assurance that organisational systems remain robust, proportionate and responsive within an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
This is an exciting opportunity to help shape and embed a modern assurance framework within a respected educational organisation that combines strong social purpose with regulatory excellence.
Why Join Us?
This role offers the opportunity to:
• Help shape and embed a newly strengthened compliance, risk and assurance framework.
Work directly with the Responsible Officer and senior leadership team on matters of organisational governance and regulatory compliance.
Develop and implement integrated approaches to compliance, risk management, audit and organisational assurance.
Influence organisational improvement through evidence-based analysis and independent assurance insight.
• Support an organisation that combines educational impact, public value and social purpose.
Contribute to maintaining confidence in qualifications, assessment outcomes and learner achievement across Wales and beyond.
How to Apply
If you are interested in this role, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining why you are suitable for the role to hr@agored.cymru.
The closing date for applications will be close of business on Friday 17th July 2026.
Agored Cymru reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received and may begin interviewing before the closing date.
First stage interviews will be held online to ensure accessibility and flexibility for all candidates.
• First stage interviews are expected to take place week commencing ${ \tt 2 7 ^ { t h } }$ July 2026.
• Second stage interviews are planned for week commencing 3rd August 2026.
Please note that you must have proof that you have the right to work and live in the UK.
Role Description
| Job Title | Compliance, Risk and Audit Manager |
| Reports to | Deputy CEO & Responsible Officer |
| Division/Department | Compliance |
| Employment Status | Permanent |
| Location | Wales / Hybrid with flexibility for the right candidate |
| Salary Range | £40,000 - £42,000 (dependent on experience) |
Role Purpose
The Compliance, Risk and Audit Manager is responsible for supporting the organisation's compliance, risk management, audit and assurance arrangements, ensuring that information relating to regulatory compliance, organisational risk and control effectiveness is accurate, robust and available to support effective decisionmaking.
Working closely with the Responsible Officer, the postholder will provide independent assurance insight across quality assurance, qualification development and wider organisational activity, helping to identify risks, weaknesses and emerging issues before they impact organisational performance or regulatory compliance.
The role will coordinate and integrate information from compliance monitoring, internal audit, self-assessment, complaints, appeals, malpractice, maladministration and risk management activity to provide a clear and evidence-based view of organisational assurance.
As a key contributor to Agored Cymru's governance framework, the postholder will support regulatory readiness, continuous improvement and organisational resilience through effective assurance, analysis, reporting and oversight.
Role Responsibilities
The postholder will:
Support and monitor the implementation of the organisation’s compliance framework, ensuring that regulatory requirements are clearly documented, communicated and consistently applied across operational teams.
Maintain and monitor the organisation’s risk management processes by recording, updating and reviewing risks, ensuring that risk information is accurate, current and supported by appropriate evidence.
Conduct, coordinate and track the delivery of the internal audit programme by preparing documentation, organising audit activity, recording findings and monitoring actions through to completion.
Assess the effectiveness of controls and processes across quality assurance, qualification development and organisational compliance, identifying weaknesses and providing evidence-based challenge and recommendations.
Support the preparation of regulatory returns and external submissions by collating, structuring and checking information, ensuring alignment with agreed organisational positions and escalating any uncertainties or risks.
Analyse data from across compliance, risk, audit, complaints, appeals, malpractice, maladministration and centre activity to identify trends, patterns and emerging issues, and present these clearly to support oversight and decision-making.
Provide integrated assurance analysis across compliance, risk, audit, complaints, appeals and incident activity, identifying systemic risks, recurring issues and areas of regulatory exposure.
Support the accuracy, completeness and integrity of data used for compliance, reporting and assurance purposes, identifying anomalies or inconsistencies and working with teams to resolve issues.
Provide support and guidance to centres, where appropriate, to help them understand and meet their obligations under the Centre Agreement, ensuring that expectations are clearly communicated and consistently applied.
Administer and coordinate processes relating to malpractice, maladministration and non-compliance, ensuring that cases are appropriately logged, documented and progressed in line with agreed procedures.
Administer policy control and review tracking.
Support regulatory readiness and audit preparation.
Support the preparation of documentation and evidence required for investigations, ensuring that records are accurate, complete and auditable.
Coordinate the organisation’s self-assessment processes, ensuring that evidence is collected, maintained and aligned to reporting requirements.
Administer complaints and appeals processes, ensuring that cases are managed in line with agreed procedures and that outcomes are recorded, tracked and reported.
Prepare structured reports and dashboards to support the Responsible Officer in overseeing compliance status, risk exposure, audit outcomes, trends and emerging risks.
Ensure that all compliance, audit, risk and incident-related activity is supported by clear, consistent and auditable records.
Support the prioritisation of assurance activity based on risk, focusing attention on areas of greatest regulatory importance or exposure, as directed by the Responsible Officer.
Role Accountabilities
Compliance Framework Support
The postholder will support and monitor the implementation of the organisation’s compliance framework and highlight any gaps or inconsistencies.
Regulatory Reporting and Returns
The postholder will support the drafting of regulatory returns and submissions and ensure they are evidence-based and internally consistent.
Risk Management Coordination
The postholder will maintain and monitor organisational risk registers and escalate emerging risks appropriately.
Internal Audit Coordination and Control Checking
The postholder will support internal audit activity and carry out routine compliance checks and validation activities to verify that key controls are operating as expected. They will identify inconsistencies or gaps and escalate these.
Data Analysis and Insight
The postholder will analyse data across compliance, audit, risk, complaints, appeals, malpractice, maladministration and centre activity to identify trends and emerging risks.
Self-Assessment Support
The postholder will support the organisation’s self-assessment processes.
Complaints, Appeals, Malpractice and Maladministration
The postholder will coordinate these processes and support the collation and organisation of evidence for investigations.
The Responsible Officer retains full accountability for all decisions. The postholder will not lead investigations or make determinations.
Centre Compliance Support
The postholder will support centres in understanding and complying with requirements and escalate concerns.
Policy Control and Administration
The postholder will maintain oversight of policy documentation and review cycles.
Reporting and Insight
The postholder will produce reports and dashboards highlighting compliance performance, trends, risks and issues requiring escalation.
Regulatory Readiness and Audit Support
The postholder will support readiness for external regulatory activity.
Escalation and Support to the Responsible Officer
The postholder will identify and escalate risks, issues and control weaknesses, providing clear evidence-based analysis.
Cross-Organisational Working
The postholder will work with teams across the organisation to ensure alignment of processes, while maintaining independence from operational delivery.
They will provide independent assurance insight on the effectiveness of quality assurance systems, drawing on audit, risk, complaints and incident data.
They will not direct or manage quality assurance activity but will identify gaps, inconsistencies or control weaknesses and escalate these to the Responsible Officer.
Authority and Decision Making
The postholder will operate within agreed organisational frameworks and delegated authority.
They will not:
• Independently interpret regulatory requirements
• Approve compliance positions or regulatory submissions
• Determine outcomes of malpractice or maladministration investigations
• Apply sanctions or enforcement actions
All such decisions are reserved to the Responsible Officer.
General Statement
All staff are expected to create an environment of service excellence by engaging and thinking from the customer's perspective and being highly motivated to deliver outstanding customer service.
All staff are expected to be aware of and comply with the policies, processes, and procedures of the organisation.
You may be asked to undertake any other duties commensurate with the nature and level of the post.
The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description are liable to change to meet the needs of the business. The Chief Executive Officer will discuss and agree any significant changes that arise.
All managers must ensure that staff are treated consistently, equally, and fairly in the management of their performance. You will motivate, inspire outstanding performance, and deal appropriately with performance that needs to be improved.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Degree-level qualifications in a subject area relevant to the role or equivalent experience.
Agored Cymru welcomes applicants from all educational and professional backgrounds that demonstrate the skills and knowledge needed for the role.
Experience, Knowledge & Skills
➢ Strong analytical and risk management capability
➢ Experience in a compliance, risk, audit or regulated environment
➢ Experience of supporting regulatory reporting or submissions
➢ Experience of data analysis and reporting
➢ Good working knowledge of regulatory frameworks
➢ Understanding of compliance, risk and audit processes
➢ Strong data analysis and data quality awareness
➢ Ability to draft structured reports and regulatory documentation
➢ Strong organisational and coordination skills
➢ Ability to identify issues and escalate appropriately
➢ Clear communication skills
➢ Ability to maintain accurate and auditable records
➢ Experience working with external stakeholders or centres (desirable)
Personal Qualities
➢ Ability to relate to and work in line with organisational values.
➢ Strong professional judgement and integrity
➢ High attention to detail and commitment to standards
➢ Highly organised and methodical
➢ Strong attention to detail
➢ Ability to operate effectively under pressure and manage risk
➢ Comfortable working within defined frameworks
➢ Confident in escalating issues
➢ Commitment to continuous improvement of regulatory compliance
➢ A commitment to providing first class customer service to external clients and customers and Agored Cymru colleagues.
➢ An understanding of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and actively fostering an inclusive environment.
➢ Ability to work independently and on their own initiative.
➢ Self-motivated with a flexible approach to work and a willingness to undertake regular Continued Professional Development (CPD).
Values and Behaviours
➢ demonstrate Agored Cymru’s values and behaviours
➢ take a practical, solution-focused approach
➢ provide a helpful and professional service to colleagues
➢ communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical colleagues
➢ build constructive working relationships across the organisation
➢ handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately
Other Requirements
➢ Ability to operate through the medium of Welsh is desirable
➢ Willingness to travel across the UK, including overnight stays
➢ Full driving licence
Working at Agored Cymru
We are both a business and a charity, united by a mission to support our centres and empower education in Wales and beyond.
Our leadership team and Board of Trustees is deeply committed to our educational and charitable goals, ensuring everything we do is driven by purpose and impact.
We take pride in our customer-focused approach, collaborating with schools, colleges, charities, and learning providers nationwide to deliver meaningful outcomes.
Our team is made up of 40-plus core staff, supported by a wider network of consultants and associates, bringing the total workforce to around 60 dedicated professionals.
We are entering an exciting period of organisational development, investing in our qualifications, assessment systems, quality assurance arrangements and digital capabilities to ensure we remain responsive to learners, centres, employers and regulators. This role will play a key part in helping shape that future.