Head of Assessment Management and Improvement

• locations
• Manchester
• Guildford
• AQA London

• time type
• Full time

• posted on
• Posted Yesterday

• job requisition id
• R7747

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Head of Assessment Management and Improvement

Permanent
Manchester: £82,700 – £92,700
Guildford or London: £86,100 – £96,500

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 networkacross AQA’s Executive and senior leadership teams
• Deepen your assessment expertise
• Influence major cross‑organisational initiatives
• Play a central rolein 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 conditionsfor specialists to take full ownership of delivering high quality assessment materials with confidence, consistency and clarity
• Strengthening productivity and driving consistent, efficient ways of workingacross assessment creation, using data and insight to identify where improvements are needed
• Leading a subject portfolioto ensure all assessment materials meet quality, validity and compliance expectations
• Building positive, inclusive relationshipsacross AQA and with Chief Examiners and authoring teams

You’ll thrive in this role if you have:

• Proven people leadershipexperience 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 stakeholdersin a matrix environment and working with subject experts
• The ability to use data and evidenceto 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.

#PRO22

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

The two Head of Assessment Management roles have accountability for the assessment quality of all domestic and international General Qualification (GQ) assessment materials, including applied general qualifications and entry level certificates, produced by AQA and OxfordAQA for their respective portfolios. They lead their respective subject teams made up of Senior Managers and AQA’s GQ assessment experts who collectively manage our chief examiners and associate authoring teams. Each role has accountability for the assessment quality in their give subject portfolio.

In addition, this role will have accountability for the productivity and continual improvement for the Assessment Management team. The post holder will take accountability for managing and measuring the impact of a range of change initiatives, reporting progress to senior stakeholders.

Working with the Head of Assessment Delivery, this role is responsible for the creation of assessment materials for current and new specifications, paper based and digital, for our domestic and international GQs to time and budget. This role is accountable for compliance with the specification, subject level and general conditions of recognition, universal design, design principles, house style guide and customer needs such that these GQ assessments are recognised as best in class.

Working with Head of Assessment Delivery, Head of Assessment Quality, Head of Standards and Innovation, Heads of Operations, Head of Associate Resourcing and appropriate Heads of Product, this role has accountability for the end-to-end assessment quality, as defined by the Assessment Quality Framework, for their portfolio of subjects. This accountability requires influencing change across other areas of the business. Critically for our chief examiners and authoring teams, this role is accountable for their recruitment, training, pay and contract performance (including compliance), this includes driving positive relationships and working practices with our associate community

Working with the Head of Assessment Development, this role will be responsible for translating best practice and innovative thinking in assessment design into practice, driving consistency across all subject areas. They will also be responsible for ensuring a strong pipeline of talent with assessment expertise.

Reporting to the Director of Assessment, the Head of Assessment Management and Productivity is accountable for ensuring assessment best practice and appropriate subject-specific assessment representation in key projects, and initiatives round the business including specification development and reform. They lead the continuous review of and improvement to existing assessment products to increase the validity and reliability of assessment outcomes.

Working with the Director of assessment they will be responsible for translating the future vision for the team into practice.

The Head of Assessment Management engenders high levels of performance by modelling best practice in

AQA’s leadership habits and by modelling and championing AQA’s values and behaviours.Landscape:Each year over 2,000 question papers, assessment artefacts, mark schemes and modified large print papers, accounting for over 10 million question items and associated materials for over 6,000 schools and colleges annually, are created, quality assured and sent to press for domestic and international qualifications by teams across Assessment. These materials are sat by thousands of students across three examination series and are pivotal part of their next step in education. The team of approximately 60-70 AQA staff and 100s of associates work closely with other teams across Assessment and COO as well as the wider business. Assessment Management is split into 7 subject groups across 2 portfolio areas; English, Humanities, Arts and Technology, Languages and Maths, Science, Social Sciences.

Activities (aligned to our AQA values):Results matter: Drive good assessment practice across the organisation, with a particular focus on promoting validity in assessments and developing a community of high-quality assessment experts in Assessment Management with a supporting talent pipeline. Continually assess the current and future assessment expertise required across the organisation and plan to close any gaps which may emerge. Working with Associate Services, this role is accountable for the recruitment, contract management, talent pipeline and overall relationship of high quality, high performing Chief Examiners and associate authoring teams, which underpins the ambition for best in class assessment quality.

Customers front and centre: Lead the Assessment Management Team to continually seek ways to improve the validity, reliability, and comparability of assessments which are both cost effective to deliver and time efficient and drive customer delight. Work with teams across AQA including to influence development of products which balance forward thinking assessment practices with meeting customer and regulatory expectations.

Shape tomorrow: As AQA’s experts in domestic and international GQ assessments, establish strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including Ofqual, to shape, influence and ensure ‘best in class’ assessment quality. Help drive the evolution of AQA and OxfordAQA GQ assessments finding the optimal balance between assessment quality, value for money delivery and customer need. Present at stakeholder events and represent AQA with Ofqual, DfE and other key stakeholders on matters of GQ assessments. Represent the aims of the Assessment Management team on various AQA groups and committees, e.g. Assessment Quality Management Group (AQMG), Regulatory Steering Group (RSG) and Audit & Risk Compliance Committee (ARCC).

Work and learn together: Develop mechanisms to measure productivity, pioneer and managing initiatives to improve productivity, reporting on the progress and outcomes of these initiatives to senior stakeholders. Strong resource planning needs to be implemented and maintained to ensure that activities (such as Awarding and Reform) requiring GQ assessment expertise, can be suitably resourced, there is clarity over prioritisation and where necessary business cases for additional assessment expertise to meet demand. Deputise for the Director of Assessment when required.

To be successful in this role, you will need to:Demonstrate excellent people leadership skills and role modelling of excellent leadership behaviours – delivering high levels of performance and engagement from the team whilst spotting and developing talent. The ability to have robust conversations, to own and deliver corporate messages is important. Challenge self and others to create solutions and strive for improved ways of working.

Set direction for the Assessment team and inform and drive the work of Senior Assessment Managers and Subject Assessment Leads to ensure all aspects of E2E assessment quality are implemented, monitored and delivered.

Measure, analyse, and continuously improve team productivity by leveraging data-driven insights, setting clear performance benchmarks, and implementing strategies that enhance efficiency without compromising quality.

Demonstrate the ability to lead and embed significant change within a highly diverse team, balancing differing perspectives and levels of change readiness. You will need to engage, influence, and inspire colleagues to create alignment and commitment to transformation initiatives. Foster team cohesion by building trust, encouraging collaboration, and creating a shared sense of purpose. Address barriers to effective teamwork and implement strategies that unite diverse perspectives into a high-performing, aligned group

Although a formal qualification in assessment is desirable, the ability to demonstrate excellent knowledge of assessment design and delivery strategy and approaches is critical. This should extend to an understanding of requirements for assessment design in different subjects and the ability to advise on developing products which meet the requirements that define market leading assessments whilst recognising customer and stakeholder needs

Understand assessment products and practice in AQA and limitations of systems and possible future opportunities for how technology can be harnessed to improve assessment creation and management. Establish approaches to performance measurement and management in a customer, product or technical environment.

Have a good understanding of the educational landscape and of the regulatory environment in which AQA operates and likely impact of the regulator on assessment creation and management.

Be able to think strategically and understand the national and international context in which assessments operate, including a understanding of the different assessment practice on a global scale and excellent understanding of assessment practice in England.

Be able to analyse and synthesise complex and diverse data and information, including statistical data, to make decisions in the face of complex and/or incomplete evidence.

Be able to define and articulate issues for research and shape investigations into assessment performance questions.

Demonstrate leadership within an educational setting and credibility with educational stakeholders. Be confident in dealing with influential external parties, the regulator(s) and government. Demonstrate good networking, influencing, persuasion and engagement skills to help ensure desired outcomes are delivered.

Be an ambassador for our positive culture and consistently role model AQA’s behaviours including resilience, transparency, collaboration and support with the other members of the Assessment Leadership.

Have a “Shape tomorrow” mindset; open minded but with a willingness to challenge orthodoxy and the thinking of others in a constructive manner and to champion good assessment principles.