Head of Standards, Malpractice and Complaints

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is Scotland’s national awarding and accreditation body. We are trusted to oversee thousands of qualifications that are offered in schools, colleges and workplaces, not just in this country, but around the world.

Our Policy, Analysis and Standards Directorate places research and analysis at the heart of all SQA’s work so that decisions made about SQA’s qualifications, assessments and wider services are based on robust evidence and analysis. We ensure that this evidence and analysis is used to inform decision making across the wider education system.

We are recruiting for an exciting role in this Directorate’s leadership team. The Head of Standards, Malpractice and Complaints provides functional leadership to the Standards, Malpractice and Complaints Team. They are also a key member of the Directorate’s Management Team and of SQA’s Senior Leadership Team.

The key purposes of the role are to:

• provide strategic leadership for SQA’s standards and awarding activities to ensure that the standards of SQA’s awards are fair, defensible and command public confidence and that SQA’s awarding processes are effective, efficient and secure and comply with our Code of Practice and Governing Principles
• ensure the efficient management of malpractice and complaints to safeguard the integrity of SQA systems and mitigate risk.

The role involves providing technical advice, support and guidance to SQA colleagues on setting, maintaining and improving standards through all stages of SQA’s work to develop and award qualifications. As owner of SQA’s Code of Practice and Governing Principles the role is also responsible for ensuring that these continue to provide a robust and effective framework for SQA’s self-regulation activity. The role also involves providing direction and advice to ensure SQA’s malpractice investigations are handled sensitively, robustly and, above all, fairly.

Effective delivery of the role requires close engagement with colleagues across SQA and with our wide range of stakeholders, including other awarding bodies, qualification regulators, our legal advisers and professional associations.

Applicants must, as a minimum, be educated to SCQF level 9 or have significant experience (5–10 years), in a similar senior post. Ideally, you will also bring knowledge and experience of standards in qualifications and assessment.

As a leader, role model the behaviours associated with SQA’s values (Trusted, Progressive and Enabling) in order to develop and sustain a productive and positive culture. As a member of SQA’s Senior Leadership Team you will also play a key role in supporting the transition to Qualifications Scotland.

SQA offers a fantastic benefits package in return for your talent whilst also offering hybrid working as default. These include but are not limited to a career average pension scheme; staff well-being and health assistance programmes; development opportunities and 27 days annual leave in addition to 14 days public holiday.

SQA welcomes applications from every section of the community. We are an Equal Opportunities employer and encourage applications from all members of the community. We are committed to the Disability Confident Initiative and offer a guaranteed interview to any applicant who considers themselves to be disabled and who meets the competency requirements for the post.