At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic marketing initiatives to shape educational propositions for teachers and schools.
- Company: Join AQA, a leading charity advancing education in the UK.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hybrid working, generous leave, and excellent pension contributions.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on how millions experience education and influence future generations.
- Qualifications: Experience in strategic marketing or customer propositions is essential.
The predicted salary is between 54000 - 66000 £ per year.
- Customer Propositions Lead
- Permanent Guildford & London £52,000 – £57,500 Hybrid - 2x days a week in the office
- Shape how millions experience education
Are you a strategic marketer who loves turning complexity into compelling stories?
Do you enjoy owning propositions end‑to‑end and influencing how products are positioned in competitive markets?
Are you curious, creative and confident challenging the status quo?
This is a rare opportunity to take real ownership of how nationally recognised products are understood, valued and chosen.
The opportunity
As a Customer Proposition Lead, you’ll sit at the heart of a growing propositions team, shaping how AQA’s qualifications, services and support are positioned to teachers and schools across England.
This role is about impact.
Your thinking will influence how educators perceive our offer, how confident they feel choosing it, and how clearly they understand the value we bring to their classrooms and learners.
At a time of educational reform and change, your work will help cut through complexity and shape understanding for years to come.
You’ll lead proposition thinking from insight to market — defining what matters most to different audiences, crafting clear narratives, and working closely with product, assessment and marketing teams to bring those propositions to life.
- In this role, you’ll be responsible for
- Creating clear, compelling customer propositions grounded in market insight and behavioural understanding
- Translating complex information into ideas and narratives that resonate and stick
- Owning the strategic roadmap for your qualification areas and influencing priorities
- Confidently challenging assumptions and shaping thinking at a senior level
- Collaborating across disciplines to turn strategy into action
- What we are looking for
You might come from
- Strategic marketing or customer propositions
- Product or proposition marketing
- Brand, planning or strategy roles (in‑house or agency‑side) (Desirable experience)
- Understanding of the FE and post‑16 landscape and have experience working in or adjacent to it
What matters most is that you
- Think strategically but love making ideas tangible
- Are commercially minded and evidence‑led
- Can influence senior stakeholders and “sell” an idea
- Are curious, ambitious and comfortable working with uncertainty
- Enjoy ownership and accountability for your thinking
What’s in it for you?
- High autonomy and visibility in a nationally important organisation
- The chance to shape propositions that influence learning for the next generation
- A 35‑hour working week with flexible, hybrid working
- 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30), plus Christmas closure days
- Excellent pension (up to 11.5% employer contribution)
- Private medical insurance, life assurance and wellbeing benefits
- Diversity and inclusion statement
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.
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate
- You’re an experienced and confident using a range of techniques and frameworks for marketing strategy and proposition development.
- You’re a strategic thinker, who’s comfortable with creative problem solving and confident in selling your ideas internally to your stakeholders.
- You have the ability to think commercially and make judgements on that basis, voicing your views which sometimes may not be in line with the rest of the team.
- You’re comfortable working at risk, not always having all of the information required at the start of a project.
- You’re an excellent communicator, with the ability to understand and synthesise complex and diverse information and turn it into actionable insights and strategic direction.
- Through your career, you have honed your resilience and welcome your work being constructively challenged and can use your judgement to either stand by your insight or adapt your thinking to new information.
- You’re able to use your judgement to balance risk, opportunity and commercial impact, and communicate this confidently to senior audiences.
- You’re confident making decisions and offering guidance to other teams to help them execute your plans.
- You show curiosity and critical thinking, having an interest in finding out how things work and finding opportunities to innovate and improve.
- You’re confident leading matrix teams and building relationships with senior stakeholders.
- You have proven experience of leading and managing complex projects across multiple business areas.
- You facilitate decision making by simplifying complexity and offering clear, actionable routes forward.
- You’re analytical, and comfortable with numbers, with an understanding of both quantitative and qualitative customer research.
- Additional responsibilities and leadership
- As part of the Customer Propositions team in Marketing and Brand team and reporting to the Head Customer Propositions, you will lead matrix teams and projects without direct line management responsibility.
- You’ll work closely with brand and marketing operations colleagues as well as building strong working relationships with multiple teams across Commercial, Product, External affairs and communications.
- You’ll turn business strategies into plans that inform product and service campaigns, brand propositions and provide direction and guidance for all go to market teams.
- You will often work with partial information, forming well‑reasoned recommendations and using your judgement to guide teams confidently.
- This role requires curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to challenge constructively to ensure we back the strongest opportunities.
- Build clear, insight driven marketing propositions and messaging frameworks, and ensure all strategies align with brand positioning and commercial priorities.
- Define and deliver go to market strategies for products, services, projects and brand initiatives, that influence customer behaviour and strengthen market perception.
- Identify customer and market research requirements to support strategy and proposition developments, work with colleagues to commission research and develop clear and compelling insights from the findings.
- Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across the organisation, using your commercial judgement and market insight to guide conversations, align priorities and gain commitment with go to market activity.
- Ensure customer insights and commercial considerations are embedded from the start of product and support development.
- Develop robust business cases to secure budget and resource, bringing stakeholders along with you.
- Define clear ROI expectations and leading indicators for marketing activity.
- Proactively identify and assess strategic partnership opportunities, including influencers, media, and events, that enhance AQA’s brand and reach in the market to deliver measurable impact.
- Proactively manage the ongoing plans and roadmap for your portfolio of propositions, feeding into wider marketing and brand plans.
- Translate strategy into actionable direction for marketing managers, campaign teams and go to market colleagues, supporting them to deliver the strategy.
- Monitor the effectiveness of go to market strategies through performance tracking, market impact and customer sentiment.
AQA is an independent charity that sets and marks over half of all GCSEs and A-levels in the UK every year.
Our purpose is to advance education by helping students and teachers to realise their potential.
As part of AQA, you’ll very quickly appreciate the determination and unwavering passion to deliver this goal in everything we do.
We’re operating a smart working model. This allows for our colleagues to work from two days a week in one of our offices across England.
Equality, diversity and inclusion AQA is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone - regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background - is valued, respected, and supported to thrive.
Conflict of Interest Please note that due to the confidential nature of our work, we are unable to employ people for our temporary roles who are currently a candidate for Key Stage 4 and 5 public examinations.
Safeguarding AQA is committed to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk.
We’re dedicated to reducing the risk of employing or contracting any person intent on abusing their position of trust, along with identifying and responding to any incident of alleged abuse from its employees or associates fairly and swiftly.
For more information on safeguarding at AQA please visit the AQA website here.
Contact Temporary roles: temprecruit@aqa. org. uk Permanent and Fixed Term roles: opportunities@aqa. org. uk Privacy Policy
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Customer Propositions Lead in Guildford employer: AQA Recruiting
AQA Recruiting is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Guildford where innovation meets collaboration. With a strong focus on employee growth, you will have access to professional development opportunities and a supportive culture that values your contributions. Enjoy competitive benefits such as generous annual leave, private medical insurance, and a robust pension scheme, making this role not just a job, but a meaningful career path.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Customer Propositions Lead in Guildford
✨Show Your Creative Side
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✨Engage in Marketing Communities
Get involved in local or online marketing communications groups. Check out platforms like Meetup for events and workshops. Networking here can lead to hidden job openings and valuable insights into the industry trends—this is where we often discover what companies like AQA Recruiting are looking for.
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✨Attend Industry Events
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We think you need these skills to ace Customer Propositions Lead in Guildford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Craft an Impactful Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Focus on your passion for marketing communications and how your previous experiences can benefit AQA Recruiting. Make sure to mention specific campaigns or projects you’ve worked on that showcase your creativity and strategic thinking.
Showcase Your Writing Skills:As you're diving into a marketing communications role, your writing ability is crucial. Include samples of your work, like blog posts, press releases, or social media campaigns in your application. This lets us see your style and how you engage with different audiences.
Tailor Your CV to Marketing:Your CV should highlight relevant marketing skills and experiences! Include specific tools or platforms you’ve used, like Google Analytics or social media management software. Mention any certifications or workshops related to marketing that you've completed – they can give you an edge!
Demonstrate Your Understanding of AQA Recruiting:Show us that you’ve done your homework! In your application, briefly mention what you admire about AQA Recruiting’s marketing approach or any recent campaigns that caught your attention. This can reveal your enthusiasm for the role and your genuine interest in joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at AQA Recruiting
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✨Know Your Digital Tools Inside Out
If you’re heading into a marketing-communications role, make sure you're comfortable discussing key digital marketing tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or Hootsuite. Expect some technical questions about how you've used these tools in the past, as they'll want to gauge your hands-on experience and how you analyse data to drive marketing decisions.
✨Be Ready for Scenario-Based Questions
At AQA Recruiting, they may throw some scenario-based questions your way, aimed at testing your problem-solving skills in real-life marketing situations. Think through potential challenges you’ve faced, how you navigated them, and be prepared to discuss your thought process and outcome.
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As you’re applying for a full-time position, show that you're not just looking for a job, but a career in marketing. Talk about the latest trends in marketing communications, your favourite campaigns, and why they inspire you. Your enthusiasm can really make you stand out and demonstrate that you’re committed to growing within the field.