Exams Officer Engagement Team Manager in Manchester

Key Responsibilities

• Leading, managing, developing and coaching a remote team to drive positive customer engagement.
• Ensuring your team work collaboratively and efficiently.
• Using insights and collaboration to enhance the Exams Officer experience.
• Driving continuous improvement across AQA processes.

What We Are Looking For

• Strong people management skills with remote teams.
• Experience working in a regulated environment.
• Confident communicator, both written and verbal, with the skills to influence stakeholders.
• Ability to use data to inform decisions.
• Customer-focused mindset.

What’s in It for You

• Exposure to impactful work with clear opportunities for development.
• Join a supportive, values-driven organisation, a charity where every colleague is passionate about education and supporting teachers and learners.
• Flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance – 2 days per week in the office whilst being reflective of business need, a 35 hour working week, 25 days annual leave with additional closure in December.
• A collaborative, inclusive culture that values your ideas - the opportunity to join lots of network groups (LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, disAbility, empowering women, wellbeing, ethnic diversity, parents and carers and more).
• Wellbeing programmes including private health insurance and a health care cash reward plan, subscription to Headspace, volunteering days.
• An excellent pension.

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.

Application Process

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter which outlines your suitability for the Exams Officer Engagement Team Manager role. Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 8 February. Interviews will take place over two stages – a video interview in the week beginning 16 February followed by an interview in the Manchester office in the week beginning 2 March.

Summary

Purpose: AQA is much more than just an awarding organisation, our purpose is to advance education by enabling teachers and students to realise their potential. Our purpose is the reason AQA exists – we’re here to make a positive difference in the world by bringing out the best in teachers and students. As part of the Customer & Product business area you will be working with a team that drives the organisation to make the necessary changes to improve the services and support we offer our customers that differentiate us as an organisation. You will work with all areas of the business, to ensure we provide Exams Officers with an excellent customer experience. This role is key in developing and leading the exams officer strategy, working across AQA ensuring consistency in processes and training so that Exams Officers supporting AQA qualifications receive a high-quality experience, are retained within their centre and become advocates for AQA.

Landscape: Reporting to the Exams Officer Engagement Manager and working closely with stakeholders across the business, the position plays a key role in ensuring Exams Officers are engaged and supported to consistently deliver successful exam series. The role will work with members of the Customer & Product team and across all areas of the business to represent the voice of Exams Officers (Customers) within AQA driving process and service improvements to enhance the customer experience. The role also supports the Oxford AQA growth strategy by sharing best practice across the whole exams officer team.

What you will need to succeed

• Knowledge of working with Education centres delivering general qualification exams series (e.g. high schools, F.E colleges, MAT’s, regulators or awarding organisations).
• Demonstrable experience of supporting, engaging and leading high performing and remote teams.
• Ability to confidently influence and communicate at all levels including face to face, Teams, Webinars as well as chairing focus groups and networking events.
• Understand, utilise and deliver using Management Information (MI) to support decision making.
• Commitment to putting customers at the heart of your thinking and decision making – a customer centric mindset is essential.
• Ability to deliver a balance of short-term improvements and medium to long term differentiation to ensure the Exams Officer experience is the best it can be.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills to allow you to build your network and drive improvements.

Activities:

• Leading, managing, coaching and supporting a team of remote Exam Support Officers to drive Exams Officer engagement and advocacy and support to ensure delivery of the Exams Officer engagement strategies and MAT support models.
• Working with key stakeholders across AQA and utilising management information (MI) to ensure Exams Officers have a positive experience, are supported and retained to ensure successful delivery of the exam series within their centre.
• Drive the programme of continuous improvement to ensure a Customer (Exams Officer) approach is taken across the business throughout the planning and delivery of each exam series so that AQA provides an ‘easy to do business with’ experience.
• Work with the teams across Customer and Product to ensure successful delivery of the Exams Officer strategy.
• Work closely with the Customer Intelligence team to share Insights and customer feedback to bring the voice of the customer to AQA.
• Accountable for team engagement with CRM to maximise its potential.
• Represent AQA at relevant conferences and events, engaging with customers and supporting your team across the academic year.
• Where business needs change, undertake other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Experience of working as an Exams Officer or in an Exams team or have experience of working with centres delivering general qualification exams series (e.g. high schools, regulators or awarding organisations).
• Strong people manager, with experience of managing a remote team with the ability to motivate colleagues you don’t see face to face regularly, providing clear direction to achieve organisational objectives.
• Understand relevant business process and organisational change methodologies, tools and techniques, with a proven track record in developing, implementing and embedding change.
• Excellent relationship management skills with the ability to manage stakeholders on multiple levels.
• Experience of using data and insight to inform decision making.

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.