Customer Propositions Lead in Surrey

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.

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 the UK. 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)

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

Benefits

• 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.

Application process

To apply, please submit your CV and a short supporting statement. Closing date for applications is Sunday 10th May. The selection process will include two stages: an initial online interview w/c 18th May, followed by an in-person interview in Guildford w/c 1st June.

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.

Summary

As Customer Propositions Lead, you will shape AQA’s presence in the market. You’ll develop go to market strategies and compelling propositions that strengthen AQA’s competitive position in the market, build brand desire and drive commercial growth. You’ll have the ability to think strategically and commercially and make judgements on that basis, contributing actionable insights based on customer and market knowledge to other business areas and project groups. Insight will be used to influence teams across the organisation to make sure those opportunities are recognised, acted upon and that our products and services are developed to have market appeal, enhancing AQA’s brand and reputation in the market.

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.

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.

Activities:

• 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.

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:

Essential Criteria

• 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.