At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic marketing initiatives to shape AQA's educational propositions.
- Company: Join AQA, the UK's largest provider of academic qualifications.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, and generous leave.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on education while developing your marketing skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in strategic marketing or customer propositions is essential.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
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.
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.
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
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.
Application process:
To apply, please submit your CV and a short supporting statement. Closing date for applications is Tuesday 1st September. The selection process will include two stages: an initial online interview w/c 7th September, followed by an in-person interview in Guildford w/c 14th September.
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.
- 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.
- 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’re analytical, and comfortable with numbers, with an understanding of both quantitative and qualitative customer research.
Customer Propositions Lead employer: AQA
AQA is an exceptional employer located in Manchester, offering a dynamic work environment where education specialists can thrive. With a strong focus on employee well-being, we provide generous benefits such as 25 days of annual leave and private medical insurance, alongside a hybrid working model that promotes work-life balance. Our commitment to professional development and community engagement ensures that you will have meaningful opportunities to grow and make a positive impact in the education sector.