Director of Associates

Overview

Director of Associates

Permanent

Salary: £102 – 117K

Location: Guildford, London

Hybrid (two days per week in the Guildford office)

Closes: Friday 14 November

You’ll be joining AQA at a pivotal moment as our Director of Associates, leading the strategic roadmap of how we engage with and manage our 40,000-strong associate workforce. This is a high-impact leadership role where you’ll shape the future of assessment delivery through people, process and technology. If you’re passionate about improving experience, driving commercial efficiency and building a best-in-class associate community, this is your opportunity to make a real difference.

About the Role

This position has arisen due to retirement. There is opportunity to build on the transformational work the incumbent has delivered, to set the vison of the next period and drive accountability and operational delivery.

Your work will directly support AQA’s mission to deliver fair and reliable assessments for learners of all abilities. You’ll lead a team of professionals and collaborate across departments to ensure associates receive a consistent, high-quality experience that drives performance and advocacy. You’ll be responsible for the strategic oversight of AQA’s associate community, ensuring their lifecycle—from recruitment to contract performance—is managed with excellence.

Our 40,000 associates are contracted annually to support the creation, delivery and marking of exams and other assessment products and services of AQA Education and Oxford AQA. Therefore, this role would best suit someone with experience of managing a sizeable external / third party workforce.

In this role you will:

• Evolve and develop the next phase of the associate\\\’s strategy to ensure is fit for future years and is aligned to AQA goals with measurable outcomes.
• Lead change programmes across people, processes and systems to further improve associate experience and commercial efficiency.
• Oversee associate resource planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, retention and contract management across the organisation.

You’ll thrive in this role if you bring:

• Proven strategic leadership experience in managing large-scale contingent workforces or complex stakeholder communities.
• Strong change management skills with a track record of delivering cost-effective improvements.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Financial acumen and ability to manage budgets and contracts effectively.
• A collaborative mindset and ability to coach senior leaders to drive continuous improvement.

What’s in It for You

• This is a unique opportunity to lead a strategic function at the heart of AQA’s operations. You’ll benefit from:
• Exposure to high-impact work that shapes the future of assessment.
• Opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.
• Flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance.
• A collaborative and inclusive organisational culture.
• Access to unique projects and initiatives that drive innovation.

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 D&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 outlining your suitability for the role.

Application deadline: Friday 14th November 2025

The selection process includes CV screening and a three-stage interview process including a professional role play. These will be conducted via Teams and face-to-face during late November / early December

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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

Landscape: Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and working with the Directors of Operations, Assessment and International Delivery, and other senior leaders across AQA Education where associate services are required, the Director of Associates leads a team of around 65 people and line manages the Head of Associate Management and the Head of Associate Services together with annual spend on associates of £65.6m. All associates are contracted annually to support the creation and delivery of exam and other assessment products and services of AQA Education and Oxford AQA. This role leads the design, maintenance and implementation of the AQA associate strategy to develop and retain a community of Associates of the requisite size, diversity, quality and calibre to support of the current needs of AQA Education and OxfordAQA and the future needs defined by the AQA Group strategy. It represents the associate voice within AQA Education in its pursuit of being easy to do business with and more broadly within the AQA Group strategy. The Director of Associates is responsible for working with external stakeholders and our regulators, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), the Department for Education and our legal advisors on all associate related matters.

Building strong networks across the organisation is critical to hold other senior functional leaders responsible for their team’s role in the effective and efficient management of the performance and life cycle management of the associate community for which this role is accountable.

Activities (aligned to AQA values):

Shape tomorrow: develop and maintain a clear associate strategy aligned to AQA Group’s Strategy, achieving buy-in from our existing associates, internal customers and business partners, articulating clear deliverables, outcomes and measures of effectiveness. Lead on the creation of an environment which attracts quality associates (in particular for those areas in short supply) so that AQA is a recognised ‘badge’ of expertise and is an attractive partner for assessment professionals.

Results matter: lead and develop the team accountable for the resourcing, contracting, onboarding and retention of 40,000 associates to meet the strategic and operational needs of the business, including the appointment of a diverse associate population which reflects and meets the needs of our customers. Manage the overall cost of the associate workforce, overseeing all associate fees to ensure productivity, value for money, clarity of role and ease of process for timely payment of fees.

Raise the quality and consistency of the associate experience through strengthened communications, engagement and training, ensuring all associates have clear expectations of the services they provide, and expected deliverables, enabling them to provide AQA with a high-quality value for money service, as measured against a quality framework.

Develop, implement and monitor compliance with the central business policies and processes which encompass legal, contractual and regulatory compliance, application of a code of conduct, external and internal communications, associate engagement, health and safety, safeguarding, data security, contract management and payment to ensure high quality management of the associate community across AQA Education.

Step up: lead a continuous improvement programme – covering people, processes and systems – that flows from the implementation of the associate strategy, delivers the desired outcomes and is consistent with AQA’s customer experience and journey. Maximise technology to capture key indicators and measurement of associate outputs throughout their engagement with AQA, and that these are communicated effectively with plans in place to drive continuous improvements.

Work and learn together: build collaborative relationships across all areas of the business to address existing and emerging strategic and operational issues and risks. Ensure all operational requirements of for associates are met through the provision of sufficient high quality, trained assessment practitioners. Continual review associate roles and their fees ensuring a simplified structure which is appropriate for current and future business requirements.

Maintain and enhance AQA’s position with the regulators, awarding organisations and other external stakeholders as appropriate.

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

Strategy development through to operational implementation in a fast-paced, dynamic workplace.

Decision making frameworks to enable delivery at pace, focused on achieving desired outcomes.

Relationship building techniques to deliver through people, bringing about timely and cost-effective delivery and process improvement whilst developing a high performing team environment.

Change management and continuous improvement methodologies.

Cross-functional management approaches and how to influence a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, including regulators and executive leadership.

Financial planning, budgeting, analysis and cost control tools and techniques and how to optimise services for efficiency and commercial success.

Vision development and its translation into achievable goals, providing clear direction and alignment to organisational objectives.

Approaches to understanding, synthesising and interpreting complex, diverse and incomplete information in support of sound decision making.