Lead Project Manager in Manchester

At AQA, we are committed to advancing education and our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year, and it is our people who make this happen.

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Milton Keynes

Salary: £54,900 to £61,300

Working Arrangements: Hybrid working – 2 days a week in the office

Are you ready to lead new and impactful projects that shape the future of assessment services? As a Lead Project Manager at AQA, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality outcomes for our customers in the UK and internationally. You will drive operational excellence, champion the Voice of the Customer, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver projects that matter.

Working within Assessment Services Limited, you will take ownership of multiple high-stakes projects or examination series, ensuring they are delivered on time, to budget, and to the standards our customers expect. This role is central to driving operational excellence and championing the Voice of the Customer across AQA.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Managing multiple examination series for UK and international customers, ensuring contractual SLAs, compliance requirements, and service standards are consistently met.
• Leading cross-functional workstreams supporting ASL strategic priorities.
• Acting as a customer advocate in technology discussions, influencing priorities and ensuring customer needs shape delivery plans and roadmaps.
• Providing clear leadership across cross-functional project teams, setting expectations, coaching others, and embedding high-quality delivery practices.
• Building strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal teams, acting as a key escalation point and ensuring a seamless service experience.
• Producing clear, insightful reporting for senior stakeholders, including RAG status, financial forecasting, and scenario analysis.

You will thrive in this role if you:

• Hold a recognised Project Management qualification or have equivalent experience.
• Are highly organised, able to prioritise effectively and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Communicate clearly and confidently, including writing concise reports with financial analysis.
• Solve problems pragmatically, adapt to change, and remove delivery blockers.
• Have strong stakeholder management skills – influencing, negotiating, and building trust at all levels.
• Bring curiosity, resilience, and a continuous improvement mindset.

Leading projects that shape the future of assessment services globally. Opportunities for professional development and career progression. Flexible working arrangements to support a positive work-life balance. A supportive, collaborative culture where innovation and improvement are encouraged. Access to unique initiatives and strategic workstreams.

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 apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role by 23.59 on Sunday 01 March. First stage interviews will take place remotely throughout the week of 09 March, second stage interviews will take place in our Milton Keynes office on 17 and 18 March.

Purpose: The Lead Project Manager leads the team's delivery of assigned projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards. This includes end-to-end planning, documentation, resource coordination, and progress monitoring to achieve key milestones and deliverables. The LPM also plays a key role in facilitating delivery by removing obstacles, generating ideas for improvement, and championing the Voice of the Customer internally.

Reporting to the Head of Customer Programmes, the Lead Project Manager plays a key role in delivering projects within the Assessment Services Limited portfolio. The role involves regular collaboration with teams across AQA, including senior leaders, project stakeholders, Business Development, Scanning Centre Operations, Electronic Script Processing, Reconciliation, and Technology.

Manage the delivery of concurrent customers examination series, both UK and International, ensuring compliance to each individual contract and service provision. Lead and manage the performance and development of project team members, with a focus on building their skills, supporting personal development, and enabling them to deliver high-quality outcomes. Develop, maintain, and track progress of the team's projects, ensuring key milestones and dependencies are clearly identified and effectively communicated to stakeholders. Act as a customer advocate in internal technology strategy discussions, working closely with Product Managers and technology teams to prioritize change requests, influence resource allocation, and ensure technical requirements are aligned with customer needs and expectations. Lead and support the delivery of the ASL strategic goals through various workstreams and initiatives. Work with stakeholders and AQA leadership teams to ensure the delivery of key project milestones to time and quality, and within the project budget. Prepare and deliver regular RAG status updates for stakeholders and manage the MI provided by the team to monitor delivery. Contribute to, monitor and manage any SLAs defined in the contract or planning document. Liaise with client teams and act as a point of escalation for priority incidents, escalating as appropriate. Lead the delivery of operational excellence through the identification, planning and implementation of continuous improvement activity. Support the Business Development team through activities such as bid documentation, cost gathering, product demonstrations, pilots, contract negotiations, and account management activities. Lead and facilitate the planning and delivery of customer training sessions to examiners and client Admin teams. Responsible for the identification, assessment, mitigation and management of risks and opportunities for the team's assigned projects. Travel to customer and AQA sites, both within the UK and internationally, as required.

Have a recognised Project Management qualification or be able to demonstrate relevant experience. Display a good understanding of the Projects and Programmes environment. Have excellent organisational, prioritisation and decision-making skills with the ability to delegate project-related activities. Demonstrate excellent communication skills including experience of writing concise reports that include analysis of financials and metrics. Ability to solve problems, adapt to change, and unblock challenges that may hinder project progress. Have strong people management skills with the ability to inspire and motivate team members and other colleagues to meet deliverables and adhere to agreed processes and ways of working. Demonstrate excellent stakeholder management skills, including the ability to work collaboratively, negotiate, influence and provide constructive challenge when required. Effectively line-manage and coach colleagues on their performance goals, project discipline and personal development.