Planning Manager, Sales and Subject Support in Manchester

The Planning Manager is responsible for leading the planning framework, governance and delivery oversight for Sales and Subject Support activity within the Commercial Directorate. The role supports AQA’s integrated go-to-market approach by ensuring that activities are prioritised, planned coherently, resourced effectively, governed robustly and delivered with clear visibility and accountability.

Working closely with leaders across the business, the postholder will shape shared priorities, provide constructive challenge, manage interdependencies, oversee resource and capacity planning, and use systems, data and insight to support escalation, prioritisation and senior decision-making. The role will play a key part in embedding the operating rhythm required to support reform. This includes shared priority planning, Ladder of Adoption (AQA’s opportunity pipeline) progression, centre, trust, segment and subject-specification-level activity planning, pipeline discipline, formal governance, risk and issue management, performance reporting and continuous improvement.

The postholder will provide leadership to a team of Coordinators and Analysts, ensuring the team provides the insight, delivery discipline and operational analysis needed to inform senior choices, keep delivery on track, identify risks and opportunities early, and drive greater efficiency and effectiveness across Sales and Subject Support.

The Planning Manager operates within a fast-paced, customer-focused environment, supporting the delivery of AQA’s integrated go-to-market activity across Sales and Subject Support. This includes both AQA’s General Qualifications product portfolio and Unit Award Scheme. The role is central to ensuring that activity across Sales and Subject Support is led through a clear planning framework, aligned to shared priorities, customer journeys and measurable progression, and challenged where needed, in partnership with adjacent functions such as Marketing and Product Management.

A key focus of the role will be supporting the practical implementation of integrated go-to-market ways of working. This includes helping teams plan and manage activity at centre, trust, segment and subject-specification level, using agreed segmentation and customer insight. The postholder will drive improvements in operational consistency, visibility, governance, efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring that senior leaders have a clear view of priorities, risks, resource requirements, delivery progress, operational impact and decision-making options.

Activities

• Leading the planning framework and priority-setting approach across Sales and Subject Support, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Designing, developing and managing operational plans, frameworks and governance processes that enable effective execution across Sales and Subject Support.
• Owning and managing the operating rhythm for Sales and Subject Support activity, including planning cycles, priority reviews, delivery checkpoints, capacity reviews and performance reporting.
• Working with Regional Sales Managers, Portfolio Leads, Subject Support leaders and senior stakeholders to shape priorities, provide constructive challenge, manage interdependencies, risks and delivery timelines across multiple initiatives.
• Leading and embedding the use of the Ladder of Adoption as a shared planning and progression framework.
• Overseeing planning at centre, trust, segment, subject and specification level, ensuring that subject and support requirements are clearly identified and coordinated.
• Leading resource and capacity planning across relevant teams, ensuring that people, budget and external support are aligned to business demand and strategic priorities.
• Leading Coordinators and Analysts to provide robust delivery tracking, performance insight and operational analysis.
• Monitoring delivery performance, identifying risks and issues, and providing clear insight, challenge and evidence-based recommendations to senior leadership.
• Supporting effective use of systems and tools, such as Microsoft Dynamics, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Power BI.
• Leading continuous improvement activity to enhance operational efficiency, planning effectiveness, governance, reporting and cross-functional ways of working.
• Managing allocated budgets where appropriate.
• Acting as a key liaison between Sales, Subject Support and functions across the organisation.

Need to Know

To be successful in this role, the postholder will need:

• Experience of leading planning, scheduling, operational coordination or delivery oversight across complex programmes or business functions.
• Strong leadership and people management capability.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Strong operational and strategic planning expertise.
• Proven project and programme management capability.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong commercial and operational awareness.
• Experience using data, reporting, CRM and planning systems.
• Ability to support activity across multiple customer journeys, workstreams, campaigns or operational priorities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning framework, governance and delivery oversight of Sales and Subject Support activity.
• Provide effective leadership and line management to Coordinators and Analysts.
• Support the successful delivery of initiatives that enhance customer engagement.
• Act as a central point of coordination between Sales, Subject Support, wider directorate planning functions and other directorates.
• Partner with Regional Sales Managers, Portfolio Leads and senior stakeholders.
• Lead shared planning including centre, trust and subject-specification-level prioritisation.
• Monitor delivery performance, identify and escalate risks or issues.
• Drive continuous improvement across planning, operational processes, reporting, governance and ways of working.

Qualifications / Education

N/A

Work Experience

Significant experience in planning, scheduling, operational coordination or project/programme management.

Competencies

• Leadership and people management.
• Strategic planning and operational execution.
• Stakeholder management and influence.
• Planning framework leadership, governance and delivery oversight.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving.
• Commercial and customer awareness.
• Communication and collaboration.
• Governance, reporting and risk management.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Data-led planning and prioritisation.