Lead Specialist, Compliance & Operations in London

The Regulation Team is part of the Business Improvement and Regulation Directorate, within the Quality, Regulation and Governance business unit. We are responsible for ensuring that Pearson is aware of and is supported to meet its regulatory obligations. We act as a primary point of contact on regulatory matters for the business, qualifications regulators and other key stakeholders in education and qualifications, both in the UK and internationally.

Location and work set-up: The role will require hybrid working with up to 2 days per week in the London office and the remainder of the week working from home. Applicants must be within reasonable travelling distance of the central London office.

Job Function: Working within the Regulation Team, the Lead Specialist will work closely with teams developing and administering English assessments to advise and support their compliance with regulatory requirements at all stages of the product lifecycle; design, development, delivery and awarding. Identifying and driving the implementation of effective improvements is central to the role as is effective and timely management of correspondence between Pearson and the regulator(s).

Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements:

• Work with the business to brief, train, and support understanding of regulatory requirements, including the requirement for prompt escalation/event notification.
• Provide advice and guidance to the business to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements at all times (throughout the design and delivery/assessment of qualifications).
• Work with the business to develop a strong culture of compliance, constructively challenging as required, and working to support improved compliance.
• Lead on responses to regulatory requests to ensure they are clear, accurate, on-time and fit for purpose.
• Analyse information from event notifications and other relevant sources to identify trends and issues for further scrutiny or improvement.
• Work with the business to support understanding of the root cause analysis (RCA) methodology and support the business to deliver effective improvement action plans.
• Lead regulatory compliance analysis/deep dives with the business to gather information and assurance about compliance status and manage any associated action/improvement plans.
• Update Pearson’s Responsible Officer and Senior Management, providing relevant reports, advice and guidance, as required.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of regulatory correspondence, identifying any trends or themes that require further action.
• Lead the appeals process in relation to ELL qualifications, ensuring it is fully compliant.
• Contribute to the self-assessment activity related to the annual Statement of Compliance to regulators.

Supporting the business in understanding regulatory requirements and risks:

• Work with the business to identify regulatory risks and ensure that they are logged, communicated appropriately, and managed effectively.
• Deliver training to the business on regulatory matters, new regulations and guidance.
• Ensure that communications from regulators and other key agencies are shared with the correct people in the ELL team in a timely way.
• Respond to queries from colleagues and customers in relation to the interpretation of regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to bids and business development initiatives to ensure that new opportunities do not expose Pearson to regulatory risk.

Stakeholder management, liaison and influence:

• Develop and maintain relationships and communications with regulators, government agencies, and other stakeholder bodies in relation to the delivery of our qualifications and assessments.
• Represent Pearson at meetings and share outcomes and discussions promptly across the team and the business, as appropriate.
• Influence regulators and external stakeholders, including other JCQ and FAB member Awarding Organisations, to ensure Pearson’s position is effectively articulated and reflected in policy and guidance.
• Coordinate the formulation of Pearson’s responses to external consultations in relation to regulation, ensuring relevant colleagues are advised and are able to contribute.

Person Specification:

• You are an excellent communicator, both verbally and in writing.
• Able to build relationships with and influence individuals at all levels of authority, including senior staff representing regulatory, government or other major external stakeholders.
• Able to work with complex documents and concepts and communicate them clearly to colleagues in a way that supports compliance.
• Able to work autonomously and make decisions relating to compliance.
• A supportive, approachable and proactive team member.
• Prepared to be flexible in your work and able to balance a wide range of demands to meet deadlines.
• A problem solver who can challenge others in a positive and constructive manner.
• Resilient, well-organised and proactive.
• Focused on solutions and working constructively with colleagues.
• Able to review and use evidence in order to present a case and influence decisions at senior level.

Qualifications, knowledge and experience:

• Education to degree level, or above, or equivalent.
• Knowledge of the evolving regulatory and policy landscape for both vocational and general qualifications.
• Knowledge and deep understanding of the Ofqual General Conditions of Recognition, ideally gained in an awarding organisation or regulatory role.
• Detailed understanding of international and computer-based/onscreen assessments.
• An understanding of assessment methodology and validity, ideally gained within an English Language assessment environment.
• An understanding of the English Language assessment market and key stakeholder requirements.
• Experience of working collaboratively to successfully strengthen compliance.
• IT literate; competent in Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Experience in a role requiring influencing at a senior level.

Desirable:

• Experience/qualification in programme or project management, including risk management.
• Experience of conducting root cause analysis and associated improvement action planning.

The full-time base salary range is between £55,000 - £65,000.