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 seven million GCSEs and A-levels each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Copywriter

Permanent

Salary

Guildford: £30,805 - £33,950 per year

Hybrid Working

Bursting with creative ideas?

Want a role with variety and impact?

Love building connections and getting to the heart of matters?

You’re a marketing campaign Copywriter who can champion creativity, craft fantastic stories, and develop copy best practice across the team. Your skills and experience shine and you’re looking to join a talented, growing Marketing team who value each other.

Based in Guildford, you’ll work with a variety of colleagues in designing and delivering exceptional campaigns and assessment content. As our go-to-copy pro, you will have a handle on what makes for a world-class campaign. You’ll also know how to adapt and shape words for a range of channels – knowing the ins and outs of digital and SEO practices.

You’ll be obsessed with customers’ needs, keeping a keen eye on data that’ll help you continually sharpen your craft. A natural storyteller, you’ll spend much of your time connecting and listening to the experts in our business. You’ll be finding the ideas, stories and words that will connect with our customers in fresh and inspiring ways.

You’ll be:

• Collaboratively setting quality expectations and raise the ‘copy bar’ while supporting content colleagues in meeting these expectations.

• Influencing and being part of a wider team, working with colleagues across Marketing ensuring strategic writing, campaign concepts, tactical copy and assessment content is of high quality and error-free.

• Meticulous in ensuring copy is aligned to business objectives, our Go to Market Strategy, copy best practice and AQA’s brand, house style and tone of voice.

• Distilling marketing challenges and business goals into clear and concise copy platforms.

You’ll need:

• Creative industry knowledge and expertise – an in-depth understanding of the campaign environment and how to shape compelling creative across a range of online and offline channels.

• The ability to understand AQA’s broader context and be able to translate key messages into concepts and copy that’s considered, relevant and compelling.

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to work collaboratively, influence and where appropriate, provide constructive challenge to your key stakeholders.

• Strong organisation, with a proven track-record of delivering across complex content plans on time, to quality.

• The ability to be brave, resilient and unafraid to try new content approaches, learning lessons and finding new ways of doing things.

Benefits

At AQA we recognise our employees’ contribution and in return we are proud to offer an extensive reward and benefit package. This includes:

• 25 days’ annual leave rising to 30 days, plus all Bank Holidays and additional Christmas leave

• 35 hour working week

• Excellent contributory pension (6% - 11.5% dependent on employee contribution)

• Private Medical Insurance & Health Cash Plan

• An enhanced maternity/paternity scheme

• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme offering support with counselling, legal advice and money matters

• Access to Learning space, a modern Learning Management System, providing an environment for agile, self-directed learning from high quality e-learning content

• Cycle to work scheme

• Interest free travel loans

How to apply

Please upload your CV and covering letter via our AQA job portal. Be sure to include a link to your portfolio in your CV!

AQA is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes people unique.

AQA is committed to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk. We’re dedicated to reducing the risk of employing or contracting any person intent on abusing their position of trust, along with identifying and responding to any incident of alleged abuse from its employees or associates fairly and swiftly. For more information on safeguarding at AQA please visit the AQA website.

As an employer we are moving towards a more agile way of working, including a balance of office working and home working.

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.

Full Job Description

Summary

Main role purpose:

The Copywriter will champion creative quality in our copy across Marketing and Brand, ensuring all strategic writing, campaign ideas, tactical copy and content is of exceptional quality and error-free. They will work with colleagues to ensure copy is aligned to business objectives, our Go to Market Strategy, copy best practice and AQA’s brand, house style and tone of voice.

They will write copy, and influence others to write copy, that connects with our customers in a meaningful and impactful way.

1. Work with stakeholders across AQA to understand assessment, our role as assessment experts, and gain an understanding of what our customers would find highly engaging and interesting.
2. Stay up to date with copywriting and storytelling best practice and continue to embed this with colleagues in Marketing and Brand through learning sessions, peer writing and colleague support to raise the standard of copywriting across teams.
3. Work with Marketing Managers, Designers and others in developing amazing creative concepts that connect with and engage audiences, at the ideation phase of campaigns.
4. Collaborate with our creative agencies ensuring that conceptual creative and tactical assets developed externally, are in line with our brand and business requirements.
5. Work with our Digital Team to embed digital copy best practice in content and copy used on our AQA website, and to champion how marketing copy can be used on our website to emotionally connect with customers to shift behaviour and build trust.
6. Support Marketing Managers in developing copy platforms for their campaigns, ensuring these are impactful, emotive and compelling – and ensure that they are translated appropriately by teams using these platforms to create content in their areas.
7. Write campaign copy that ‘wows’ our customers across delivery channels such as: email, online ads, print ads, PPC, etc.
8. Continually work to lift and improve creativity, copy and language across Markets’ teams.General accountabilities:
To model AQA values with confidence and to get the very best from teams by providing clarity, coaching and feedback, ensuring colleagues are supported in developing high quality copy and content.

Where business needs change, to undertake other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile.

To utilise the available range of digital tools for project planning in order to work effectively and efficiently. To maintain and develop project management skills to meet business need.

To practice excellent stakeholder management and be proactive in managing your own time and deadlines


Key result areas:
Customer (external or internal)
Internal customers (marketing and brand team) are creating copy that builds emotion and connection through telling compelling stories. They are able to achieve this through gaining support, advice and coaching from the Copywriter.

Internal customers (Marketing Managers) include strong copy platforms in their briefs, allowing delivery teams the best chance to develop amazing campaign copy. Marketing Managers also feel reassured that campaign creative will be of the right quality across delivery channels.

Internal customers (colleagues across AQA) actively engage with the copywriter and understand the value of this role. Colleagues share assessment expertise, industry information, customer insights and other information, as relevant, with the Copywriter.


Product and internal processes:
Customers feel emotionally connected to our campaigns and their engagement levels meet campaign expectations and objectives.

The creative vision and quality standards are delivered through effective copy and the championing of this area across Marketing teams.


People and culture:
Colleagues responsible for delivering campaign copy around AQA, lean on and trust the Copywriter to support them in checking their content or supporting them in copy best practice.

Marketing colleagues are aligned in their creative assets as the Copywriter encourages collaborative writing sessions and best practice.


Government and external:
To comply with all AQA’s policies and other legislative requirements, including but not limited to HSE, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.

Are aware of and comply with the Conditions of Recognition as they apply to our customer communications.


Key internal relationships:
Marketing and Brand teams

Digital

Public Relations and Social Media

Corporate Communications


Key external relationships:
Agencies


Key performance indicators:
Their campaign creative ideas are excellent, and the execution is error-free and includes compelling copy.

Marketing teams show continuously improved copy outputs across copy platforms and assets.


Section 3 – Person profile

Knowledge:

A/I/P - In-depth knowledge and understanding of copywriting best practice and trends.
I/A/P - Detailed knowledge of delivery channels and understanding of most effective copy approaches across channels.
A/I/P - Creative industry knowledge and expertise – a broad understanding of the campaign environment and the creative elements that make up a fantastic campaign.

Qualification:

A - Relevant degree/diploma and/or experience as a copywriter in a creative agency.
Skills
I/P/T - Thinks strategically and understands AQA’s broader context – able to translate key messages into concepts and copy that’s strategic, relevant and compelling.
I/P/T - Creative thinker – able to turn campaign briefs into exciting ideas that stretch AQA’s ways of delivering campaigns.
I/P - Brave, resilient and unafraid to try new content approaches and learns lessons from failure.
I/P - Role models AQA behaviours; develops and maintains effective working relationships with colleagues across Markets and other teams.
I/P - Excellent communication skills including the ability to work collaboratively, influence and provide constructive challenge.
P - Excellent language and proofreading skills – writes error-free copy and acts as proofreading support, as needed.
I/P - Excellent grasp of search and SEO best practice and how to incorporate practices into content.
I/P - Skilled in storytelling techniques, with the ability to use words emotively so that they connect with people’s hearts and minds.
I/P - Empathic – understands their audience, their pressing issues and what motivates them.
A/I/P - Self-motivated and able to set up copy best practice forums across teams – leading on continuous improvement initiatives.
I/P - Calm under pressure within a fast-paced, creative environment working on a variety of campaigns and copy projects.

Experience

Has worked on multi-channel, complex campaigns where they’ve turned business objectives into exciting ideas – which you then translated into campaigns that resulted in customer behavioural change and engagement.
A/I/P
Experience in working on campaigns at a strategic and conceptual level (preferably at an agency).
A/I/P
Experience in managing a variety of stakeholders in a complex environment.
A/I/P

AQA’s Behaviour Framework which is assessed through the selection/probation process:

Assessment key (criteria to be assessed at the selection stage)
A – application (it is essential to provide evidence on application for shortlisting purposes)
I - interview
T – test (or work sample)
P – probation