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.

Director of Operations

Permanent

Milton Keynes or Manchester

Circa £120,000k

Smart working with travel

You are an inspirational and authentic leader who operates at a strategic level, driving a culture that thinks beyond operations.

Do you believe in the power of education and what it can achieve?

Can you be an advocate for leading through change, motivating, coaching and challenging in equal measure at a corporate level?

As our new Director of Operations you will be looking to shape the future and put our customers front and centre, whilst reporting into the Executive Board and our Chief Operating Officer, Mark Bedlow. Commercially minded, you’ll bring the insight and knowledge to guide the many logistical and operational complexities of a unique business such as ours. Whilst knowledge of the examination or education sectors is desirable, it is not essential, you will be motivated by our goals and continually strive for operational and programme management excellence, embedding a “right first time, on time” and continuous improvement culture. Bringing with you your personal gravitas and credibility to engage with a wide range of senior stakeholders, you will be a strategic, visible and inspiring senior advocate for shaping the future of AQA.

You will capitalize on the links across the business to ensure a resilient, reliable, accurate and cost-effective Operations function for all current and anticipated future qualifications.

The overall purpose of the role

To develop, guide, motivate and inspire the Operations function and its business areas to be ‘world leading’ and ensure we never let a learner down. Working across the senior and executive teams in AQA you’ll pursue operational excellence, achieving quality and cost effectiveness targets and continuously improving customer confidence in AQA’s results with robust governance and management of risks and issues. Define and own the strategic roadmap for Operations and at all times remain regulatorily compliant. As Director of Operations, you’ll instil a customer-centric ethos and joined up approach in relation to each exam series. You’ll build and maintain processes which result in the timely resolution of issues and complaints, in line with AQA values, whilst maintaining and enhancing AQA’s position with the regulator, awarding organisations and other external stakeholders.

This is primarily a role to guide, support, develop and manage an established team, encompassing the delivery, evolution and adaptative approach required to establish, guide and embed transformational change as we fully digitise the exam system.

What’s in it for you?

You will have a real and tangible impact in shaping the future of the organisation, moving AQA from the largest and most successful exam board in the UK, to becoming an influential and global assessment specialist in the wider education sphere. You’ll benefit and thrive from working in a highly regulated charitable environment, yet one with a commercial focus.

The next 3-5 years will be critical in transforming the educational environment both nationally and globally, as AQA introduces digital, high stakes exams and other formative, diagnostic assessments as part of its ambition to be more than an exam board. You will have real autonomy and influence to drive the future direction of AQA.

You’ll have access to an enhanced contributory pension scheme (up to 18.5%), BUPA PMI, Life Assurance, Health cash plan, 25 days annual leave, increasing with service to 30 days annual leave with Bank Holidays and Christmas off. Other benefits available on request.

What you need to succeed.

• An inspirational and commercially minded outlook, you are an individual who brings insight and knowledge to harness the strengths, talents and potential from across the AQA group and our partners.
• A successful credentials in directing and supporting major operational delivery processes in a large, complex, multi-site customer–facing organisation where there is zero tolerance of error.
• Experience of supporting from the front in delivering and embedding digital transformation, working on change management strategies in collaboration with key internal stakeholders and across the AQA group.
• Evidence of modelling our core values and behaviours with confidence, continuously seeking to enhance performance, setting clear and responsive direction and create a high performing team.
• Demonstrable involvement of successfully creating and delivering functional strategies and operating models in a service industry context.
• Gravitas and credibility to engage with a wide range of senior stakeholders.
• A strategic, visible and inspiring mentor who importantly, will be personally invested in our charitable purpose.

What next?

Please provide your CV and a comprehensive cover letter outlining your motivation and transferable skills for the position. Closing date for applications: 23:59 on Wednesday 6th December 2023.

The screening process will consist of a prescreening call, two Interview stages held via MS Teams and Face to Face respectively to be held in January 2024.

#Pro23

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

The Director of Operations ensures that that AQA never lets a learner down, leading the Operations function and supporting teams to achieve the highest levels of performance in the delivery of examination series and assessment services. As a senior AQA organisation leader, the role holder inspires and motivates not just Operations colleagues across multiple locations, role-modelling AQA’s values, embedding a high-performance mindset and driving a culture of continuous improvement, but across the wider organisation. This role defines and owns the strategic roadmap for Operations as part of an integrated COO responsible for the end-to-end delivery of exam series, ensuring the organisation develops the culture, capabilities, processes and systems to deliver world-class operations in support of AQA’s strategy.Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Directors of Assessment and Associates, the Head of Planning, Performance & Solutions and other senior leaders across AQA, the Director of Operations manages three Heads of Operations and the Head of Operational Development.
The role holder leads a wider team of 300 permanent colleagues across three locations, supplemented at peak by 1,200 temporary staff and 35,000 associate markers and is responsible for managing and marking 11m individual scripts with accountability for a cost budget of £60m .
The role chairs the management group that monitors delivery (Delivery Management Group), working closely with other functions outside of COO, involved in the end-to-end delivery of assessments, such as Customer Services, to ensure plans are successfully delivered and c. 4m qualifications are delivered right first time, on time, every time.
As an awarding organisation, AQA’s qualifications are regulated and the role holder represents AQA with Ofqual and associated external stakeholders and is directly accountable for ensuring AQA complies with all necessary Conditions of Recognition.
Key internal interfaces are the two technology teams, Assessment Technology and Enterprise Technology (responsible for the technologies used in delivery), as well as our Regulation & Compliance Team.

Activities (aligned to our AQA values):
Results matter: take the lead role in overseeing end-to-end exam series delivery, establishing robust plans, tracking plan attainment, managing risk/issues effectively and reviewing performance. Deliver exceptional performance across all aspects of operational delivery, achieving internal and external KPIs, quality, customer and cost targets
Shape tomorrow: define and evolve the Operations strategy including the optimal target operating model (capabilities, processes and systems) to support AQA’s strategic objectives, in particular diversification and new customer acquisition. Agree and implement the roadmap of initiatives required to deliver the strategy. Support AQA-wide strategic transformation initiatives as required
Work and learn together: coach and develop direct reports and the wider Operations team, developing a collaborative, high performance culture within Operations, ensuring all colleagues have clear accountabilities, performance measures and goals. Champion continuous improvement within and across Operations and more widely across COO.
Work with Directors of Assessment Technology and Enterprise Technology to define, agree and evolve a rolling 3-5 year technology roadmap which enables world-class operations. Ensure technology service provision is effective, robust and resilient and meets the needs of end-to-end delivery
Step up: support the Chief Operating Officer and COO Leadership Team to define and deliver the COO Business Plan objectives, deputising for the COO as required
Build collaborative relationships across all key internal and external stakeholders, driving engagement and support across strategic, tactical and operational delivery plans
Ensure AQA’s operations are safe, resilient and comply fully with relevant legal and regulatory requirements at all times

To be successful in this role, you will need to know:
An experienced senior leader of large, multi-site operational teams in time critical, high stakes, low tolerance of error environments, setting a clear vision and establishing a high performance culture
Results matter: deliver at pace, taking balanced decisions to ensure optimal outcomes for multiple stakeholders
Customers front and centre: outstanding customer focus with a proven track record in championing the best outcome for the customer in an efficient and effective manner
Comfortable managing cross-functional teams in a matrix approach and influencing a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, including the regulator and executive leadership
Data-driven with expertise in analysing complex information but also able to deal with ambiguous issues and present both in an easily understood way to a wide audience
Shape tomorrow: able to translate the strategy of the organisation into business area plans
Excellent commercial awareness with extensive knowledge of financial performance modelling
Wide ranging experience in leading and embedding successful change and transformation programmes