Head of Delivery Services Manchester, England
Job description
Job Description
Permanent Full-Time
Location: Remote
Reports to: Executive Team
Salary: Competitive
Line Management responsibilities: Yes
Overview
Training Qualifications UK is the fastest-growing Awarding Organisation in the UK, and a market leading End-Point Assessment Organisation. We work with over 1,000 schools, colleges, universities, and training providers across the world to provide qualification certificates, endorsements and End-Point Assessment services to over 150,000 learners.
The Head of Delivery Services is a Leadership level role reporting directly into the Executive Team. A highly responsible position accountable for the delivery of external assessments, End-Point Assessment, and the external quality assurance of our growing portfolio of qualifications. Working as part of a talented leadership team, the role will contribute towards setting and achieving strategic objectives, monitoring budgetary expenditure whilst championing the organisations values to drive the success of the pillars counterpart teams, and their managers, to deliver world-class assessment services.
The successful candidate will have extensive team management experience, will have a sound comprehension of Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS), along with robust external quality assurance and assessment delivery expertise and experience. This person will possess strong critical thinking skills, be able to manage multiple and complex projects from conception to completion and use data and rationale to make informed decisions to drive the business forwards.
- Drive and deliver a culture that emphasises continuous improvement, efficiency and value for money, creating psychological safety for others and challenging each other and the status quo.
- Be a cultural architect. Use the non-negotiables to inform all decisions, conversations and actions, influencing others to do the same, holding them to account as required.
- Work closely with other Heads to manage cross-pillar issues, initiatives and incidents, taking full accountability for completion of company objectives.
- Swiftly analyse complex and ambiguous data, being swift and decisive in the face of uncertainty or crisis.
- Shape strategies and plans that help put into practice and support TQUKs vision and long-term direction taking account of financial and implementation issues.
- Weigh up competing views to generate ways forward which will meet organisational goals.
- Take quick, confident decisions at a strategic level to move things forward.
- Define and integrate clear structures, systems and resources required across the Pillars to promote efficient service delivery, making difficult decisions about allocation of resources as necessary.
- Ensure an in-depth and evolving understanding of the broad range of customer requirements is embedded in TQUK.
- Be an excellent, proactive communicator, prepared to have difficult conversations and communicate or defend unpopular messages company-wide.
- Represent TQUK, speaking credibly and authoritatively on behalf of the Executive Team as required.
- Remain an expert in your own areas of responsibility.
Head of Delivery Services Pillar Overview
Team
Overview Of Team Remit
Assessment Delivery
Manage effective assessment delivery of multiple-choice question and broader online/ paper-based assessments for a range of Vocational and Technical Qualifications and apprenticeship End-Point Assessment.
This includes management and coordination of:
- an online exam platform
- key date schedules for assessment delivery
- invigilators/ markers
- controlled assessment environments
- live remote invigilation
- application of special considerations and reasonable adjustments
- assessment performance and feedback reporting functions
As well as:
- providing high quality and responsive support to candidates/ centres undertaking assessments/ exams
- on-going engagement with assessment platform provider to improve the system and its functionality
External Quality Assurance
Manage the monitoring and support of TQUKs Recognised Centres through external quality assurance.
This includes:
- Organising, monitoring and reviewing EQA activities including sampling of leaner work and centre standardisation
- Ensuring Centres meet TQUKs requirements both before being recognised and an ongoing basis
- Maintaining TQUKs EQA Strategy ensuring that it is robust and compliant
- Managing and maintaining a bank of qualified and competent External Quality Assurers
- Supporting Recognised Centres in their delivery of TQUK qualifications
- Reviewing and approving Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations.
End-Point Assessment Delivery (Inc. Quality Improvement)
Manage the delivery of all End-Point Assessments through the recruitment and standardised training of occupational competent and qualified assessors.
This teams function includes:
- Scheduling and conducting Assessments in line with published assessment plans and TQUK assessment processes/practices
- Applying any approved reasonable adjustments/ special considerations to assessment delivery
- On-going interaction with an EPA management system
- Producing high quality assessment records/ accurate assessment decisions
- Delivering Process Training to external stakeholders to support a successful EPA journey
- Conducting a range of different internal quality assurance activities
- Engaging with Trailblazer groups at a sector/standard level
- Capturing and monitoring a range of data to inform continuous quality improvement
- Engaging with external quality assurance activities
Person Specification
Criteria
Essential
Desirable
Qualifications
Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (RQF) or equivalent.
Relevant Internal and/or External Quality Assurance qualification(s).
Project Management qualification.
Skills/ competencies
Can interact with wider Leadership & Executive Team to rapidly build both trust and confidence.
Excellent command of the English language grammar, spelling, written and spoken communication with strong communication and presentation skills.
Ability to prepare ideas and initiatives thoroughly, present them articulately and defend them intellectually.
Proficient IT skills, confident with excel, data analysis, new technologies and adapt to using new systems.
Excellent collaboration skills, confident to liaise professionally at a senior level.
Work under regulatory requirements whilst demonstrating high quality work and decision making including at critical moments.
Good financial skills to enable effective planning for and monitoring of departmental spending.
Strong judgement and prioritisation against strategic and operational plans capable of forward thinking to both plan and identify pressure points.
Comfortable managing multiple complex projects, collaborating with a range of stakeholders to deliver them successfully, implementing change where required.
Excellent coordination, team working skills and prioritisation of work across multiple teams/departments.
Interpreting of data reports for trend spotting.
Current sector knowledge and continuous horizon scanning for threats and opportunities.
Budgetary management/ budgetary control.
Knowledge
Sound knowledge of quality and compliance systems related to product/service delivery.
A deep understanding of assessment delivery services.
Proven knowledge, understanding of Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS) and delivery experience in the quality assurance of centre assessment.
Strong familiarity with Ofquals General Conditions of Recognition (GCoR) in relation to assessment delivery and external quality assurance.
Project Management general approaches, tools.
Relevant regulatory documents including those issued by: IFATE, ESFA, Ofqual.
Education funding streams.
Education policy.
Previous experience
Work with remote, online delivery of regulated exams, assessments including End-Point Assessments.
Experience of E-Assessment delivery.
Proven ability to understand key business drivers, identify and report on metrics to measure the performance of the business.
Experience and understanding of delivering Assessments products to deadlines and meeting commercial objectives.
Significant line management experience, with successful team outcomes.
Internal issues investigation/resolution experience.
Experiencing of introducing new initiatives, processes and or systems, followed through to successful outcomes/conclusions.
Cross-team project management.
Experience of working within an Awarding Organisation/ End-Point Assessment Organisation
Experience of working on reformed qualification assessment delivery e.g., Functional Skills, Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications, Technical Awards, or similar.
Experience of working in a senior leadership role.
External stakeholder project relationship management.
Special attributes
Track record of successful delivery of assessments and external quality assurance.
Track record of innovation and problem solving within confines of a regulated environment.
Personal qualities
Highly resilient, able to work well at pace and under pressure and respond to change in a flexible and positive manner.
Critical thinker, ability to interpret and act upon data and ability to see the bigger picture and confident to challenge.
Drive for perfection with a pragmatic approach, with ability to add value in a commercial sense.
Aspirational - positive outlook with a clear focus on achieving of monthly targets & annual objectives.
Resourceful - problem solver with ability to take initiative in a growing company; assess & consider options & alternatives; consider departmental and wider impact; provide solutions to operational risks and regulatory issues.
Integrity - excellent communicator (written and oral) with non-financial / internal and external stakeholders.
* We are an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Should you require any additional support during the recruitment process due to a disability, please contact us so we can assist you. *
