At AQA were committed to advancing education and were committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and its our people who make this happen.

Business Process Lead

Fixed Term Contract until 13th October 2026

Manchester: 43650 - 49650

Guildford:

Hybrid Working

Do you thrive on leading projects that drive process improvements and positive change

Would you like to be part of a dedicated team that sits at the heart of the organisation ensuring over a million students receive their results each year

As a Business Process Lead at AQA reporting to the Head of Associate Experience you will take charge of maintaining oversight of end-to-end business processes for interaction with our associates. Youll play a critical role in coordinating process changes by effectively engaging with associate-facing teams and projects. Regular reviews and implementations of process improvements will be key in enhancing the overall associate experience. Your exceptional analytical problem-solving and communication skills will be crucial to achieving our strategic goals.

Whats in it for me

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

• Opportunity to work with processes that impact the future of millions of learners.

• You will have access from day one to an incredible pension schemewith employee and employer contributions jointly totalling up to 18.5%

• 25 days annual leave rising a day per year for your first five years with Bank Holidays and additional closure days at Christmas.

• AQA work in a smart hybrid way. This team are in the office for a minimum of two days per week or as business dictates - meetings are more productive in person so you will need to live within a commutable distance of the Manchester office.

• You will also benefit from our newly refurbished Manchester office space as well as a gym a games room and a yoga studio and with discounted eateries at our Guildford office.

Landscape:

Each year AQA works with a community of around 39000 Associates to design produce mark and award high-stakes qualifications for more than 1 million young people both in the UK and overseas. The majority of these examiners are qualified teachers and academics; responsible for marking student exam scripts to set mark schemes enabling us to deliver results including GCSEs and A-Levels. Some use their expertise in curriculum design assessment writing and pedagogy to design and develop our specifications our assessments our CPD offering and supporting our customer.

Our Associate Management team are responsible for the resourcing contracting on-boarding and retention of this vital community. Working alongside internal departments such as Assessment Design Assessment Production Marking Preparation Moderations and Post-Results our team ensures that requirements are captured demand is forecasted resource is made available and that our Associates have a positive experience working with AQA.

Our team comprises of around 30 core colleagues which increases at times of peak activity and is part of a wider department of around 50 including colleagues focused on providing services for all associate facing teams which includes Contracting & Fees Associate Training Process Development and Associate Experience.

What will I need to succeed

• Extensive knowledge and proven experience in process improvement business justification and requirement prioritisation.

• Excellent communication and coordination skills.

• A broad understanding of the context in which AQA operates and its main stakeholder and customer groups

• Strong technical skills in analysing the effectiveness of business processes creating and editing process documentation.

• Ability to work with colleagues at all levels of the organisation including the Executive Team to describe business requirements.

• Good project management skills and financial awareness; able to manage plans and budgets.

What do I do next

Please upload your most recent CV with a cover letter detailing your skills and experience for this role.

We will be interviewing as applications come in and reserve the right to close the advert early should we find the right person so apply today.

Interviews are due to take place face to face in mid September.

Every application will receive a response.

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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

Purpose: Maintain oversight of the E2E business processes for interaction with associates through demonstrating detailed knowledge of processes from an internal and associate perspective. Coordinate process changes through effective engagement with associate facing teams and projects undertake regular reviews to define and implement process improvements which in turn improve the associate experience.
Develop and maintain the associate lifecycle change and improvement roadmap prioritise requirements and manage : Each year AQA works with a community of around 39000 Associates to design produce mark and award high-stakes qualifications for more than 1 million young people both in the UK and overseas. The majority of these examiners are qualified teachers and academics; responsible for marking student exam scripts to set mark schemes enabling us to deliver results including GCSEs and A-Levels. Some use their expertise in curriculum design assessment writing and pedagogy to design and develop our specifications our assessments our CPD offering and supporting our customer.
Our Associate Management team are responsible for the resourcing contracting on-boarding and retention of this vital community. Working alongside internal departments such as Assessment Design Assessment Production Marking Preparation Moderations and Post-Results our team ensures that requirements are captured demand is forecasted resource is made available and that our Associates have a positive experience working with AQA.
Our team comprises of around 30 core colleagues (which increases at times of peak activity) and is part of a wider department of around 50 including colleagues focused on providing services for all associate facing teams which includes Contracting & Fees Associate Training Process Development and Associate Experience.

Activities:
Develop and maintain the associate lifecycle model to articulate the vision for the future ways of working
Coordinate the completion and analysis of process maps for all associate led activities
Act as the Associate SME for any technical projects / programme initiatives ensuring that any changes to associate led processes are fully impacted assessed and approved before changes are implemented.
Identify and evidence associate pain points throughout series delivery and champion associate user requirements through prioritisation as part of our technology roadmap.
Ensure effective engagement with associate facing teams to promote understanding of the overall associate experience and identification of improvement opportunities.
Work collaboratively with the Associate Management team to identify issues and identify workable solutions that ease bulk associate resourcing and onboarding.
Develop and maintain an Associate change roadmap to coordinate and track changes to associate processes.
Work with stakeholders to ensure processes are adhered to by different business areas supporting them with monitoring and checking.
Measure and report the impact of changes introduced including working with the Nexus development team and as a result of Associate Programme implementation.
Oversee technical vFire requests and issues in regards to the Associate experience and to own them through to resolution
Work with stakeholders such as the Associate Training Managers in order to ensure that any changes that are implemented are accurately represented in our training materials

Need to know (to be successful in this role you will need to know):
A broad understanding of the context in which AQA operates and its main stakeholder and customer groups
Extensive knowledge and experience of process improvement; business justification and requirement prioritisation.
Strong technical skills in analysing the effectiveness of business processes creating and editing process documentation.
Ability to work with colleagues at all levels of the organisation including the Executive Team to describe business requirements.
Good project management skills and financial awareness able to manage plans and budgets.