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.

Subject LeadSociology and Citizenship

Permanent

Manchester:

Milton Keynes or Guildford:

Hybrid Working- at least two days per week in the office or with a customer; national travel and overnight stays maybe required.

AQA: The National Leading Provider of AS and A Level Sociology
Join AQA the UKs leading provider of AS and A Level Sociology qualifications and help shape the future of learning through your subject expertise and leadership. As Subject Lead for Sociology and Citizenship youll support teachers and students influence subject-level stakeholders such as associations and learned societies and collaborate within a dedicated Subject Support team of seven.

Purpose
As Subject Lead for Sociology and Citizenship you will support customers retain and grow market share and influence the direction of Sociology and Citizenship education across the UK. Youll provide internal consultancy customer insight and manage relationships with external stakeholders while representing AQA nationally and collaborating with colleagues in your team.

Key responsibilities
Responsible for planning and delivery of customer support for Sociology and Citizenship qualifications.
Represent AQA nationally to share feedback prepare for future exam series and gather insight.
Collaborate with the wider Subject Support team to share best practice support cross-subject initiatives and contribute to a positive inclusive working environment.
Engage with and influence subject associations learned societies and internal teams (such as Product Management Marketing Sales Customer Training and Events) to build advocacy inform developments and drive customer experience.
Lead and support projects or workstreams within Customer and Product maximising development opportunities and sharing best practice with your Subject Support colleagues.
Use relevant systems reports and dashboards to plan and record delivery set and achieve challenging goals and monitor progress.
Provide both stakeholder and customer insight to inform current and future developments.

Youll thrive in this role if you:
Are a practising AS or A Level Sociology teacher (currently or within the last two years).
Have an excellent understanding of Sociology specifications and current pedagogy.
Are willing to develop your knowledge of Citizenship (full support and knowledge transfer provided).
Demonstrate inclusive leadership and effective stakeholder management skills.
Communicate clearly and effectively with excellent presentation and training abilities.
Have a continuous improvement mindset able to interpret data to inform decision making and monitor impact.
Are skilled at influencing and brand advocacy.
Can travel nationally and stay overnight as required.

Whats in It for you
A unique opportunity to represent AQA and influence Sociology and Citizenship education nationally.
Flexible hybrid working arrangements with a strong focus on work-life balance.
35-hour week 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and Christmas closure).
Excellent benefits package including a generous pension private medical insurance health cash plan electric vehicle leasing and volunteering days.
Modern offices and a collaborative inclusive culture where we value culture add.
Opportunities for professional growth leadership development and support from a team committed to your wellbeing.

At AQA we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyoneregardless of religion ethnicity gender identity or expression age disability sexual orientation or backgroundis valued respected and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language avoid stereotypes and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Application Process

To apply please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.

Application deadline: Wednesday 1st October.

Pre-screen call with the Recruiter followed by;

First stage: Teams Interviews with a pre-set scenario - 9th and 10th October

Second stage : Face to Face with a presentation - 17th and 21st October

Decisions: Made in time for the end of the October half-term break.

The successful candidate will ideally start on or before January 2026.

Contact and Further Information

If youve got questions about the role or just want to get a feel for what its like to work at AQA wed love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to one of our recruitment team for an informal chat. Were looking forward to hearing from you

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

Supporting customers retaining and growing market share through subject expertise. You will also be responsible for using your subject expertise to provide internal consultancy providing customer insight plus building and managing relationships with external stakeholders where needed.

In addition to subject expertise leadership will be a key part of this role. You will be part of the leadership of the Subject Support Team. Your role will be to ensure all activities for your subject(s) are planned monitored and managed effectively to deliver to customers and achieve Customer and Product and organisational objectives. Where relevant you will line manage the subject delivery support team for your subject area and will be responsible for the performance of this team and ensuring effective deployment of this resource to deliver key priorities.

The role will require extensive national travel to represent AQA deliver to customers and collaborate with internal and external stakeholdersLandscape:
To understand the educational landscape particularly within your subject area.
To understand and engage with the strategic priorities of AQA and its evolving structure.

Activities:
Responsible for setting and meeting challenging goals and milestones for delivery of your subject(s)
Responsible for planning monitoring and delivering Customer and Product priorities within your subject(s). Eg) Responsible for the creation monitoring and delivery of subject focused annual plans
Where appropriate be responsible for managing and monitoring performance of a small team e.g. including talent spotting development opportunities and driving high performance.
Use relevant systems reports and dashboards to plan and record delivery for your subject to meet delivery targets.
Lead and support projects or workstreams within Customer and Product which are of a commensurate level to your role maximising development opportunities
Engage with key stakeholders to support effective planning and delivery of priorities e.g. Product Management Marketing Sales Customer Training and Events and Customer & Product Planning Manager.
Responsible for effective identification and management of risks and dependencies
Ensure your work supports continuous improvement in process and delivery to drive customer experience and satisfaction levels
Responsible for working with other teams to reduce failure demand from customers in your subject(s) e.g improve first contact resolution of customer enquiries.
Promote customer centricity be an advocate for the customer across the business and provide subject based customer insight.
Be a brand advocate for AQA with customers and associates.
Represent the team subject(s) and Customer & Product as part of wider organisational projects and priorities
Contribute to business wide processes where needed to support customer facing activity eg) incident management and awarding
Responsible for the recruitment and management of associates to support delivery to customers within your subject(s) in line with the AQA associate strategy.
Engage with and influence subject level stakeholders such as subject associations and learned societies to build advocacy and support and to provide both stakeholder and customer insight to inform current and future developments eg At times of reform
Present at stakeholder events in collaboration with the Product Management team in line with the product growth strategy in order to influence stakeholder views and decisions to ensure AQA is seen as the board of choice for the subject.


To be successful in this role you will need to demonstrate:
An excellent understanding of the subject specifications and current pedagogy
People leadership skills
Former teaching experience or ability to demonstrate credibility with teachers
Excellent communication presentation and training skills in line with AQA brand and tone of voice
Basic project leadership skills
Operational Management skills
Stakeholder management and collaborative working
Influencing and brand advocacy
Organisation planning and prioritisation skills
A continuous improvement mindset
A big picture mindset
The ability to have robust conversations with customers and stakeholders own and deliver corporate messages
The ability to interpret data to inform decision making monitor delivery and impact to customers
Modelling of organisational leadership habits and values and behaviours
An understanding of AQAs assessment products processes and practices relevant to your subject(s)