The role of Lead External Quality Assurer is a 21 hour per week post (£21,312 per annum (pro rata of £35,521)) in the quality and standards team.
The postholder will lead the external quality assurance of providers delivering Functional Skills Qualifications ensuring regulatory compliance, effective provider support and continuous quality improvement across Open Awards.
They will adopt a risk-based approach to providers and give guidance, training and support on Functional Skills delivery, assessment, internal and external quality assurance requirements.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
External Quality Assurance
1. To undertake external quality assurance activities in line with Open Awards strategies, policies and processes for a range of regulated qualifications including, but not restricted to:
- Entry Level 1 to Entry Level 3 Functional Skills in Mathematics
- Entry Level 1 to Entry Level 3 Functional Skills in English (Reading and Writing)
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Functional Skills in English (Speaking, Listening and Communicating) (SLC).
2. To ensure that EQA activities are completed in line with Functional Skills assessment strategy requirements including:
- Sampling of assessment decisions at a Provider
- Provider performance reviews of assessment decisions
- Observations of live assessments
- Annual quality compliance visits/activity
- Short notice reviews
- Interviews with learners
- Standardisation activities.
3. To ensure that Functional Skills EQA activities undertaken by Open Awards colleagues and contractors are completed in line with Open Awards requirements, including feedback to and risk management of contracted EQAs.
4. To complete and submit Open Awards documentation and EQA decisions via online systems within the required timescales.
5. To provide clear feedback for providers, working with Quality and Standards Advisors, agreeing improvement actions and monitoring completion against agreed timescales.
6. To work with Quality Team colleagues to co-ordinate external quality assurance activity and risk management across Open Awards’ products and services.
7. To provide leadership, mentoring and specialist advice to Open Awards colleagues and contracted External Quality Assurers, promoting consistency, best practice and continuous improvement in Functional Skills quality assurance activities.
Provider Risk Rating and Compliance
8. To undertake desktop reviews of Functional Skills providers as required to ensure that risk ratings are always up to date.
9. To undertake compliance reviews of providers as outlined in Functional Skills assessment strategies to ensure delivery, assessment and internal quality assurance policies and practices are compliant with Open Awards and regulatory requirements.
10. To maintain an understanding of regulatory requirements and their application in day-to-day activities.
11. To support the quality and standards team in ensuring ongoing compliance with regulators’ requirements including taking lead responsibility for specific initiatives as necessary.
12. To support colleagues to ensure that Open Awards’ quality assurance paperwork, policies, systems and processes promote best practice.
Training and Guidance
13. To provide advice and guidance to providers and Open Awards colleagues on the effective delivery, assessment and quality assurance of Entry Level Functional Skills assessments and approve all approve all English SLC discussion scenarios.
14. To plan, develop and deliver online (including eLearning) and face-to-face training for Providers regarding the assessment and internal quality assurance requirements for Entry Level Functional Skills assessments in Mathematics, English (Reading) and English (Writing).
15. To plan, develop and deliver a schedule of online (including eLearning) and face-to-face training for Providers regarding the assessment and internal quality assurance requirements for Functional Skills assessments in Speaking, Listening and Communicating from Entry 1 to Level 2.
16. To provide training to contracted EQAs and Open Awards colleagues undertaking any Functional Skills EQA activities. This includes onboarding new EQAs and ad hoc training as required.
17. To plan, develop and deliver a schedule of online (including eLearning) and face-to-face standardisation events for:
- Entry Level 1 to Entry Level 3 Functional Skills in Mathematics
- Entry Level 1 to Entry Level 3 Functional Skills in English (Reading and Writing)
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2 Functional Skills in English (Speaking, Listening and Communicating)
18. To work with colleagues across the organisation to ensure guidance, support materials and quality assurance documentation relating to Functional Skills remain accurate, current and compliant with regulatory requirements.
19. To identify trends arising from external quality assurance activity and provide recommendations to improve provider performance and compliance.
20. To attend training and standardisation events as required.
This job description is not intended to be either prescriptive or exhaustive; it is issued as a framework to outline the main areas of responsibility at the time of writing.
Pay: £35,521.00 per year
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- Please confirm that you hold English and maths qualifications at Level 2 or above.
Education:
- Certificate of Higher Education (required)
Experience:
- assessing learner achievement in regulated qualifications: 3 years (required)
- quality assurance in learning and training: 3 years (required)
Work Location: Remote
