Job Description
Permanent Full-time
Location: Agile, UK
Reports to: Product Director
Salary: Circa £65,000
Line management responsibilities: Yes
Overview
About TQUK
Training Qualifications UK is the fastest-growing Awarding Organisation in the UK, and a market-leading End-Point Assessment Organisation. We work with over 500 schools, colleges, universities, and training providers across the world to provide qualification certificates, endorsements, and apprenticeships to over 150,000 learners.
Whats the secret to our success? Simply put, we do things differently here!
About the role
The Standards and Verification Pillar sits at the core of TQUKs awarding and quality assurance activity. It ensures that every certificate we issue reflects genuine achievement and that employers, educators, and learners can trust the integrity of our qualifications.
We are seeking an experienced and strategic leader to head up our External Quality Assurance (EQA), Centre Compliance, and Awarding functions. The Head of Standards and Verification will be accountable for the delivery, oversight, and continuous improvement of all awarding, centre monitoring, and quality assurance processes across TQUKs qualification portfolio. This role is central to safeguarding the integrity of our qualifications, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enabling efficient, high quality service delivery across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
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Lead and manage the Awarding, External Quality Assurance, and Centre Compliance teams.
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Own and deliver TQUKs awarding, centre compliance, and quality assurance strategies, ensuring alignment with Ofqual and CCEA Regulation.
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Ensure all awarding and quality assurance processes are robust, consistent, and evidence based.
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Oversee the investigation and resolution of malpractice and maladministration cases, ensuring appropriate escalation and regulatory compliance.
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Monitor and analyse assessment and awarding data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
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Collaborate with Product Development, Compliance, and other senior leaders to ensure qualifications are delivered and awarded efficiently, effectively, and compliantly.
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Manage budgets and resources to deliver projects on time, within scope, and to a high standard.
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Foster a culture of continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and psychological safety across teams.
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Develop and implement systems, processes, and structures that support efficient service delivery and optimal resource use.
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Ensure customer needs and expectations are embedded within awarding and quality assurance processes.
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Act as a senior representative of TQUK, engaging confidently with regulators, centres, and sector bodies.
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Maintain up to date knowledge of sector and regulatory developments in awarding, EQA, and centre compliance.
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Review and improve operational efficiencies to support growth and enhance stakeholder experience.
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Identify and manage potential conflicts of interest, escalating as necessary.
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Contribute to sector engagement through articles, events, and forums.
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Undertake other duties within the scope of the role to support smooth business operations.
Essential Skills and Experience
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Proven leadership experience, ideally within an awarding organisation, regulatory body, or similar environment.
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Strong understanding of assessment principles, awarding processes, centre monitoring, and Ofqual/CCEA regulatory requirements.
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Analytical capability with the ability to interpret complex data and make evidence-based decisions.
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Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
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Experience leading teams through change and building collaborative, improvement focused cultures.
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Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
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Knowledge of the vocational education landscape and current sector reforms.
Cultural and Communication Experience
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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.
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Work closely with other Heads to manage cross-pillar issues, initiatives and incidents, taking full accountability for completion of company objectives.
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Shape strategies and plans which help put into practice and support TQUKs vision and long-term direction taking account of financial and implementation issues.
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Weigh up competing views to generate ways forward which will meet organisational goals.
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Take quick, confident decisions at a strategic level to move things forward.
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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.
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Ensure an in-depth and evolving understanding of the broad range of customer requirements is embedded in TQUK.
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Be an excellent, proactive communicator, prepared to have difficult conversations and communicate or defend unpopular messages company-wide.
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Represent TQUK, speaking credibly and authoritatively on behalf of the Executive Team as required.
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Remain an expert in your own areas of responsibility.
Key Benefits
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25 days annual leave plus 8 days Bank Holiday (33 in total)
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A further 3 days holiday awarded after long service
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An extra day off to celebrate your birthday
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BUPA Private Medical Insurance
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BUPA Health Care Plan
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Life Insurance.
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Income Protection Insurance.
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Annual Loyalty Bonus
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Annual salary review
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NEST pension
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A positive and supportive working environment
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Christmas period closure
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Comprehensive onboarding
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A workplace that supports a healthy work/life balance.
Please see the full person specification here.
- 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.
