Job Description

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

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Full Job Description

Purpose:
The Head of Unit Award Scheme leads the strategic direction, commercial performance and customer experience for UAS, ensuring the scheme delivers sustainable growth, strong customer engagement and meaningful value for learners and organisations.
The role translates organisational strategy into clear priorities for customer retention and acquisition, market growth, customer experience and future scheme development, working through the UAS team and cross-functional partners to deliver shared outcomes.Landscape:
UAS operates as a distinct product offer within AQA, with defined customers, customer journeys and growth objectives. The role provides business-unit leadership for UAS performance, with a focus on customer retention, growth and acquisition; customer engagement; reach, participation and impact; and the development of digital and platform-enabled customer journeys.
The role leads a multi-functional UAS team, including Business Development and Developments and Training, and Unit Development, works in close partnership with other functions. The postholder is directly accountable for customer experience, commercial performance and growth outcomes; influences product and scheme development through insight, prioritisation and business requirements; and works with operational and product-quality owners to ensure delivery supports UAS customer needs.
The postholder operates with autonomy and is accountable for the commercial performance and customer outcomes of UAS, balancing growth and cost management to support sustainable development of the scheme.
The Unit Award Scheme team engages with a wide and diverse range of external customers including schools, colleges, alternative provision settings, pupil referral units, special schools, local authorities, training providers, charities, community organisations and other learning settings.

Activities:
Leadership and organisational contribution
Build, lead and develop a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team, setting clear expectations, driving accountability and developing capability through coaching, succession planning and effective resourcing.
Act as the visible figurehead and ambassador for the Unit Award Scheme, representing UAS internally and externally and promoting its impact through customer engagement, conferences, events, sector networks, speaking engagements and strategic partnerships.
Champion UAS across AQA, influencing decision-making, building strong internal and external partnerships and ensuring the scheme's priorities are understood and supported at all levels of the organisation.
Provide leadership across complex matrix teams and programmes, driving collaboration and alignment across UAS, Hypercare, Product Management, Technology, Operations, Customer Success and other business functions to deliver shared outcomes, continuous improvements and customer experience.

Strategic and commercial leadership
Define and deliver the Unit Award Scheme strategy, aligning commercial and customer experience priorities with scheme-development requirements, AQA priorities and measurable growth, engagement and financial outcomes.
Own commercial performance, including customer growth, participation growth, cost management, pricing strategy and expansion into new markets, sectors and partnerships.
Develop and maintain clear business plans, performance indicators and reporting routines to track growth, customer experience, participation, engagement, cost management and delivery progress.
Prioritise investment, resources and activity across the scheme, using evidence and insight to focus effort on the areas with the greatest potential to improve growth, customer outcomes and impact.
Act as business owner and lead for key third-party suppliers and strategic partners, ensuring effective supplier performance management.

Customer and market leadership
Lead customer retention, growth and acquisition strategies, using market intelligence and insight to shape the scheme direction and deliver increased participation and engagement.
Build strong, trusted relationships across diverse customer and stakeholder groups, including schools, colleges, alternative provision settings, pupil referral units, special schools, local authorities, training providers, charities, community organisations and other learning settings, acting as a senior representative of UAS and ensuring a consistently high-quality customer experience supported by effective training, guidance, communications and engagement activities.
Represent UAS, identifying opportunities to raise awareness, strengthen reputation, influence thinking and extend the reach and impact of the scheme.

Product, quality and innovation
Work with product colleagues to shape the development of a relevant and innovative unit offer, ensuring customer insight, market needs and business priorities inform product direction and quality considerations.
Use insight to identify risks, gaps and opportunities in the UAS offer, working with specialist teams to enhance customer value, impact and effectiveness.
Influence the future direction of UAS products and services, ensuring the scheme remains responsive to customer needs, educational developments and organisational priorities.

Operational performance and governance
Oversee performance across customer, commercial and financial measures, using data and insight to drive decision-making and improved outcomes.
Work with operational owners to ensure service performance, systems and processes support UAS customer needs, while operational delivery, risk management and compliance remain owned through the appropriate specialist functions.
Provide business oversight of cross-functional delivery and Hypercare activities, ensuring coordinated customer support, effective issue resolution, continuous service improvement and successful adoption of new systems, products and services.

Frameworks, standards and continuous improvement
Establish and embed scalable frameworks, standards and ways of working across customer experience, scheme development and service delivery.
Lead continuous improvement and organisational learning, ensuring lessons learned, customer insight and best practice are captured, shared and translated into measurable improvements.

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
Essential Criteria
Ability to own and deliver strategy across multiple functional areas, translating organisational priorities into delivery.
Experience of leading or operating a product or service as a business unit, with accountability for performance and growth.
Experience of accountability for commercial and financial performance, including growth, budget management and cost control.
Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and influence through matrix management across organisational boundaries.
Experience of leading complex cross-functional programmes involving multiple stakeholders, suppliers and delivery teams.
Experience of managing strategic supplier and partner relationships, including performance oversight and commercial accountability.
Ability to develop and embed frameworks, standards or operating models across a function or product area.
Ability to use data, insight and market intelligence to inform decision-making and strategy.
Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills across senior internal and external networks.
Ability to act as an organisational ambassador, confidently representing the business at conferences, events, speaking engagements and customer forums.
Excellent presentation, communication and public-speaking skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of audiences.
Ability to review complex outputs and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations.
Ability to solve complex problems, balancing competing priorities and organisational risk.
Demonstrated ability to drive customer retention, growth and engagement in a service or product-based environment.
Desirable Criteria
Knowledge of the education and/or assessment sector.
Experience of working with schools, colleges, alternative provision settings, pupil referral units, special schools, local authorities, training providers, charities, community organisations or other learning settings.
Experience of customer success, training or product innovation functions.