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.
Qualification Development Lead
Permanent
Manchester: £53,000 - £61,000 | Guildford: £55,500 - £63,500
Hybrid Working | Minimum 2 days per week in the office
Help shape the future of qualifications
You are an education, assessment or qualification specialist who enjoys turning complex requirements into high-quality qualifications that make a difference to teachers and learners.
Reporting to a Senior Qualification Development Manager, you'll play an important role in developing and accrediting future qualifications, bringing together policy requirements, educational expertise and customer insight to create qualifications that support teachers and learners.
Working at the intersection of education, assessment, product development and regulation, you'll collaborate with subject experts, Associates (senior examiners who devise qualification content) and specialist colleagues to develop qualifications that meet regulatory requirements, reflect customer needs and support positive outcomes for learners.
Whether your experience comes from qualification development, assessment, curriculum leadership, educational publishing or another education-focused environment, we'd love to hear how your skills and experience could contribute to the future of qualification development at AQA.
Why this role matters
You’ll contribute to qualifications that will be used by teachers and learners across the UK.
Working across the qualification development lifecycle, you’ll help bring together specifications, assessment materials and supporting documentation so they form a coherent and high-quality qualification experience.
The work is varied, collaborative and intellectually engaging. You’ll balance different perspectives, use evidence to support decisions and help ensure qualifications are developed with care, clarity and attention to quality.
What you'll be doing
You’ll thrive in this role if you have:
Why join us?
This is a rare opportunity to join a newly formed team and contribute to work that will directly influence future qualifications and the experience of learners and teachers across the UK.
You’ll also have the opportunity to help shape new ways of working, contribute to continuous improvement and build expertise as part of a team bringing together different skills, experiences and perspectives.
Alongside meaningful and impactful work, you’ll benefit from:
Our application process
Please upload your CV and a short supporting statement outlining your motivation for applying and any relevant transferable skills you would bring to the role.
As part of your application, you’ll also be asked to complete two short role-related questions.
Closing date: Monday 6 July 2026
Stage 1 – Mid July 2026
If shortlisted, you’ll be invited to complete a short video interview consisting of structured questions aligned to the role requirements. All responses are reviewed by people.
Stage 2 – Early August 2026
Candidates who progress from the video interview stage will be invited to a final face-to-face interview, which will include a practical exercise designed to explore your approach to qualification development, problem-solving and quality assurance.
We aim to keep the process clear, focused and respectful of your time throughout.
If you are currently an Associate or Examiner you would need to relinquish this post.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background – is 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.
#STEC
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.
Purpose:
This is a pivotal role in the development and accreditation of reformed qualifications.
The Qualification Development Lead is responsible for leading and managing the development of high quality, regulatory compliant qualification specifications and supporting materials. They will manage the work of Associates and Assessment Design and Principles Leads, and work closely with product management colleagues, operations teams and Quality and Regulatory Leads to ensure that newly developed qualifications align with the internal balanced scorecard, gain regulatory accreditation and are aligned with market needs.
They will be accountable for the core qualification deliverables (Specification, Specimen Assessment Materials and Assessment Strategy), ensuring that these materials remain aligned throughout the development lifecycle.
They will be responsible for developing detailed specification content aligned with Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual requirements and AQA’s internal Development Briefs, making a significant contribution to assessment strategies and ensuring that all relevant materials are of a high standard and ready for submission to Ofqual.
They will ensure the customer view is taken into account through concept and market testing, and that feedback is actioned appropriately throughout. They will support the creation of market ready specifications using appropriate technology.Landscape:
This role will report into a Senior Qualification Development Manager and will be responsible for the development of specifications, which may include those for digital exam components. They will manage Associates and matrix manage work of the Assessment Design & Principles Lead responsible for the development of high-quality specimen assessment materials (SAMs) and Part 2 of the assessment strategies.
This role will own the qualifications under development; they will be responsible for ensuring that the whole qualification is high-quality, meets the regulatory requirements, is fit for purpose and is successfully accredited by Ofqual.
They will also be responsible for managing Associate performance throughout the development lifecycle.
They will build key relationships with:
Assessment Design & Principles Leads
Associates and the Associate Experience team
Product Managers/Heads of Product/Subject Sector Leads
Quality and Regulatory Leads
Activities:
Qualification development
Manage the work of Associates (SMEs) to create detailed specification content that aligns with DfE subject content, policy requirements and subject specific development briefs.
Champion and align with our approach to diversity and inclusion and other key cross-cutting themes in our specifications.
Ensure the accuracy, clarity, and coherence of specification sections, with appropriate structure and coverage across subject content.
Ensure the specification meets the requirements detailed in the subject specific Development Brief and the balanced scorecard.
Maintain version control and documentation across all developed materials.
Accreditation
Ensures all materials are ready to support their timely submission to Ofqual for accreditation.
Works with the Quality & Accreditation Lead to review feedback reports from Ofqual, ensuring that all required amendments are allocated to a member of the team and actioning those directly related to the specification.
Defines the resubmission timeline through negotiation with internal and external teams where needed.
Ensures all materials are ready to support timely resubmissions to Ofqual.
Assessment strategy support
· Responsibility for ensuring alignment and consistency between the specification, SAMs and assessment strategy during development and the accreditation process
· Contribute to the development of assessment strategies, ensuring alignment between qualification content and assessment models
· Collaborate with, and matrix manage the work of, Assessment Design & Principles Leads, to ensure consistency and validity across specification content, assessment decisions, and specimen materials
· Record decisions and rationales in sufficient detail to support the development of Part 2 of the assessment strategy and assessment materials
Quality, regulatory alignment and risk management
· Maintain the subject specific RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) log, ensuring risks and issues are captured, monitored, and escalated as appropriate.
· Maintain appropriate decision logs and complete all required reporting to maintain a clear audit trail.
· Apply regulatory requirements to all aspects of qualification development
· Actively respond to and implement feedback from regulatory, quality, and internal review processes.
Cross functional collaboration
Manage the work of:
Assessment Design & Principles Leads to ensure continuous alignment between content and assessment.
Associates to develop high quality content that is appropriate to the subject.
Work closely with:
Quality & Accreditation Leads to ensure compliance and agreed best practice is embedded throughout the development process.
Product Manager/Subject Sector Leads to support concept development, market testing, product positioning and to ensure subject relevance, market appropriate content and the customer viewpoint.
Lead and/or participate in cross functional meetings, review sessions, and workshops to ensure coherence across the qualification.
Technology and document production
Use internal publishing and development tools to create market ready versions of specifications and related materials
Ensure that final documents meet organisational standards for accessibility, formatting, and presentation
Market and concept testing
Contribute to concept and market testing activities to validate qualification design and gather stakeholder feedback.
Use insights from testing to refine specification content and support wider product improvements.
Work with customers during concept and market testing activity and throughout development and launch of the newly developed qualifications.
Resource and support offer development
Make recommendations to the Product Manager for amendments or enhancements to the customer resource and support offer, based on insights gained during development and testing.
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
Essential criteria:
Experience in developing materials in line with a development or design brief.
Understanding of DfE subject content and regulatory frameworks and the Ofqual accreditation process.
Excellent written communication skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders including external associates.
Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage documents, decisions, and version control.
Experience working with SMEs or associates in content creation.
Ability to work at pace in an agile manner, delivering to tight deadlines in a sometimes uncertain environment.
Ability to assess and categorise risk and form clear mitigation plans.
Desired criteria
Experience in qualification or assessment development within an awarding organisation or similar environment or a demonstrable ability to learn quickly in a time-sensitive context.
Awareness of assessment principles and evidence-based assessment design.
Experience using document production or publishing tools.
Understanding of centre needs, learner experience, or education market.
At AQA, we’re proud to be the leading provider of accessible qualifications and support services for teachers and students. We set and mark around half of all GCSEs and A-levels taken in the UK every year; we ask the questions that matter, so that every learner can achieve the results they deserve.
Teachers and learners are at the heart of everything we do. As an independent education charity, any money we make is reinvested back into research so that every learner receives fair and inclusive assessment. We’re always here for our teachers and support them through free training, expert guidance and unbeatable resources. As the most chosen awarding body, we have the biggest teaching community too – teachers are in good company with AQA.
The AQA Group also includes Exampro, TQUK, Project Q, AlphaPlus, Grademaker.
For more information about how AQA handles your personal data please visit https://www.aqa.org.uk/about-us/privacy-notice
