Senior Manager Design and Development

Job summary

Ofqual, working closely with the Department for Education (DfE), is embarking on a major multi‑year programme of qualification reform across England’s qualifications system. This includes supporting the redevelopment of GCSEs and A levels and overseeing the introduction and accreditation of new qualifications, including V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates.

The role contributes to securing the long‑term quality, validity, and coherence of the nation’s qualifications.

Find out more

Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: Building a world-class curriculum for all

Post-16 education and skills white paper - GOV.UK

For us to be able to deliver this important project, we have various opportunities available at Senior Manager, Manager and Officer level. Look out for other opportunities.

All will generally work within our Policy and Design and Development (D and D) teams.

These teams lead on both general and subject-specific policy and assessment considerations, including developing appropriate regulatory expectations and reviewing qualification and assessment materials against those expectations.

The Design and Development teams focus on developing subject specific regulatory expectations on assessment approaches.

Job description

The Senior Manager will lead and contribute to individual strands of work and projects in the VTQ Design and Development or GQ Design, Development and Evaluation team.

This will be with a particular focus on developing subject-specific regulatory expectations for assessment approaches and reviewing qualification materials generated by exam boards/awarding organisations, such as specifications, assessment strategies and sample assessment materials.

It will involve identifying options and making recommendations to inform decision making and deliver priority initiatives with the goal of ensuring that Ofqual’s work achieves its strategic objectives.

They will lead discussions with internal and external stakeholders, such as exam boards/awarding organisations and the Department for Education.

Where your experience relates to general qualifications or vocational and technical qualifications, including to specific qualifications or subject areas, please indicate this in your application.

Person specification

Please refer to the job description attached for a full list of essential criteria to support your application.

Qualifications

A level 6 qualification such as an honours degree OR experience demonstrating the capabilities associated with a qualification at that level.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,197, Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) contributes £15,411 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

As a Civil Servant, you will benefit from a leading, modern employment offer which includes flexible working arrangements that support people at different stages in their lives, and pensions among the best available in the UK, as well as generous annual leave entitlements.

Other benefits you can enjoy include:

• Organisational performance related bonus
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Regular professional development
• Health and wellbeing initiatives such as mini-medicals, flu vaccinations
• Employee assistance programme and occupational health
• Free eye tests and contribution towards lenses/spectacles for VDU users, if appropriate
• Family friendly policies
• Interest free rail season ticket loan
• Access to exclusive discounts
• Free car parking

We are committed to promoting Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing throughout the organisation. We are proud of the action we are taking to support this. We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds to support our ethos of creating a diverse culture that is reflective of both our employees and the learners we support.

Due to our continued commitment and focus in relation to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, our inclusion and fair treatment score based on the Civil Service 2024 annual people survey ranks us joint 5th out of 104 participating departments.

Ofqual is a rewarding, dynamic place to work. We offer employees the opportunity to develop within their role and progress through the organisation via a number of Learning and Development opportunities and activities.

Ofqual has a highly engaged workforce. Our 2024 Civil Service People Survey score on engagement was 71%, against 64% for the whole Civil Service, and was the joint 12th highest of the 104 participating CS departments.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Please note that Ofqual does not offer Visa sponsorship.

You will be assessed on the Behaviours shown above at interview stage.

Ofqual has adopted anonymised recruitment. This means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel. You’ll be asked to remove all personal details from your CV when you apply.

When you press the ‘apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the shortlisting panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a personal statement evidencing how you meet the essential criteria shown on the job description attached to this advert. Once this job has closed, the job description will no longer be available. You may wish to save a copy for your records.

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements as this will form a key part of your evidence when the panel is scoring your application, against the requirements of the role.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift will be undertaken using the work history and personal statement against the lead essential criteria, which is knowledge and understanding of assessment theory a