Distribution Senior Supervisor - 7628

Cambridge University Press; Whittlesford, Duxford; Remote; GBP 31,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave plus bank hols

Private medical and Permanent Health I

Discretionary annual bonus

Group personal pension scheme

Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary

Green travel schemes

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment in Whittlesford, near Cambridge, is seeking a Distribution Senior Supervisor to lead a fast-paced operations team responsible for processing and dispatching exam papers globally. You will plan, schedule and monitor daily workflows, maintain security and quality, and foster a culture of improvement.

The role involves developing staff, conducting appraisals, managing performance data, and coordinating with engineering for machine maintenance.

Qualifications

• Leadership, motivation and conflict-management abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Strong time-management and organisational skills.
• High attention to quality and accuracy.
• Effective communication and stakeholder relationship skills.
• Ability to plan, prioritise and delegate tasks.
• An understanding of health and safety policies and procedures.
• Ability to analyse and interpret operational data.
• Comfortable working to strict deadlines and SLAs.

Responsibilities

• Leading, developing and motivating a team to meet deadlines and SLAs.
• Planning and scheduling daily activities, allocating resources and coordinating workflows.
• Maintaining the confidentiality, security and integrity of all exam materials.
• Conducting appraisals, identifying training needs and supporting professional development.
• Analysing performance data, monitoring productivity and resolving issues promptly.
• Building strong working relationships and responding to operational enquiries.
• Assisting with departmental budgeting, forecasting and documentation.
• Promoting and supporting a culture of Continuous Improvement.
• Collaborating with engineering colleagues to support machine maintenance and resolve production challenges.
• Acting as site contact or deputising when required.

Skills

Leadership

MS Office

Time management

Quality & accuracy

Communication

Task delegation

Health & safety

Data analysis

Deadline-driven

Stakeholder mgmt

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Title: Distribution Senior Supervisor

Salary: £30,600-£32,200 TBC

Location: Whittlesford, near Duxford, UK

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Are you ready to lead a fast‑paced operational team that helps deliver exams to learners across the globe?

Behind every assessment we deliver is a dedicated team ensuring every question paper is produced, handled and dispatched with absolute accuracy. This is your opportunity to play a key leadership role in that process.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the role

Have you ever wondered how an exam paper is created and processed? At Group Print and Operations, we securely print over half a billion A4 pages each year and deliver them to millions of learners across more than 170 countries. Once completed, centres return the papers to our distribution centre, where our scanning team digitises scripts so examiners can mark them electronically.

Find out more about our distribution centre and what we do by watching our short video here.

As a Distribution Senior Supervisor in our Post Exams department, you will oversee a dedicated team and coordinate the processing of examination materials. In this role, you will ensure accuracy, quality, and confidentiality while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, developing and motivating a team to meet deadlines and SLAs
• Planning and scheduling daily activities, allocating resources and coordinating workflows
• Maintaining the confidentiality, security and integrity of all exam materials
• Conducting appraisals, identifying training needs and supporting professional development
• Analysing performance data, monitoring productivity and resolving issues promptly
• Building strong working relationships and responding to operational enquiries
• Assisting with departmental budgeting, forecasting and documentation
• Promoting and supporting a culture of Continuous Improvement
• Collaborating with engineering colleagues to support machine maintenance and resolve production challenges
• Acting as site contact or deputising when required

This is a varied role, where you will complete tasks that could be desk‑based or involve walking/standing for a long period of time.

We encourage development, and there will be many opportunities for progression and growth in your career here at our distribution centre.

This role may require additional hours or shift flexibility during peak operational periods.

About You

You will be an organised and proactive leader who can motivate others, communicate clearly and maintain high operational standards. You bring strong attention to detail, resilience and the confidence to guide a team through busy periods.

Essential skills & experience:

• Leadership, motivation and conflict‑management abilities
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Strong time‑management and organisational skills
• High attention to quality and accuracy
• Effective communication and stakeholder relationship skills
• Ability to plan, prioritise and delegate tasks
• An understanding of health and safety policies and procedures
• Ability to analyse and interpret operational data
• Comfortable working to strict deadlines and SLAs

Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Experience working with database systems
• Full understanding of SLAs and benchmarks

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long‑term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long‑term health condition.

Please note, Cambridge University Press & Assessment is unable to sponsor this role under the Skilled Worker Visa route as it does not meet the minimum skill requirements.

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world‑class, flexible rewards package, featuring family‑friendly and planet‑friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be Sunday, 18 October will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place on week commencing Monday, 26 October.

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• 1 interview round at DC10 Office

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long‑term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.