Planning and Process Co-ordinator

AQA; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bupa Health Insurance

Health Care Cash Plan

Life Assurance

Electric Vehicle Leasing scheme

Pension contributions

Job summary

AQA, the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, is looking for a Planning and Process Co-ordinator in Manchester to drive efficient operations and ensure compliance across administration, planning and associate management.

You will support the Planning Manager by coordinating administration, maintaining compliance processes and helping teams work effectively across activities. The role is hybrid with 2 days in the office.

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating complex operational or business planning activities.
• Strong attention to detail in records, compliance and documentation.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and maintain records and data quality.

Responsibilities

• Process associate payments and support budget administration and records.
• Create, organise and maintain documents and audit evidence for compliance.
• Support onboarding, manage mailing lists and Teams spaces and communications.
• Build relationships with associates and stakeholders and communicate clearly.
• Document, map and improve processes to adopt new ways of working.
• Monitor compliance activities and maintain records and regulatory checks.
• Coordinate planning and operational activities to keep projects on track.

Skills

Operational planning coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Multitasking & prioritisation

Microsoft Teams / 365

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Dynamics

ITrent

Microsoft Office

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.

Job title: Planning and Process Co-ordinator

Contract type: Permanent
Location: Manchester
Salary: £26,000 - £29,000
Working arrangements: Hybrid, with a minimum of 2 days per week in the office

Help shape efficient processes that keep our teams organised, compliant and focused on delivering for customers.

If you’re someone who enjoys bringing order to complexity, improving the way things work and keeping important processes running smoothly, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. You’ll play a key role in supporting the Planning Manager by coordinating administration, maintaining compliance processes and helping teams work effectively across a range of activities. Your work will directly support the delivery of Subject Support’s services, ensuring activities are organised, documented and compliant. Because priorities and processes can evolve, you’ll need to be adaptable and comfortable responding to change.

You’ll influence how teams work, supporting smarter processes, stronger stakeholder engagement and seamless operational delivery across the function.

Purpose of the role

As Planning and Process Co-ordinator, you’ll help ensure that key operational activities are delivered accurately, efficiently and in line with internal policies and regulatory requirements. You’ll be the person to provide vital coordination across administration, associate management, planning and compliance activities, helping to keep records accurate, payments processed, documentation organised and stakeholders informed. As priorities, policies and regulatory requirements evolve, you’ll need to be adaptable and comfortable managing change while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

Key responsibilities

• Processing associate payments, supporting budget administration, updating logs and maintaining accurate records.
• Creating, organising and maintaining important documents, files and audit evidence to ensure compliance and easy access to information.
• Supporting onboarding activities, maintaining mailing lists and helping manage Microsoft Teams spaces and communications.
• Building effective relationships with associates and internal stakeholders, responding to queries and ensuring information is shared clearly and efficiently.
• Documenting, mapping and improving processes, helping teams adopt new ways of working and ensuring procedures remain up to date.
• Monitoring compliance activities, maintaining records and supporting regulatory requirements such as associate administration and related checks.
• Coordinating planning and operational activities, helping to keep projects, engagement plans and key deliverables on track.

You’ll thrive in this role if you have:

• Experience supporting complex operational or business planning activities, effectively coordinating multiple workstreams and delivering results in a fast-paced environment.
• The ability to manage documents, records, data and financial administration with a high level of attention to detail.
• The confidence to document, review and improve processes, identifying opportunities to make ways of working more effective.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build productive working relationships across multiple teams at all levels.
• Excellent organisational and workload management skills, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities, balance competing demands and support the successful delivery of business objectives.
• Proficient in using Microsoft 365, including Teams, with experience of event management systems such as Microsoft Dynamics, iTrent and related platforms, and the ability to use technology effectively to manage, track and report on activity.

What’s in it for you

• A platform to influence education nationally and represent AQA at key events
• Career development and professional growth in a leading education charity
• Hybrid working and flexibility to support work-life balance
• Comprehensive benefits including Bupa Health Insurance, Health Care Cash Plan, Life Assurance and an Electric Vehicle Leasing scheme, generous, combined pension contributions up to 18.5% and 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and extra closure days at Christmas
• An inclusive culture that welcomes new perspectives, values collaboration and encourages innovative thinking to improve how we support teachers and students

Diversity and inclusion

At AQA, we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect, has access to opportunities to grow and contribute, and feels able to be themselves. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Make an impact behind the scenes, coordinating critical processes, supporting stakeholders and helping teams deliver at their best.

Application process

• Application deadline: Sunday 27th September 23:59
• Short application questionnaire
• Interview Process:
• First stage: Teams Interviews w/c 4th October 2026
• Second stage: Face to Face with a task to complete, which will be shared in advance. Interviews will take Interview w/c 11th October 2026 in Manchester.

Successful candidates will be unable to maintain an Associate role with AQA or any other exam board.

Reference code: #AREF

Full Job Description

Summary

Purpose
To ensure Subject Support’s activities are delivered in a compliant, efficient, and well-documented manner. This role safeguards regulatory adherence, supports associate management, and maintains robust administrative processes.Landscape:
Subject Support is one of five functions within the Commercial business area. Subject Support and Sales work in partnership to support, understand, retain and grow our customers. Subject Support provide subject expertise focussed on customer retention, whilst Sales focus on acquisition, working collaboratively to deepen our relationships with customers, future customers and stakeholders. It’s vital that all the activities carried out by subject support are compliant with internal and external policy and regulatory requirements and plans and processes are documented. This role would report into the Planning Manager.
Key Activities
Compliance & Regulatory CoordinationProvide support for recruitment and associate appointments ensuring compliance with associate contracting and payment policy, process and regulatory requirements
Coordinate and approve associate payments, ensuring correct coding, prompt processing, and query handling
Monitor compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements e.g. Oversee DBS checks and Personal Interest declarations to ensure regulatory compliance

Planning and Process SupportMonitor CRM master queue for query triage and routing of customer queries
Support campaign delivery for customer retention and acquisition. E.g. Maintain and update the calendar of engagement activities.
Assist in monitoring delivery customer engagement plans under the planning manager’s guidance.
Support planning manager with creation and co-ordinate thematic plans including, overarching annual plans, stakeholder plans, team development plans and budget plans.
Document and maintain processes for new ways of working with customer and stakeholders

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
Essential Criteria

Planning, organisation & workload management
Able to help plan and schedule activities, keeping records up to date.
Good prioritisation skills and able to manage a busy inbox and competing tasks.
Able to organise online meetings/training sessions (sending invites, joining calls, taking notes and sharing actions).

Communication, customer service & stakeholder engagement
Excellent written and verbal communication skills (email, phone and MS Teams).
Have confidence to facilitate live training, either face to face or via MS Teams
Good stakeholder management & relationship building (working effectively with schools, associates, Sales, and internal teams).
Good customer service skills when responding to queries from schools, internal stakeholders and associates.

Administration, accuracy & reporting
Strong administration skills, including accurate data entry and document handling.
Good attention to detail to ensure records, allocations and communications are accurate.
Able to support basic financial administration (e.g., checking information, processing fees/expenses) and produce simple reports when needed.

Problem-solving, risk awareness & continuous improvement
Able to follow agreed processes and policies (including regulatory requirements) and look for opportunities to improve existing processes
Able to spot issues early (e.g., missing information, scheduling clashes, data and budget discrepancies) and raise them with the right person so they can be resolved.

Confidentiality, compliance & professionalism
Able to handle confidential information appropriately and follow information security procedures.

Digital capability & systems Confident using IT systems and able to learn new tools with support.
Use (or learn to use) systems such as:Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Office suite
ITrent
Events management systems