Qualifications Manager

Educ8 Training; Caerphilly; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading training organization in Caerphilly seeks a Qualifications Manager to oversee the full lifecycle of qualifications delivery. The role includes managing compliance with awarding bodies and ensuring quality assurance processes. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in further education and a strong understanding of regulatory requirements. The organization offers a supportive work environment and excellent employee benefits.

Benefits

30 days annual leave plus additional time after 2 years

Mileage allowance of 45p per mile

Flexible/home working options

Employee Assistance Programme

Monthly team activities

Qualifications

• Significant experience managing qualification compliance and quality assurance in further education.
• Strong understanding of Welsh Government and Qualifications Wales requirements.
• Proven experience leading qualification operations and managing teams.
• Eligible to obtain a full UK Driving Licence with Business Cover Insurance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all qualification delivery operations.
• Ensure compliance with awarding organisation standards.
• Manage qualifications-related budgets and ensure alignment with strategic goals.
• Engage with stakeholders including Welsh Government and relevant professional bodies.

Skills

Management of qualification compliance

Knowledge of regulatory requirements

Analytical skills

Budget management

Effective communication

Education

Teaching qualification

TAQA Level 4 or equivalent

Tools

Maytas

Power PI

Microsoft Office (Excel)

Job description

The Qualifications Manager will lead and hold operational accountability for the full lifecycle of qualifications delivery within Educ8 Training Ltd and Aspire 2Be. This includes scoping, procuring, implementing, monitoring, and assuring the quality and compliance of all regulated qualifications.

The post-holder acts as Centre Manager for all Awarding Organisations (AOs), leads AO engagement, ensures qualification alignment with Welsh Government / Medr and Qualifications Wales requirements, and maintains rigorous internal and external quality assurance processes. The role also leads and manages Invigilation team and External IQA activity, ensuring robust verification, compliance, value for money, and operational impact.

About the Role

Key Responsibilities / Accountabilities

Qualifications

Centre and AO Management

• Act as Centre Manager and named point of contact for all Awarding Organisations (AO’s).
• Oversee AO quality portals, notifications, updates, registrations, and certification requirements.
• Ensure full compliance with Awarding Organisation, Qualifications Wales, JCQ and Welsh Government standards.
• Lead and maintain full independent registration, delivery approval and certification status.

Qualification Strategy, Planning & Development

• Ensure all qualifications delivered are strategically aligned, current, fit for purpose, and meet regional and national priorities.
• Conduct qualification research, horizon scanning and emerging qualification development (including digital, AI, and sectoral innovations).
• Provide qualification intelligence and data to inform contract management, delivery models, compliance decisions and growth strategies.
• Manage qualification budgets, registration costs, value-for-money models and AO growth agreements.
• Support the development of the school's qualification strategy and design, ensuring alignment with VCSE requirements and supporting the strategic intent, progression routes and curriculum priorities.

Registration, Certification & Data Management

• Oversee learner registrations, monitoring, budget spend, certification timelines and data accuracy.
• Ensure registration processes support compliance, revenue recovery, and meet agreed service levels.
• Lead operational activity for qualification claims, compliance controls and attainment.

Policies, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all qualification policies, procedures, assessment models and internal controls are current, compliant and consistently applied.
• Monitor emerging regulatory requirements and act proactively to mitigate risk.
• Ensure assessment practices meet high standards of rigour, validity and reliability.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent the organisation with AOs, Qualifications Wales, Welsh Government, Regional Skills Partnerships, and relevant professional bodies.
• Lead qualification-focused research and change programmes including supporting new qualification design.

External QA Oversight

Leadership & Management

• Manage External QA relationships, scheduling, sampling strategies and structured responses to reports.
• Track IQA performance, sampling, TC ratings (risk bandings), learner outcomes and improvement actions.
• Monitor and evidence compliance through internal audits, moderation and standardisation.
• Coordinate responses to EQA visits, outcomes, action plans, sanctions, and reporting.
• Manage budgets relating to invigilation staffing, External QA fees, AO costs and associated expenditure.
• Ensure effective, efficient, and financially sound operation of all qualification assurance processes.

Invigilation

• Line manage, develop and performance manage the invigilation team
• Ensure all tested activities are compliant with Awarding Organisation, JCQ and internal regulations.
• Oversee off-site selection, safety compliance and budget monitoring.
• Oversee remote invigilation up-take, compliance and budget monitoring.
• Conduct sampling, audit checks and collaborative monitoring with Audit and Compliance.
• Report on all testing data by sector including attendance and attainment.

General

Work closely and collaboratively with the Quality Manager responsible for Internal Quality Assurance, ensuring alignment of IQA practice, sampling strategies, operational priorities, quality metrics, and continuous improvement activity.

Provide monthly reporting to Strategic and Operational Boards on qualification risk, compliance, outcomes and improvement.

Support sector reviews, sharing best practice and driving continuous improvement.

Ensure all policies, procedures and work practices are current, quality assured and adhered to.

Essential Criteria

Significant experience managing qualification compliance and quality assurance in FE / WBL

Strong understanding of Welsh Government, Medr, Estyn and Qualifications Wales requirements

Significant experience and knowledge of Awarding Organisation regulations, assessment strategies and quality models

Proven experience of leading qualification operations, IQA teams and invigilation processes

Highly organised, analytical, able to operate and improve quality management systems

Full UK Driving Licence with Business Cover Insurance (A copy of your insurance will be requested upon offer) willing to travel across South Wales

Desirable Criteria

Welsh Speaker

Experience of qualification design and mapping

Previous experience as Head of Centre

TAQA Level 4 or equivalent

Teaching qualification

Key Technologies

Proficient use of Maytas, power PI and Awarding Organisation platforms

Confident in all Microsoft Office applications, with particular Excel competency

Smart Assessor and e-portfolio systems

For further information on this job role, please contact us on 01443 749000

Safeguarding

Educ8 Group is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and expect all employees to share this commitment. All successful applicants will be required to undertake a satisfactory DBS check, this may be a Standard or an Enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check, in line with their job role. Educ8 uphold the Armed Forces Covenant and are committed to supporting the armed forces community through their recruitment process.

Why work for us?

Educ8 Training Group are a Values driven organisation creating a Gr8 Culture resulting in being the #1 Best Education and Training Company to work for in the UK and #2 Best Large Company to work for in the UK 2025. If you'd like to work with Gr8 people who are passionate about training and education then we'd love to hear from you. We offer excellent benefits, a values driven ethos but most of all a Gr8 place to work.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Benefits

Annual Leave package : 30 days annual leave which includes Christmas shutdown and day off for Birthday.

Additional holiday accrued after 2 years’ service starting from 1 day per year up to a maximum of 5 days.

45p per mile mileage allowance.

Early finish on a Friday ‘Rejuven8’ time.

Employee Assistance Programme offering counselling support and advice from day 1 of employment.

Employee Mental Health First Aider.

Flexible / home working encouraged.

Excellent wellbeing support and monthly group activities.

Educ8 reserves the right to bring forward the closing date should we receive a sufficient number of applications for this role.

Should you not hear from us 4 weeks after application, unfortunately you have been unsuccessful.