Software Delivery Manager

AQA Education; Manchester; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK education firm seeks a Software Delivery Lead to oversee change in software products within its Assessment Technology portfolio. This role involves leading delivery teams, managing risks, and ensuring continuous improvement in a regulated environment. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong experience in software delivery within agile frameworks, showcase excellent leadership under time pressure, and have a passion for delivering innovative solutions. Benefits include flexible working arrangements, a contributory pension scheme, and extensive professional development opportunities.

Benefits

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30

Flexible working arrangements

Contributory pension scheme

Life assurance and health benefits

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Access to development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong experience in software delivery within agile and scaled agile environments.
• Ability to lead teams through complex, time-sensitive challenges.
• Excellent experience in delivering high-quality software in regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery teams to develop software products and drive agile practices.
• Manage risks and drive continuous improvement across delivery processes.
• Deliver software in accordance with relevant standards and regulations.

Skills

Software delivery in agile environments

Technical knowledge across software technologies

Leadership through complex challenges

Experience in regulated environments

Continuous improvement mindset

Structured problem-solving

Innovative solution implementation

Job description

You’ll lead the delivery of change for software products within AQA’s Assessment Technology portfolio. Your work will ensure our systems remain reliable, innovative, and aligned with our mission to deliver world‑class assessments. Working with internal teams and trusted suppliers, you’ll make sure change is delivered on time, to a high standard, and with continuous improvement at the heart of how you work.

Responsibilities

• Leading delivery teams to develop and support strategically aligned software products, driving agile and lean practices.
• Facilitating PI planning and Scrum of Scrums to ensure alignment and optimise workflow.
• Managing risks, escalating impediments, and driving continuous improvement across delivery processes.
• Delivering software in accordance with relevant standards such as ISO9001 / ISO27001, regulatory requirements and AQA policies.
• Providing progress and performance reporting against agreed targets for all delivery areas to the HoSD – EP&I and other relevant stakeholders.
• Working with other members of the leadership team to develop consistent processes and standards between teams.
• Driving PI execution, managing performance, tracking and communicating progress, optimising the flow of work to maximise value to the organisation, and escalating impediments, managing risk, and driving delivery improvement.
• Agreeing scope and frequency of releases.
• Managing 3rd‑party delivery contracts where required.
• Financial management – preparing business cases for ongoing product resourcing and change activities.
• Risk management – participating in the identification, assessment, planning and management of threats and opportunities.
• Business continuity and incident management – participating in the identification, assessment, planning, testing and implementation of incident management processes to support recovery of key business processes.
• Information security – ensuring confidentiality, availability and integrity of information assets.
• Continuous professional development – ensuring own ongoing professional development to meet organisational needs.

The role may also require hands‑on leadership during critical issues throughout the summer exams series on occasion.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in software delivery within agile and scaled agile environments.
• Technical knowledge to assess and innovate across diverse software technologies.
• Ability to lead teams through complex, time‑sensitive challenges.
• Experience delivering in high‑stakes, regulated environments.
• A passion for continuous improvement and innovative problem‑solving.
• Excellent experience of software delivery in a variety of agile/lean and scaled agile delivery structures, with an outcome‑focussed approach.
• Demonstrable technical knowledge to create, drive, innovate and assess technical solutions across a wide range of software technologies, processes and platforms.
• Structured thinking approach, able to lead groups of people to break down and resolve complex and ambiguous problems in time‑pressured environments.
• Significant experience delivering in high‑stakes and regulated environments.
• High level of curiosity, with a genuine passion for finding and implementing innovative solutions for business problems through technology.
• Passion for continuous improvement in practice, to increase delivery quality, reliability and dependability.

About AQA

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and 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.

You play a key role in shaping the future of AQA’s assessment technology. This is your chance to lead impactful software delivery that supports millions of learners every year. You will join the assessment technology group in Manchester, which manages the systems that deliver over 3 million GCSE and A‑level results each year, overseeing software that supports the full lifecycle of exams, from entries through to post‑results services.

Benefits

• 25 days’ annual leave, rising to 30 with service, plus bank holidays and extra closure days at Christmas.
• 35‑hour working week with flexible working arrangements.
• Excellent contributory pension scheme (6‑11.5% depending on your contribution).
• Life assurance, BUPA PMI, and health cash plan.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity schemes.
• Access to professional and personal development whenever you need it.