Assessment Director

Location: Cambridge or Coventry/ hybrid

Contract: Permanent

Shape the Future of Assessment

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is a global leader in education, employing more than 6,000 people, around 60% in the UK and 40% internationally. We maximise our impact through careful listening and collaboration to develop innovative products and services that are relevant, exciting and inspiring.

Our offer is exceptional in its depth and breadth. We're focused on meeting the needs of our learners, authors and customers by bringing research, teaching, learning and assessment together. A philosophy of fairness and integrity runs through everything we do, and we are committed to the delivery of our goals through the way we work together, both in teams and as individuals. Our values are Collaboration, Empowerment, Innovation and Responsibility

OCR is one of the leading awarding organisations in the UK, offering a wide range of GCSEs, A levels and vocational qualifications, and we are looking for a future focussed UK Education Assessment Director to lead the UK Assessment strategy that delivers for our learners and customers. 

We are looking for someone who has a passion for education, is innovative, seeks continuous improvement and can shape our future approach to Assessment design and delivery.

Bring your skills and experience to help us grow

Key accountabilities

• Leadership and management: You will lead the Assessment team so that they fulfil their potential in contributing to the development of OCR.
• Assessment strategy & delivery: You will develop and implement an assessment strategy that delivers for our learners and customers and is future focussed, ensuring that all learners are able to demonstrate what they know, understand, and can do. You will oversee all aspects of the assessment process, including marking, moderation and awarding.
• Assessment standards: You will ensure that our assessments are valid, reliable, fair and accessible.
• Stakeholder management: You will be the key point of contact for regulators and other stakeholders on standards and quality; influence qualifications and assessment policy.

About you

You will have an in-depth understanding of the UK education and assessment system, with comparative knowledge of international frameworks. You will be adept in a variety of evaluative techniques and digital operations.

Your familiarity of competitors within the education and assessment industry allows you to know how to have the assessments designed and delivered competitively against other boards. Your leadership skills are evidenced by your ability to motivate teams, develop effective strategy, and deliver commercial objectives.

You'll have a thorough knowledge of assessment principles, experience in influencing qualifications and assessment policy and will represent OCR on assessment matters at Regulatory and other stakeholder meetings. 

You will be educated to a degree level (or equivalent experience) and can demonstrate a wealth of leadership experience.

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 are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 40-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability.

Please apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to retained consultants Signium UK, at clive.sugars@signium.co.uk

The closing date for applications is Friday 21 June 2024

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's 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's 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.