Description
Summary
The purpose of this role is to own, actively manage and evolve AQA’s strategic 3rd party technology partner relationships, such as Avanade, to ensure AQA can cost-effectively deliver and optimise its use of assessment and education technologies to meet current and future business needs.
The role will maintain an enterprise-wide, cross-workstream view of key assessment technology supplier delivery so that, at any time, AQA can determine the progress, quality and value for money of supplier delivery against agreed standards and industry benchmarks, and ensure AQA continues to achieve value for money in our technology investments. Landscape:
As AQA seeks to enhance and diversify its portfolio of assessment technology products and services to customers, there are increasing demands to develop and implement a broad and complex portfolio of interconnected projects and technology solutions. These are delivered through a combination of in-house and 3rd party suppliers, which require careful management.
This role will provide oversight across Assessment Technology and Enterprise Technology business areas of the overall delivery and value from money from strategic 3rd party relationships.
As our delivery of assessment technology software and enhancements is dependent on 3rd parties, active management of our partner relationships and their performance outcomes is critical for success. This role is also the key interface to the senior internal business stakeholders for this service, so has to clearly understand the strategic and day-to-day needs of the organisation and translate them into agreed service expectations for operational use and change delivery.
Reporting: This is a standalone role that reports to the Director of Assessment Technology, with a dotted line to the Director of Enterprise Technology. The role holder will be a member of the Assessment Technology leadership team.
Key internal relationships
Director of Assessment Technology
Head of Software and respective Heads of Software Delivery
Product leads, including Head of Product (S&M, EP&I), Head of Grademaker Global Delivery
Other members of Assessment Technology leadership team
AQA Director of Programme management and business change hubs,
Customer and Product, including Director of Education Technology
Finance
Procurement, including Technology Category Manager
Key external relationships
Third party technology delivery partners
Third-party data and educational technology providers.
Other companies in the AQA Group, including AQA Assessment Services Ltd
Activities:
Proactive management of all 3rd party strategic technology suppliers, ensuring delivery of services to required level of quality and achievement of all KPIs
Oversight of strategic supplier service delivery against roadmap and technology service levels, to ensure quality and value for money on behalf of both Assessment technology, and Enterprise Technology functions
Define operational performance standards and monitor and report on the performance and quality of service provision to internal stakeholders, proactively managing identified issues and risks to delivery performance
Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction are delivered through effective and customer-focused IT services
Active stakeholder management to collaboratively engage and also challenge stakeholders/ suppliers of all levels, both internal and 3rd party
Act as escalation point for issues, including any major incidents
Provision of regular strategic supplier reporting to the Strategic Technology Supplier Management group
In liaison with Procurement, input to sourcing activities, RFI / RFP projects, contracts, supplier agreements and Technology Category planning to deliver AQA with products and services to agreed timescales, quality and standards.
Managing supplier accounts effectively ensuring that objectives are delivered and inform the budget process, whilst enabling effective review of return on investment.
Developing and maintaining collaborative working practices that feed into other corporate areas that create secure operations, competitive advantage and financial contribution levels.
Act as the AQA overall supplier manager for key Assessment Technology providers
Managing supplier accounts effectively ensuring that objectives are delivered and inform the budget process, whilst enabling effective review of return on investment.
As a member of the Assessment Technology leadership team, contribute to the development of Assessment and Education Technology strategy and roadmap in order to enhance AQA’s customer proposition and market share, and form part of AQA’s commercial offering to third-party organisations
Need to know (Knowledge and skills to be successful in this role)
Knowledge of AQA suite of products, customer and market influences, and the environment in which AQA operates
Previous experience of supplier relationship management and working with 3rd party delivery partners to ensure optimal outcomes
Strong understanding of technology supplier management including commercial agreements, financial budgeting and commercial due diligence
Excellent communication skills, able to challenge, negotiate with and influence stakeholders at all levels to achieve desired outcomes
Able to resolve issues proactively and pragmatically through cross organisational working
Business case management
Experience of technology supplier and account management
Contract management, oversight and reporting