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. Head of Operations (Materials & Logistics) Permanent Located in Milton Keynes £83,578 - £93,714 Closing date - 22nd November Be a part of the organisation that has a huge impact on education and has a positive impact on every learner. As a Head of Operations for AQA, you will have visionary leadership of the Materials & Logistics department. You will also be a key voice and contributor to the Operations Senior Leadership team. In this role you will be accountable for all aspects of the Materials & Logistics functions, including being the senior Operations presence when required in our Milton Keynes office; setting the direction, then holding accountable the Materials & Logistics teams to ensure the timely, efficient, and quality execution of all processes required for AQA to deliver exemplary levels of service. What's in it for you? You'll work on a hybrid working model which works for you and the team alike, with the ability to pay up to 7% into your pension and employer contributions up to 11.5%, 25 days annual leave with Christmas on top rising with service, alongside a host of other wellbeing benefits including the Headspace App, Life assurance, PMI and Access to a Health Cash plan as well as a Cycle to Work schemes. What you’ll be doing. People management Manage the teams in your directorate, including resource and capacity planning Uphold the values and behaviours agreed to deliver operational excellence within an interdependent culture. Financial Management - Be responsible for the overall control of the operational costs of the departments Risk Management - Participate in the identification, assessment, planning and management of threats and opportunities as appropriate Asset management – ensure that AQA provided tools, materials, systems, software are used in line with company policies and procedures. Stakeholder Management - Ensure all stakeholders are advised of all relevant matters in a timely way. Ensure all reports are sufficiently comprehensive and presented on time. Plan and support the delivery of timely, accurate and secure examination services, achieving quality targets and continuously improving customer confidence in AQA. Coach and develop the Operations team, to ensure they have the capability, confidence, and team ethos to successfully deliver examination and related services and broader Operations accountabilities. What you’ll need to succeed. Progressive leadership experience with ideally with a logistics background Have a strategic mindset with experience defining operational strategies Extensive experience working with multiple diverse stakeholders, often with competing priorities Data-driven with expertise in analysing complex information but also able to deal with ambiguous issues and present both in an easily understood way to a wide audience Experience of leading, influencing and coaching in a matrix style approach to fully support the delivery of operational processes and deliverables Experienced leader who coach and mentor their team to develop their skills and capabilities and inspire excellence Attention to detail with an understanding of industry standards and regulations and the ability to ensure these are upheld whilst driving and delivering transformational change What next? This is your call to action Please upload your most recent CV with a cover letter detailing your skills and experience for this role. You could wait until applications close on 22nd November at 23:59 on apply, but we will be interviewing as applications come in and reserve the right to close the advert early should we find the right person so apply today. Every application will receive a response. Every application will receive a written response CRE23 Recruitment Agencies We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place. Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees. Full Job Description Summary Visionary leadership of the Materials & Logistics department. A key voice and contributor to the Operations Senior Leadership team and the Extended COO Leadership group. Accountable for all aspects of the Materials & Logistics functions, including being the senior Operations presence when required in Milton Keynes. Setting the direction, then holding accountable the Materials & Logistics teams to ensure the timely, efficient, and quality execution of all processes required for AQA to deliver exemplary levels of service across core GCSE and A-Level, but also across wider external customers. Accountable for all aspects of the internal print functions, setting direction, then holding the team accountable to ensure timely, cost-effective delivery of all print related processes. Role model ‘Being AQA’ and build a strong people centred operation, creating an environment where permanent staff, along with the extensive seasonal temporary staff feel safe and valued. Support and advocate for AQA diversification, building stakeholder relationships with internal and external partners, to facilitate growth beyond core GCSE and A-Level. To deliver accurate and secure results and solutions for logistics, examination processing and electronic marking; driving delivery through effective governance and management of risks and issues. To lead the team across multiple customer relationships.Landscape: Reporting to the Director of Operations, the Head of Operations: Materials & Logistics ensures that we securely dispatch c.12 million scripts to centres, digitally capture all appropriate examination content to ensure we can effectively mark all entries. As the strategic head of the function, they will exercise control over resources and budget to ensure 0 defects occur across the c.12 million scripts and c.3.6 million entries across our key series. They will champion continuous improvement and production planning to drive the most efficient use of resources to deliver the Materials & Logistics functions. Using their significant experience in logistics, they will be a key senior leader, influencing across AQA. Activities: People management Manage the teams in your directorate, including resource and capacity planning, recruitment, 1-1s, objective setting, oversight of professional development and appraisals. Uphold the values and behaviours agreed to deliver operational excellence within an interdependent culture. Financial Management - Be responsible for the overall control of the operational costs of the departments within your directorate, including the preparation, submission and monitoring of operational budgets that meet prevailing objectives and constraints. Work within the parameters of the delegation of authorities as agreed ensuring probity in all matters financial. Risk Management - Participate in the identification, assessment, planning and management of threats and opportunities as appropriate. Hold risk review meetings with all department heads at least monthly, ensuring all risks are accurately represented, actioned, and escalated as required. Asset management – ensure that AQA provided tools, materials, systems, software are used in line with company policies and procedures. Standards, Health and Safety and Quality - Uphold all responsibilities related to the maintenance of the company’s policies, procedures and quality standards including ISO27001, ISO9001 and ISO22301. Ensure all opportunities for improvement and non-conformances are addressed within the agreed timeframes. Business continuity and incident management roles (Gold/Silver/Bronze) – Participate in identification, assessment, planning, testing and implementation of incident management processes to support recovery of key business processes in the event of a disruption to our normal operations. Information Security – take an active part in the preservation of confidentiality, availability and with specific activities where applicable. Health and Safety – ensure all departments have appropriate monitoring and reporting in place to provide for the health and safety of all staff and visitors in your directorate. Stakeholder Management - Ensure all stakeholders are advised of all relevant matters in a timely way. Ensure all reports are sufficiently comprehensive and presented on time. It is your responsibility to ensure that your own professional knowledge and job skills are fully up-to date at all times. These responsibilities are not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. There may be other duties and requirements associated with the post which the company may reasonably require you to perform from time to time. Plan and support the delivery of timely, accurate and secure examination services, achieving quality targets and continuously improving customer confidence in AQA. Deliver exceptional customer service across all aspects of operational delivery, achieving internal and external SLAs and performance metrics. Coach and develop the Operations team, to ensure they have the capability, confidence, and team ethos to successfully deliver examination and related services and broader Operations accountabilities. Build collaborative relationships across all key internal and external stakeholders, driving engagement and support across strategic and operational delivery plans. Manage third party suppliers, ensuring appropriate targets and governance are in place to successfully deliver to customer, business, and regulatory requirements. Establish a clear overview of strategic, transformation and operational risks, identifying and driving appropriate mitigating actions to support the delivery of the strategy. Lead the team in successfully delivering all the operations elements of the technology strategy, both in-house and with third party suppliers, meeting all quality and time milestones and resolving obstacles and issues in-flight. Meet all relevant statutory requirements for compliance and maintenance of relevant standards. Ensure appropriate Business Continuity Plans are identified and maintained for all departments and deliveries To be successful in this role, you will need to know: Clear evidence of progressive leadership experience with ideally with a strong logistics background Have a strategic mindset with experience defining operational strategies Extensive experience working with multiple diverse stakeholders, often with competing priorities Data-driven with expertise in analysing complex information but also able to deal with ambiguous issues and present both in an easily understood way to a wide audience Experience of leading, influencing and coaching in a matrix style approach to fully support the delivery of operational processes and deliverables Strong experienced leader who coach and mentor their team to develop their skills and capabilities and inspire excellence Strong attention to detail with an understanding of industry standards and regulations and the ability to ensure these are upheld whilst driving and delivering transformational change Excellent communication skills and the ability to track and report the progress and delivery of key targets and objectives to a variety of stakeholders. Experience of driving cultural change with energy, passion, and enthusiasm to inspire others to continually improve every day Demonstrate the ability to lead and drive multiple projects forward with clear measurable tracked outcomes that are evidenced