Job Description:

Quality Manager

Job Purpose

The Quality Manager is responsible for the operational leadership, implementation, and enhancement of the College’s academic quality assurance frameworks.

Reporting to the Director of Academic Quality within the Academic Quality Funnel, the postholder safeguards academic standards and drives continuous educational improvement across all programmes and campus locations.

The postholder leads and coordinates academic quality monitoring, curriculum moderation sampling, student voice systems, and institutional survey cycles. They work collaboratively with Course Directors, Module Leaders, and academic teams to evaluate performance, enhance the student learning journey, and ensure adherence to awarding body regulations and sector quality standards (including Office for Students Conditions B1–B5 and QAA frameworks).

Key Responsibilities

1. Academic Quality Frameworks & Assurance Cycles

• Lead the implementation, annual review, and continuous enhancement of academic quality assurance frameworks and schedules.
• Oversee the annual quality cycle across all campuses, including Course Performance Plans (CPPs) and Course Self-Evaluation Forms (CSEFs).
• Coordinate institutional preparation and evidence collation for partner university Self-Assessment Reports (SARs) (CCCU, UoW, AUB, HSU) and external academic quality reviews.
• Maintain alignment with external benchmarks, including the QAA Quality Code and OfS Conditions of Registration B1–B5.

2. Student Voice, Surveys & Continuous Enhancement

• Oversee institutional student feedback mechanisms, directing the deployment of Induction, Mid-Semester, End-of-Semester, and NSS survey campaigns across all campuses.
• Enforce institutional engagement standards, targeting a minimum 75% response rate and 95% student satisfaction benchmark.
• Oversee the institutional "You Said, We Did" action tracker, ensuring findings from Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) and surveys lead to documented enhancements.
• Partner with the Data Quality and Compliance Officer to automate survey analytics, reporting dashboards, and student support referral triggers.

3. Academic Audit, Moderation & Standards Sampling

• Design and execute arm's-length, risk-based sampling of student assessment marking, internal moderation, and standardization logs across all modules.
• Sample a minimum 10% quota of marked scripts and PFF assessment outcomes to verify markers provide consistent, evidence-based commentary and rigorous SPaG evaluation.
• Collate, analyze, and track recommendations from External Examiner reports, ensuring action items are embedded into teaching delivery.
• Maintain arm’s-length quality oversight of the academic PFF Department, verifying assessment rubrics and rationale consistency.

4. Retention, Continuation & Educational Attainment (OfS Condition B3)

• Provide operational leadership to the Retention Working Group, monitoring longitudinal student retention, continuation, and progression data.
• Monitor attainment differentials across demographic cohorts (e.g., IMD quintiles, POLAR4, mature learners, disabled students) in collaboration with the Data QA team.
• Review and challenge Course Performance Plans (CPPs) where completion or retention indicators fall below target thresholds.

5. Academic Governance & Policy Management

• Oversee the Central Policy Register lifecycle, coordinating annual review schedules, formatting standardized coversheets, and managing approvals through the Academic Board and Quality & Standards Committee (QSC).
• Act as operational lead for the Student Surveys & Student Voice Working Group and forums that enable policy maintainence.
• Attend relevant committees, and also ensure that committee actions are recorded and closed
• Track and audit academic committee action logs to eliminate open items and ensure audit readiness.

6. Team Leadership & Resource Coordination

• Line manage, mentor, and develop the Quality Team with the Director of Academic Quality and other senior posts.
• Oversee team workload distribution, ensuring service standards are met across all campus hubs.
• Evaluate team performance through the Competency Assurance Programme (CAP Band 2–3) and annual PDP cycles.

Person Specification

• Honours degree or equivalent professional experience in academic quality, educational governance, or higher education management.

• Proven track record managing academic quality assurance, audit sampling, or curriculum enhancement within UK Higher Education.

• Experience coordinating validation, partner reviews, or SAR reporting with university partners.

• Experience line managing, mentoring, or directing academic support personnel.

• Proven experience administering and analyzing large-scale student voice and survey mechanisms.

• In-depth understanding of UK HE regulatory standards, including the QAA Quality Code and OfS Conditions B1–B5.

• Strong knowledge of student feedback cycles, course performance planning, and assessment moderation principles.

• Sound understanding of higher education student outcome metrics (continuation, completion, attainment).

• Strong analytical, reporting, and evaluative writing skills.

• High-level stakeholder management and consensus-building capabilities across academic departments.

• Assertive commitment to academic integrity and evidenced-based standards.

• Collaborative, supportive, and improvement-oriented leadership style.