Head of Quality Assurance

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Head of Quality Assurance

Application Deadline: 22 September 2024

Department: Quality

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Middleton

Compensation: £57,305 / year

Description

Hopwood Hall College are seeking to appoint a Head of Quality Assurance. This pivotal role involves overseeing the quality of curriculum and quality assurance solutions across the college. The successful candidate will develop and implement strategies, encourage new ideas and create a culture for positive change across the college.

As Head of Quality Assurance, you'll be key in realising our ambition to be amazing in all that we do. Working closely with the Vice Principal Quality, Higher Education and Student Experience, you'll work across college to continue the improvement of the quality of our offer. Using your extensive knowledge, you will monitor, analyse, and report on performance and progress as well as identifying areas for development for support. You will lead a team who create a dynamic, supportive and innovative environment that drives high standards and performance.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in defining our QA strategy, implementing best practices, and maintaining quality standards across the college. You will have a strong leadership background, be an excellent communicator with positive influencing skills and a track record in leading quality initiatives to drive performance improvement. You will work well under pressure, motivate teams, be self-motivated, proactive, and assertive.

If you are passionate about quality and driving excellence, we encourage you to apply for this role!

Any questions should be directed to Liz Duncan, Vice Principal Quality, HE & Student Experience - Liz.duncan@hopwood.ac.uk , 0161 655 6909

Closing date: Sunday 22nd September 2024

Shortlisting: Monday 23rd September 2024

Interviews: Friday 4th October 2024

Purpose

The post holder will be expected:

• To be a member of the Senior Curriculum Leadership Team; developing, implementing, maintaining and reviewing the quality assurance processes at the college, recommending actions for change and supporting continuous improvement activity.
• To support a culture of continuous improvement by developing and coordinating a quality framework that meets relevant sector requirements and is benchmarked against current sector, professional and industry best practice.
• To lead and be responsible for a rigorous and robust quality assurance and improvement strategies across all areas of provision that delivers continuous improvement in teaching, learning and assessment and delivers improved outcomes.
• To monitor and evaluate standards and performance within the College, recommending actions for change and supporting continuous improvement activity.
• Lead on the implementation of One Grade to facilitate the monitoring of student progress and the use of data reporting to Senior and Curriculum Leaders.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Assurance

• To lead, develop and effectively implement the Colleges strategy for quality improvement and drive identified initiatives to ensure that college targets are met.
• To develop and coordinate the sharing of qualitative and quantitative data to support self-assessment and quality improvement frameworks to ensure Ofsted and other external requirements are met. Reporting to the Vice Principal for course review and self-assessment ensuring Ofsted and other relevant external requirements are met.
• Support the Vice Principal - Quality with the validation and collation of the College Self-Assessment Report (SAR).
• Support the Vice Principal- Quality to effectively monitor progress against the Colleges quality improvement plan, promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Regularly updating the Vice Principal of issues and working together to identify resolutions that drive curriculum improvements.
• To support Programme Managers and Business Support Managers in writing their sections of the SAR and collate information for cross College sections.
• To regularly monitor progress against SAR action plans and contribute to the Support, Challenge and Intervention panels throughout the year.
• To work with external awarding body organisations to ensure compliance and performance, addressing areas for development and/or highlighting best practice.
• Lead and be responsible for robust quality assurance (audits and monitoring) processes.
• To monitor and audit the effectiveness of all courses on Markbook to ensure compliance across the College.
• To support the Assistant Principal Academic and Higher Technical Education to ensure the college meets the compliance and performance requirements of the Open University and other HE partners.
• To monitor key performance indicators, specifically attendance, retention, progress, attainment including the outcomes of exam-based qualifications in respect of all students at the college, using data to gain insights into student performance, ensuring full compliance with all college procedures and systems.

Quality Improvement

• Lead in raising the standards of teaching, learning and assessment across the College.
• To lead and manage the Department Review process, Teaching, Learning & Assessment Reviews and Walkthroughs, reporting key themes and areas for improvement to Senior Leaders, Teaching & Learning Quality Manager, Centre Directors and Programme Managers.
• To conduct a range of quality audits that support identified College priorities such as community learning, subcontracting or off-site adult delivery.
• Support the Vice Principals for fully preparing teams for external inspection in line with Ofsted, Open University and the Office for Students.
• Have a high level of analytical skills to interpret and analyse data and write reports to the Standards Committee.
• Manage and facilitate and evaluate the QDP learner survey.
• To manage and develop a Quality and Performance intranet site on The Hub, Quality Bulletins and other suitable methods of communicating and promoting quality to college staff.
• To support College Managers in obtaining and maintaining accreditation of appropriate quality standards and awards.

Management

• To lead and manage the Teaching and Learning Quality Manager and provide guidance in the management of the Advanced Practitioners in being responsive to the delivery of cross college CPD programmes to support improvements in teaching, learning and assessment.
• To manage the Learning and Development Coordinator to plan, co-ordinate and evaluate the impact of staff development.
• To support the Vice Principal-Quality and work with the Digital Learning Manager leading on and/or delivering a strategic digital strategy.
• To lead by example and be fully compliant with meeting college deadlines, such as appraisals, staff surveys.
• To represent the College at external events and to identify and recommend the adoption of good practice.
• Knowledge of current and possible future developments within the FE sector, particularly the Education Inspection Framework (EIF).
• Keep professionally up to date with teaching, learning and assessment including digital learning and technology developments and the student experience and ensure that all staff within the teams are similarly professionally updated.
• Actively contribute to college management groups including Wider Management and the Senior Curriculum Leadership Team.
• Prepare budgets and control expenditure within agreed limits for all areas and ensure that strategies developed are cost effective and provide good return on investment.
• Any other duties of a similar level of responsibility as may be required.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Qualifications
Essential Criteria
Degree or level 4 qualification.
Educated to GCSE standard which must include English and maths.
Recognised teaching qualification.
Recognised Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) qualification.
How Identified: Application/ Certificate

Desirable Criteria
Experience of working as a Moderator, Senior Verifier or External Quality Assurer (EQA).
Specialist quality assurance qualification or training.
How Identified: Application/ Certificate

Experience
Essential Criteria
Experience of initiating planning, and managing projects and ability to demonstrate the impact you had.
Experience of managing performance management processes / information systems and evaluating MIS data and other quality performance indicators.
Experience of developing and delivering a quality assurance framework across an organisation.
Experience of working within Further Education teaching and learning/quality systems.
Experience of writing Board papers and presenting data sets to Governing Board.
Track record of delivering successful and innovative teaching, learning and assessment practices.
Knowledge and experience of working with curriculum teams in a teaching role or support capacity.
Experience of using data to drive underperforming areas and ability to demonstrate the impact you had.
How Identified: Application/ Interview
Desirable Criteria
Experience of supporting colleagues through an Ofsted Inspection and or Office for Students QAA review
Delivery of staff development to support and improve teaching, learning and assessment.
How Identified: Application/ Interview
Knowledge
Essential Criteria
Excellent working knowledge of Pro Suite. With the ability to use technology to generate information and improve efficiency.
Knowledge of current and possible future developments within the FE sector.

How Identified: Application/ Interview

Skills & Qualities
Essential Criteria
Ability to communicate effectively with many internal & external stakeholders in various formats.
Ability to work independently and on initiative with minimum supervision.
Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining accuracy to meet deadlines.
High level of analytical and reporting skills.
Ability to take responsibility for the promoting and safeguarding the welfare of young people.
How Identified: Application/ Interview