Job Title:                         QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & ASSURANCE PRACTITIONER

Location:                        North East 

Reports to:                    Senior Quality and Operations Manager  

Salary:                             Band 3 (£26k-£35k)

Job Purpose

The Quality Improvement & Assurance Officer will play a key role in assuring and improving the quality of education, training and assessment across Optimum Skills.

Working as part of the Quality & Practice Enhancement function, you will undertake robust internal quality assurance activity while helping tutors, assessors and operational teams translate quality findings into improved practice.

The role has a strong IQA and assessment assurance focus, including sampling, standardisation, moderation, EQA readiness and action management.

However, this is broader than a traditional IQA role.

You will also contribute to the organisation’s OPTIMISE Quality & Improvement Framework, supporting teaching, learning and assessment improvement, quality reviews, coaching, audits, deep dives and the evaluation of impact.

You will be comfortable both assuring standards and developing people.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Internal Quality Assurance

Plan and undertake timely, risk-based IQA sampling across allocated qualifications and programmes.

Assure that assessment decisions and learner evidence are:

Valid • Authentic • Reliable • Current • Sufficient — VARCS

Evaluate the quality and consistency of:

• assessment decisions
• learner evidence
• assessor feedback
• assessment methods
• assessment records
• assessment planning
• application of awarding organisation requirements.

Provide clear, constructive and developmental feedback to tutors and assessors.

Monitor IQA actions through to completion and undertake follow-up sampling where required.

Identify recurring themes, risks and examples of strong practice from IQA activity.

2. Sampling, Standardisation & Moderation

Support the development and implementation of annual risk-based sampling plans.

Ensure sampling reflects factors including:

• qualification risk
• learner risk
• assessor experience
• new qualifications
• previous IQA findings
• EQA feedback
• awarding organisation requirements.

Facilitate and contribute to meaningful standardisation activity.

Support moderation activity where consistency of assessment decisions requires additional assurance.

Ensure agreed standards and actions are subsequently evidenced in practice.

3. EQA & Awarding Organisation Assurance

Support organisational readiness for External Quality Assurance activity.

Maintain clear oversight of allocated:

• awarding organisation requirements
• EQA actions
• qualification risks
• sampling requirements
• evidence requirements.

Support teams in preparing evidence for EQA activity.

Contribute to EQA visits and reviews where required.

Ensure EQA actions are translated into clear improvement activity and monitored through to evidenced closure.

Share learning from EQA findings across relevant teams and programmes.

4. OPTIMISE Quality Assurance

Support implementation of the OPTIMISE Quality & Improvement Framework across the organisation.

Contribute to the annual quality cycle:

IGNITE → EMBED → ELEVATE → EVOLVE

Undertake planned quality activity including:

• programme and curriculum audits
• quality reviews
• learner journey sampling
• deep dives
• compliance and process checks
• learner voice
• assessment quality reviews
• thematic reviews.

Triangulate evidence rather than relying on individual quality measures in isolation.

Help teams move from:

Track → Interpret → Predict → Act → Evaluate

5. Teaching, Learning & Assessment Improvement

Contribute to the organisation’s developmental TLA approach.

Support activity including:

• TLA walks
• OTLA activity
• tutor development
• targeted quality reviews
• professional discussions
• sharing of effective practice.

Provide constructive challenge while maintaining a supportive, developmental approach.

Recognise strong and exceptional practice and help colleagues share this across the organisation.

6. Coaching & Practice Development

Provide targeted coaching and support following IQA, TLA, audit or other quality findings.

Help colleagues understand why improvement is required rather than simply telling them what needs to change.

Support tutors and assessors to develop practical improvement actions.

Revisit actions to determine whether support has resulted in sustained improvement.

Contribute to OPTIMISE CPD, workshops, standardisation and professional-development activity.

7. Quality Intelligence & Improvement

Analyse themes arising from quality activity rather than simply reporting completion.

Contribute to monthly Quality & Improvement reporting.

Identify:

Strengths • Risks • Emerging themes • Improvement priorities • Evidence of impact

Support departmental and organisational QIP activity.

Provide evidence and evaluative commentary to support self-assessment.

Contribute to annual SAR activity and quality improvement planning.

Escalate significant quality, assessment, compliance or learner risks appropriately.

8. Learner Experience & Inclusion

Ensure quality activity considers the learner experience, not simply documentation and process.

Sample learner voice where appropriate to test the impact of delivery, assessment and support.

Consider inclusion and reasonable adjustments when reviewing teaching and assessment practice.

Evaluate whether identified learner needs and agreed support strategies are being translated into practice.

Promote ambitious expectations for all learners.

What Success Looks Like

The successful postholder will contribute to:

• timely completion of planned IQA activity
• secure and consistent assessment decisions
• strong application of VARCS
• timely closure of IQA and EQA actions
• effective standardisation
• improved tutor and assessor practice
• reduced recurrence of quality issues
• increased sharing of strong practice
• improved organisational readiness for external scrutiny
• stronger evidence of quality impact within SAR and QIP
• a culture in which quality is developmental, evidence-led and owned across the organisation.

Person Specification

Essential

You will have:

• recognised IQA qualification, such as Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice or equivalent
• experience undertaking internal quality assurance within education, skills, apprenticeships or vocational training
• sound understanding of assessment principles and VARCS
• experience of sampling learner work and assessment decisions
• experience providing constructive feedback to tutors/assessors
• understanding of standardisation and moderation
• strong written and verbal communication skills
• ability to analyse evidence and identify themes rather than simply report findings
• strong organisational skills and ability to manage planned quality activity
• confidence in constructively challenging practice
• ability to work collaboratively with tutors, managers and operational colleagues
• commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and equality of opportunity.

Desirable

It would be advantageous to have:

• experience supporting EQA activity
• experience working with awarding organisations
• experience within apprenticeships and/or adult skills provision
• experience of quality improvement planning
• experience of OTLA/TLA activity
• experience of coaching tutors or assessors
• understanding of Ofsted inspection and self-assessment
• experience using learner management systems such as BUD
• experience contributing to SAR/QIP processes.
• Background with ASF/employability, Functional skills delivery

The Person We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is:

Analytical — able to identify what evidence is really telling us.

Developmental — able to turn quality findings into useful professional learning.

Curious — prepared to ask why, explore themes and look beyond surface-level compliance.

Credible — confident discussing assessment and quality with experienced practitioners.

Constructively challenging — willing to address weak or inconsistent practice while maintaining positive professional relationships.

Organised — able to manage sampling, actions, evidence and deadlines effectively.

Impact-focused — interested not only in whether an action happened, but whether it made a difference.

Our Values

The postholder will demonstrate Optimum Skills’ values in their everyday practice:

Be Optimistic — see the potential for improvement.

Be Compassionate — challenge with respect and understanding.

Be United — work collaboratively across departments.

Be Fearless — raise concerns and challenge where standards are not secure.

Be Agile — respond intelligently to evidence and emerging priorities.

Be Ready — maintain high standards of assurance and external readiness.

Although we work at a fast pace, with daily challenges – we have a superb team ethos, and a lot of fun along the way – so if you fancy a new challenge, come join us!