Medical Research jobs in Manchester

Assessment Design & Inclusion Lead
Permanent
Guildford: £55,000 - £61,400

Manchester: £52,800 - £59,000
Hybrid Working - min 2 days per week in office each week

Shape inclusive assessments that give every learner the opportunity to succeed.

At AQA, assessment matters because it shapes futures. As our Assessment Design & Inclusion Lead, you'll play a key role in ensuring our assessments are fair, accessible and inclusive by design.

You'll use your expertise to influence qualification reform, assessment development and organisational practice, helping ensure hundreds of thousands of learners can demonstrate what they know and can do without unnecessary barriers.

This is an opportunity to lead meaningful change at a national scale. You'll work with experts across assessment, research, product and qualification development to embed accessibility and inclusion principles into the heart of assessment design whilst helping AQA remain a recognised leader in high-quality assessment.

Purpose of the role

You'll lead initiatives that strengthen the accessibility, fairness and inclusion of AQA's assessments. Working across assessment design and development including digital assessment projects, you'll provide expert guidance that helps remove construct-irrelevant barriers and supports positive outcomes for diverse learner groups.

Building on the insights you gain from establishing a specialist inclusion network, you'll influence stakeholders, champion best practice and drive evidence-based improvements that embed accessibility from the earliest stages of assessment design.

What's in it for you?

This is your chance to make a meaningful impact on the educational experiences of hundreds of thousands of learners. In this role, you will be able to support learners to be fairly assessed and demonstrate what they can do while continuing to develop your expertise in assessment, accessibility and inclusion.

• A 35-hour working week with flexible, hybrid working.
• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 days, plus Christmas closure days.
• A comprehensive benefits package including up to 18.5% combined pension contribution, Private Medical Insurance, healthcare support, wellbeing programmes and volunteering opportunities.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading the development and implementation of inclusive assessment and universal design principles across AQA qualifications and assessments.
• Providing expert advice on accessibility, inclusion and assessment design.
• Analysing assessment evidence to identify and remove barriers for learners.
• Leading improvement projects while ensuring compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements.
• Developing initiatives to build organisational understanding of inclusive assessment.
• Reviewing assessments and engaging with regulators and other stakeholders to ensure fairness, accessibility and quality.

You'll thrive in this role if you have:

• Expertise in accessibility and inclusion within educational assessment.
• Experience as a SENCO, Inclusion Lead, Accessibility Specialist or similar.
• Experience designing, developing or managing assessments and delivering quality improvements.
• Knowledge of assessment practice in England and the wider regulatory environment.
• Experience using data and evidence to drive continuous improvement.
• The confidence to influence stakeholders and champion inclusive assessment practices.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At AQA, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect, has access to opportunities to grow and contribute, and feels able to be themselves. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

What's Next?

To apply, please submit your CV and supporting statement outlining how your experience matches the requirements of the role.

Application deadline: 23:59 on Monday 12 October 2026
Interview process: First stage video interviews in the week of 19 October, final stage face to face interviews in the office in Manchester or Guildford (whichever is closest to you) in the week beginning 2 November.

We welcome applications from teachers who may be subject to a teacher's notice period. If this applies to you, please include details of your notice period and availability in your cover letter.

Successful candidates will be unable to maintain an Associate role with AQA or any other exam board.

Please note, this post is exempt from the ROA 1974 and enhanced DBS checks will be required for the successful candidate.

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