The General Optical Council Hiring for Education Manager Job at London, England Full Time

Job Purpose:

We approve qualifications which lead to registration as an optometrist or dispensing optician and post-registration specialty qualifications for contact lens opticians and therapeutic (independent) prescribing. We’ve recently published new requirements for qualifications we approve in optometry and dispensing optics, and we are currently finalising our changes to our updated requirements for qualifications for contact lens optician and Therapeutic Prescribing.

We are looking for someone with an excellent working knowledge of higher education quality assurance in a regulatory or professional body environment to manage the smooth delivery of our new education quality assurance and enhancement processes (including quality assurance visits to universities and colleges and desk-based information reviews). Someone with confidence and analytical skills to advise universities and education providers as they begin to adapt their degree-programmes to meet our new requirement, assess evidence, support and receive recommendations on action from our team of Education Visitor Panellists.

We are looking for someone who has experience of working in a statutory, professional or chartered body in an education quality assurance/accreditation role and/or experience of working in a quality assurance role within a higher education institution, higher education standards body or regulator.

Working as part of a close-knit team you will develop, manage and implement our new suite of documentations and standard operating procedures that will support providers evidence they meet our new requirements to ensure that we enact our current legislation (Opticians Act). You will also provide hands-on support to education providers as they prepare new qualifications and adjust existing approved qualifications to meet our new Outcomes for Registration, Standards for Approved Qualifications and quality assurance and enhancement method.

This is a permanent position and we are open to applications from candidates seeking full or part time positions (no less than three days a week unless a job share is agreed). The postholder can be based anywhere in the UK but may need to travel to the office based in London (Old Bailey) for meetings (around once a month – possibly more). You may also be required to travel to universities and colleges across the UK, with occasional overnight stays away from home (expenses paid).

You will bring to the role fantastic leadership skills as well as good stakeholder management skills. You will also need to be confident in your analytical skills and your ability to assess and make evidence-based decisions regarding changes to qualifications that our providers may submit. It’s important that you are well-organised to lead the team and work alongside the other Education Managers in the design and implementation of new quality assurance activities.

Key Accountabilities:

The role holder will:

• Develop and manage a system of quality assurance activity of education providers and awarding bodies, ensuring that this is conducted in accordance with the GOC’s Quality Assurance and Enhancement Method;
• Provide support and guidance to our stakeholder community and education providers (who are a mixture of universities and membership-based organisations) as they prepare new qualifications and adjust existing approved qualifications to meet our new Outcomes for Registration, Standards for Approved Qualifications and Quality Assurance and Enhancement Method;
• Work with new and existing education providers to agree their implementation timeline, assess impact and support them to deliver as appropriate and ensure that documentation and evidence required is provided as necessary;
• Support the work of the Education Visitor Panel and Education Committee by producing evidence-based recommendations, and providing guidance and training on new processes;
• Ensuring effective communication and consistency when dealing with education and qualification providers, including responding to enquiries in a timely and professional way.
• Monitor, analyse and report on the performance of the implementation of our new Outcomes for Registration, Standards for Approved Qualifications and Quality Assurance and Enhancement Method and the risks that the GOC faces;
• Act as line manager for, and manage the day-to-day work of, one Education Quality Assurance Officer.
• Other duties as required.

Essential Skills/Experience/Qualifications:

• Relevant degree and/or education quality assurance knowledge and experience;
• Well-developed understanding of higher and further education, assessment/awarding bodies, (degree) apprenticeships and career frameworks and interface with professional / statutory body programme accreditation and qualification approval processes;
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders with excellent presentation / verbal communications skills;
• Experience of delivering presentations and training;
• Project management experience, with excellent organisation skills and a track record of operational delivery;
• Ability to analyse and assimilate complex information, and make evidence-based decisions;
• Excellent written communication skills, with an ability to write clearly, precisely, and accessibly on complex issues, with attention to detail and accuracy;
• Experience of managing multiple workflows and project outputs simultaneously;
• Embraces team-working, collaboration and negotiating with colleagues to deliver communications objectives.
• Excellent IT skills, including Word and Excel.

DESIRABLE SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE/ QUALIFICATIONS

• Previous line management experience

Please note your application will not be accepted without a covering letter;

To submit covering letter and CV, and to give examples in the covering letter of:

• 
  Project management experience, including how you worked with others to keep track of the delivery and timelines of the project.
• 
  A time you had to analyse complex information and communicate the outcome of your analysis to others, and how you did this.

Closing date 4pm 12 November 2021 – we reserve the right to close this role early dependent on number of applications.