Specialist, Assessment - Functional Skills

Specialist, Assessment – Functional Skills (12 Month Fixed Term)

Description

In this role, you'll lead projects, provide specialist support, and help ensure the successful delivery of Pearson's Functional Skills assessments. This role aligns to industry titles such as Assessment Lead, Assessment Specialist, Qualification Delivery Lead, Project Lead (Education), Assessment Quality Specialist, Senior Assessment Coordinator, and Project Coordinator (Education). Ideal for professionals with project coordination, regulated-sector, assessment, or education experience who are looking to take the next step in their career.

The Role

As a Senior Content and Assessment Leader within Pearson's Functional Skills Assessment team, you'll play a key role in delivering a positive, accurate, and high-quality assessment and content experience for learners, customers, and colleagues. You'll support and guide Assessment Leaders with technical expertise, helping ensure end-to-end assessment processes are conducted fairly, accurately, and in line with Pearson policies and procedures. 

In your first six months, your biggest impact will be strengthening assessment delivery, supporting key projects, helping improve standards verification processes, and driving continuous improvement across assigned qualifications and services. This is a varied opportunity for someone who brings accuracy, managed calmness, strong stakeholder management, and positive energy to a regulated and fast-paced environment. 

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract covering maternity leave, with planned overlap and knowledge transfer support upon the return of the substantive postholder.

What You'll Own

Success in this role means assessment activities are delivered accurately, on time, and to the required quality standards, while learners, customers, and stakeholders receive a consistent and positive experience.

• Guide and support the end-to-end assessment cycle for a portfolio of Functional Skills qualifications, ensuring assessment content and outcomes are accurate, timely, and compliant. 
• Lead and support projects focused on continuous improvement, assessment delivery, and standards verification processes. 
• Provide technical expertise, coaching, mentoring, and support to Assessment Leaders and colleagues within your specialist area. 

• Coordinate key team activities alongside the Qualification Delivery and Award Manager, supporting meetings, workforce planning, stakeholder engagement, and operational delivery. 
• Deputise for the Qualification Delivery and Award Manager when required and represent the Assessment team across the wider business. 
• Support qualifications including paper-based and on-screen Functional Skills assessments, Entry Level qualifications, ESOL, and Digital qualifications. 
• Monitor and analyse assessment performance data, identify risks and opportunities, and support informed decision-making. 
• Review customer insight, CRM, and CSAT data to help improve customer experience and reduce recurring issues.
• Build strong relationships with contractors, internal stakeholders, customers, and business partners to deliver outstanding outcomes.
• Lead initiatives that improve, simplify, document, and standardise processes across the Functional Skills portfolio.

About You

You bring experience from a regulated environment where quality, governance, accuracy, and customer outcomes matter. You're organised, solution-focused, and comfortable balancing multiple priorities in a collaborative environment. 

You'll likely bring:

• Experience within education, assessment, awarding organisations, qualifications, learning, or another regulated environment. 
• Strong project coordination, project delivery, operational improvement, or continuous improvement experience. 
• Excellent communication, organisation, and problem-solving skills. 
• The ability to analyse data, identify trends, and make informed recommendations. 
• Experience supporting stakeholders, customers, contractors, or cross-functional teams. 
• Strong customer focus and a genuine commitment to helping learners achieve positive outcomes. 
• The ability to build strong working relationships and thrive as part of a highly collaborative team. 
• Confidence working with Microsoft Office, Teams, SharePoint, and other business systems.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Functional Skills qualifications.     
• Experience within the UK education sector or understanding of how schools, colleges, training providers, or centres operate.     
• Assessment, awarding, quality assurance, or examinations experience. 
• Experience working within government, education, financial services, or another highly regulated sector. 

Essential Behaviours

• Customer Centricity
• Raising the Performance Bar
• Collaboration for Value
• Inspiring Leadership in Role

What You'll Get

You’ll join a positive and supportive Functional Skills Assessment team where your expertise will help shape learner outcomes, customer experience and the quality of Pearson’s assessment delivery. You’ll have the opportunity to develop or deepen a specialist area of assessment or content expertise while contributing to cross-functional projects and continual improvement.

• A meaningful role supporting fair, accurate and timely assessment outcomes across Pearson’s Functional Skills portfolio.

• The opportunity to work with a broad network of internal stakeholders, customers, business partners and the AA workforce.

• A hybrid working environment.

• Access to Pearson’s UK rewards and benefits package.

      Please see our attractive UK benefits here: Home - Pearson Benefits

Working Pattern

Contract Type: 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract (Maternity Cover). 
Working Pattern: Hybrid. Team members typically attend Pearson's London office at 80 Strand approximately once per month.

Ready to Make an Impact?
Apply now and help shape the future of Functional Skills assessment, supporting learners across the UK to unlock opportunities through education and qualifications.

#LI-DM1