Qualifications Wales

Job title: /

Higher Education Engagement Officer

Employer: / Qualifications Wales
Location: / Based either at home, or at Q2, Imperial Park, Newport NP10 8AR.
The post will require extensive travel across Wales and England – the successful candidate will be expected to confirm that they would be able to travel, including overnight stays, using either their own, or public, transport
Contract: / Fixed term contract until March 2020, full time during term time.
Requests for alternative working patterns, including Part Time, Job share and secondments, may be discussed at interview.
Salary and Benefits: / Band 4 - £37,600 - £44,950 per annum, pro rata
In addition to salary we offer 30 days annual leave pro rata (in addition to public holidays and up to three days office closure at Christmas), flexible working arrangements and membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Hours of work: / 37 per week during term time
Department: / Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Reporting to: / Associate Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Closing date for applications: / 14 May 2018 - midday
Contact: /
Background
Qualifications Wales is the independent regulator of non-degree qualifications and the qualification system in Wales. It is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body, independent of ministers, and accountable to the National Assembly for Wales. It is responsible for ensuring that qualifications and the qualifications system are effective in meeting the reasonable needs of learners in Wales, and for promoting public confidence in these.
Qualifications Wales has a publicly appointed Chair and Board who are accountable for fulfilling Qualifications Wales’s statutory functions and of its obligations to Welsh Government. The Board sets the strategic direction and governance of the organisation. The Executive Team (comprising the Chief Executive and the three Executive Directors) is responsible for developing and implementing the organisation’s strategic and operational plans and activities.
GCSE, AS and A level qualifications and the Welsh Baccalaureate have all been reformed in recent years. The new GCSEs and A levels have been designed specifically for Wales, they differ to those taken in other parts of the UK and are awarded separately. As part of the new Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate, students are now awarded a standalone skills-based qualification called the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate, which attracts the same number of UCAS points as an A level. New qualifications in Health and Social Care, including Childcare and Playwork, are also being developed for Wales. An important part of Qualifications Wales’s role is to ensure that students, parents, teachers, employers, colleges and universitiesare aware of these changes and can easily find the information they need to understand the qualifications offered in Wales.
Job purpose
The purpose of this post is to promote awareness and understanding of the qualifications commonly taken by university applicants from Wales within the UK higher education community.There is a need to ensure, as far as possible, that university admissions policies and information in relation to qualifications taken in Wales are informed, accurate and up to date. This will help secure public confidence that qualifications taken in Wales are valued and understood by higher education throughout the UK.
The post-holder will develop and deliver a programme of work to achieve these aims, focussingprimarily on the new Welsh Baccalaureate, GCSE, AS and A level qualifications. The post holder will be required to develop and manage relationships with a broad range of organisations, representative bodies and higher education providers,
The role will be:
  • to engage, advise, support and – where appropriate – challenge higher education providers, and
  • to ensure that information about the new qualifications is accurately reflected in their publications, systems, processes and procedures for admissions.
The post holder will share feedback, questions and issues arising from their engagement with higher education with colleagues in Qualifications Wales and other stakeholders to support a sound understanding of their perspectives. This will include developing messages for learners, schools, colleges and others about how higher education views the qualifications taken in Wales.
Main duties
  • Develop and deliver a plan of work to:
  • Assess and increase awareness and understanding of the changes to the Welsh Baccalaureate, GCSEs, AS and A levels among higher education provider (HEP) admission teams and relevant stakeholders.
  • Explain the views of HEPs to other stakeholders in the qualifications system in Wales.
  • Build confidence in the currency and portability of qualifications taken in Wales.
  • Assess, analyse and evaluate the impact of the engagement programme, reporting regularly to Qualifications Wales on progress and proposed changes to planned activity as required.
  • Establish networks and positive working relationships with senior HEP admissions officers and/or marketing managers, UCAS and other stakeholders at a senior level.
  • Conduct face to face meetings, presentations and workshops with senior admissions officers/marketing managers at targeted HEPs, as part of a general campaign to increase awareness of the changes to the Welsh Baccalaureate, GCSEs, AS and A levels within the HE community.
  • Review the information and advice available to prospective applicants on HEPs’ websites about the Welsh Baccalaureate, GCSEs, AS and A levels taken in Wales.
  • Develop content and communications material for a range of audiences, including website copy, newsletters, briefings, media releases, events, meetings and visits.
  • Identify and promote good practice in relation to the consideration of Welsh qualifications e.g. information and advice, entry requirements, and offers
  • Liaise with Welsh Government, Ofqual, CCEA, UCAS, Universities Wales and Universities UK, and others to ensure that awareness raising activity is coordinated and messaging is consistent.
  • Liaise with UCAS on updating its information and services, including its Qualification Information Profiles (QIPs) for Welsh qualifications.
  • Act as Qualifications Wales’s main point of contact for HEPs and handle enquiries and information requests. Support Qualifications Wales colleagues in related communications and engagement activities.
  • Keep up to date on Qualifications Wales’s key messages and engage with colleagues within the organisation on progress with objectives.

Person specification

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications / Degree level or equivalent.
Experience / Experience of establishing and maintaining good working relationships with external stakeholders.
Evidence of ability to produce and disseminate complex information coherently and concisely to a range of audiences. / Experience of running public information campaigns.
Evidence of providing customer support.
Experience of working in or with the HE sector, particularly with admissions services.
Experience of Account Management
Knowledge / Knowledge of principles of public engagement.
Understanding of the principles of customer relationships and account management. / Excellent knowledge and understanding of the UK higher education sector, the admissions process and the role of UCAS.
Excellent knowledge and understanding of the qualifications system in Wales and the UK.
Skills / Excellent presentation skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to represent the organisation to a range of stakeholders.
Excellent time management skills.
Able to work independently or in the context of a team as required, including with professionals in specialist areas and external consultants.
Ability to assimilate complex information quickly and disseminate as required. / The ability to work and engage with Welsh stakeholders bilingually.