The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is the independent body entrusted with monitoring and advising on standards and quality in UK higher education. We work with a range of experts and the UK higher education community to ensure that the three million students working towards a UK qualification get the education they are entitled to expect. We ensure that students are directly involved in all aspects of our work.

QAA is a registered charity and a limited company, and has an independent non-executive Board with a number of sub-committees reflecting the complexity of the Agency’s role. Operationally, QAA is managed by a small Executive team which is supported by a wider senior leadership team.

This is a pivotal role, managing the Governance team and Executive Office. This is an exciting opportunity for a governance professional or someone with registry experience in higher education to work at the heart of a well-established sector agency with a compelling strategy, providing high-quality support to the QAA Board and Executive.

Accountable to the Director of Corporate Affairs – who is formally QAA’s Company Secretary but has wider responsibilities including policy, communications and marketing – the Assistant Company Secretary’s responsibilities will include:

• scheduling Board and committee meetings, commissioning Board papers and writing high-quality minutes
• leading and coordinating the recruitment and induction processes for Board members
• managing the Executive Office (usually three or four staff)
• coordinating QAA’s 'Consultative Board' (a key engagement route with external stakeholders in the sector)
• owning and implementing QAA’s complaints and appeals policies and processes
• acting as Company Secretary for QAA Enterprises, a subsidiary which is currently little used
• deputising for the Director of Corporate Affairs when needed.

We are keen to attract individuals with governance experience, whether in higher education or another sector, with excellent written and oral communication skills, who are committed to the mission and values of QAA.

More information can be found in the job description. For a confidential discussion about this role, please contact Tom Yates, Director of Corporate Affairs, at [email protected]

Location: We have offices in Gloucester, Glasgow and London, as well as offering employees the opportunity to work flexibly from home. Some UK travel will be required.

Job Type: Full-time, permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week, flexible working available

Salary: £35,369 - £44,523 per annum, dependent upon knowledge, skills and experience, plus excellent benefits

Closing date: Sunday 10 October 2021, 5.00pm

To apply for this role, please submit your CV with a short covering letter.

QAA is fully committed to everyday flexibility and has adopted a culture based on trust and fairness that genuinely encourages QAA and individuals to thrive. Providing that business needs are met, employees should normally be able to work where and when they want. Many of our employees work flexibly in different ways, including part-time and compressed hours. Please let us know about the flexibility you need in your application.

QAA recognises the positive benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion. Our aim is to be truly representative of all sections of society, and for employees to feel respected, free to be themselves no matter what their identity or background, and able to give their best. We value the differences that a variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and skills brings and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants to apply and join us.

If you have not heard from QAA within three weeks of the closing date for this vacancy, then your application has not been successful. Please be aware that we are unable to provide feedback on individual job applications.