Become an associate
Join a community of subject matter experts who work with us to design and deliver exams
What's in it for you
As an associate, you'll be able to:
Progress your career
Continue your professional development and enhance your current role.
Work flexibly
Fit work around your regular job and your home and work commitments.
Enhance your knowledge
Keep your subject knowledge up to date.
Develop new skills
Work with us to become a recognised expert in assessment.
Apply for roles
Discover more about the positions we have available and how to apply:
- Subject Advocate – GCSE Business (closing date 21/10/2024)
We’re looking for a Subject Advocate for our GCSE Business specification. This is a great opportunity for the successful candidate to utilise their enthusiasm and subject expertise, working with AQA’s subject support team, external stakeholders and supporting teachers to successfully deliver the specification to learners.
This role can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and is worked on a contractual basis. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend.
Key deliverables (may include):
- undertake customer facing activities at centres and curriculum connect events
- generate and review materials and resources to ensure they reflect requirements
- present to and engage with stakeholders in secondary and higher education
- provide subject expertise and input in relation to qualification development and changes
- provide subject expertise to Ofqual, DfE, interboard and JCQ
- maintain awareness of the end-to-end series delivery processes
- proactively seek networking events, partnerships and advocates
- act as point of contact for customer queries where required.
What we are looking for:
- ability to deliver engaging presentations and training at AQA events and conferences
- subject expertise and enthusiasm to advocate for the subject
- links with key individuals and organisations in the subject community is desirable
- recent teaching experience of the subject is desirable
- experience of marking for an exam board is desirable
- an ability to comfortably work and deliver to tight deadlines
- strong organisation skills and the ability to multi-task
- IT literacy/skills (software such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom will be used to deliver online events).
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply for this role please complete the application form ensuring you do so by the closing date.
For further enquires please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 21 October 2024.
- Lead Examiners – International GCSE Spanish (closing date 21/10/2024)
We currently have four Lead Examiner vacancies for the listening, reading, speaking and writing papers within our International GCSE Spanish specification.
As with all Senior vacancies, these are great opportunities for education professionals with expert knowledge of the subject.
The successful applicants will be responsible for leading and supporting a large team of examiners to accurately mark our exam papers, meeting tight deadlines.
These roles can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and are worked on a contractual basis, we anticipate that the majority of the workload would fall between April and August 2025. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend. The majority of meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Key deliverables
Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
- leading meetings (online or face-to-face) to produce training materials and guidance to ensure consistent application of the mark scheme
- producing training and guidance to convey the marking standard
- monitoring examiners’ standards of marking to ensure consistent and accurate application
- taking any actions required to ensure that all marking is completed by the specified deadlines
- reviewing evidence at the Awarding Committee and providing professional judgement based on this evidence to determine the grade boundaries
- undertaking post-results review of marking and supporting AQA with further post-results work as required.
What we are looking for
- excellent knowledge of the subject
- experience of both the exam marking process and leading medium to large multi-layered teams
- previous experience in a senior examining role
- thorough knowledge and understanding of mark schemes and of the standardisation process would be advantageous
- you must be highly organised
- you enjoy getting the best out of people, and be able to motivate individuals to deliver to tight deadlines
- an effective communicator with both written and oral communication skills
- you will also enjoy collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- good IT skills, as much of the associated work is computer based, with an increasing use of online applications/e-technologies.
Training for the role will be provided and further support will be given.
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply please complete an application form ensuring you do so by the closing date. Please apply for your preference of paper, if you wish to be considered for more than one paper please note this in the personal statement section of the application form.
- Lead Examiner – Listening, application form
- Lead Examiner – Reading, application form
- Lead Examiner – Speaking, application form
- Lead Examiner – Writing, application form
For further enquiries please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 21 October 2024.
- Lead Examiners – International GCSE French (closing date 21/10/2024)
We currently have four Lead Examiner vacancies for the listening, reading, speaking and writing papers within our International GCSE French specification.
As with all Senior vacancies, these are great opportunities for education professionals with expert knowledge of the subject.
The successful applicants will be responsible for leading and supporting a large team of examiners to accurately mark our exam papers, meeting tight deadlines.
These roles can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and are worked on a contractual basis, we anticipate that the majority of the workload would fall between April and August 2025. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend. The majority of meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Key deliverables
Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
- leading meetings (online or face-to-face) to produce training materials and guidance to ensure consistent application of the mark scheme
- producing training and guidance to convey the marking standard
- monitoring examiners’ standards of marking to ensure consistent and accurate application
- taking any actions required to ensure that all marking is completed by the specified deadlines
- reviewing evidence at the Awarding Committee and providing professional judgement based on this evidence to determine the grade boundaries
- undertaking post-results review of marking and supporting AQA with further post-results work as required.
What we are looking for
- excellent knowledge of the subject
- experience of both the exam marking process and leading medium to large multi-layered teams
- previous experience in a senior examining role
- thorough knowledge and understanding of mark schemes and of the standardisation process would be advantageous
- you must be highly organised
- you enjoy getting the best out of people, and be able to motivate individuals to deliver to tight deadlines
- an effective communicator with both written and oral communication skills
- you will also enjoy collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- good IT skills, as much of the associated work is computer based, with an increasing use of online applications/e-technologies.
Training for the role will be provided and further support will be given.
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply please complete an application form ensuring you do so by the closing date. Please apply for your preference of paper, if you wish to be considered for more than one paper please note this in the personal statement section of the application form.
- Lead Examiner – Listening, application form
- Lead Examiner – Reading, application form
- Lead Examiner – Speaking, application form
- Lead Examiner – Writing, application form
For further enquiries please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 21 October 2024.
- Lead Examiner – A-level Music (closing date 14/10/24)
We currently have a Lead Examiner vacancy within our A-level Music specification.
As with all Senior vacancies, this isa great opportunity for an education professional with expert knowledge of the subject.
The successful applicant will be responsible for leading and supporting a team of examiners to accurately mark our exams, meeting tight deadlines.
This role can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and is worked on a contractual basis, we anticipate that the bulk of the workload will fall between May and July. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend. The majority of meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Key deliverables
Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
- leading meetings (online or face-to-face) to produce training materials and guidance to ensure consistent application of the mark scheme
- producing training and guidance to convey the marking standard
- monitoring examiners’ standards to ensure consistent and accurate application
- taking any actions required to ensure that all marking is completed by the specified deadlines
- reviewing evidence at the Awarding Committee and providing professional judgement based on this evidence to determine the grade boundaries
- undertaking post-results review of marking and supporting AQA with further post-results work as required.
What we are looking for
- excellent knowledge of the subject
- current or recent experience of teaching the specification is desirable
- experience of both the exam process and leading medium to large multi-layered teams is desirable
- previous experience in a senior examining role is desirable
- thorough knowledge and understanding of mark schemes and of the standardisation process would be advantageous
- you must be highly organised
- you enjoy getting the best out of people, and be able to motivate individuals to deliver to tight deadlines
- an effective communicator with both written and oral communication skills
- you will enjoy collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- good IT skills, as much of the associated work is computer based, with an increasing use of online applications/e-technologies.
Training for the role will be provided and further support will be given.
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply please complete the application form ensuring you do so by the closing date.
For further enquiries please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 14 October 2024.
- Lead Examiner – AS Geography (closing date 14/10/24)
We currently have a Lead Examiner vacancy within our AS Geography (7036/2) specification.
As with all Senior vacancies, this isa great opportunity for an education professional with expert knowledge of the subject.
The successful applicant will be responsible for leading and supporting a large team of examiners to accurately mark our exam papers, meeting tight deadlines.
This role can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and is worked on a contractual basis, we anticipate that the majority of the workload would fall between April and August 2025. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend. The majority of meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Key deliverables
Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
- leading meetings (online or face-to-face) to produce training materials and guidance to ensure consistent application of the mark scheme
- producing training and guidance to convey the marking standard
- monitoring examiners’ standards of marking to ensure consistent and accurate application
- taking any actions required to ensure that all marking is completed by the specified deadlines
- reviewing evidence at the Awarding Committee and providing professional judgement based on this evidence to determine the grade boundaries
- undertaking post-results review of marking and supporting AQA with further post-results work as required.
What we are looking for
- excellent knowledge of the subject
- experience of both the exam marking process and leading medium to large multi-layered teams
- previous experience in a senior examining role
- thorough knowledge and understanding of mark schemes and of the standardisation process would be advantageous
- you must be highly organised
- you enjoy getting the best out of people, and be able to motivate individuals to deliver to tight deadlines
- an effective communicator with both written and oral communication skills
- you will also enjoy collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- good IT skills, as much of the associated work is computer based, with an increasing use of online applications/e-technologies.
Training for the role will be provided and further support will be given.
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply please complete the application form ensuring you do so by the closing date.
For further enquiries please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 14 October 2024.
- Lead Examiner (visiting and teacher conducted) – AS/A-level German (closing date 14/10/24)
We currently have a Lead Examiner vacancy within our AS and A-level German specifications for the visiting examiner and teacher conducted speaking tests.
As with all Senior vacancies, this isa great opportunity for an education professional with expert knowledge of the subject.
The successful applicant will be responsible for leading and supporting a large team of examiners to accurately mark our teacher assessed exams, and travelling to centres across the country to carry out visiting examiner speaking tests.
This role can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and is worked on a contractual basis, the position would cover both AS and A-level German and we anticipate that the majority of the workload would fall between early April and mid-May. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend. The majority of meetings will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Key deliverables
Some of the key responsibilities of the role include:
- leading meetings (online or face-to-face) to produce training materials and guidance to ensure consistent application of the mark scheme
- travelling to centres to carry out visiting examiner speaking tests
- producing training and guidance to convey the marking standard
- monitoring examiners’ standards of marking to ensure consistent and accurate application
- taking any actions required to ensure that all marking is completed by the specified deadlines
- reviewing evidence at the Awarding Committee and providing professional judgement based on this evidence to determine the grade boundaries
- undertaking post-results review of marking and supporting AQA with further post-results work as required.
What we are looking for
- excellent knowledge of the subject
- experience of both the exam marking process and leading medium to large multi-layered teams
- previous experience in a senior examining role
- thorough knowledge and understanding of mark schemes and of the standardisation process would be advantageous
- you must be highly organised
- you enjoy getting the best out of people, and be able to motivate individuals to deliver to tight deadlines
- an effective communicator with both written and oral communication skills
- you will also enjoy collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- good IT skills, as much of the associated work is computer based, with an increasing use of online applications/e-technologies.
Training for the role will be provided and further support will be given.
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply please complete the application form ensuring you do so by the closing date.
For further enquiries please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 14 October 2024.
- Subject Advocate - GCSE and AS/A-level Computer Science (closing date 21/10/2024)
We’re looking for a Subject Advocate for our GCSE and AS/A-level Computer Science specifications. This is a great opportunity for the successful candidate to utilise their enthusiasm and subject expertise, working with AQA’s subject support team, external stakeholders and supporting teachers to successfully deliver the specification to learners.
This role can be undertaken alongside full time teaching commitments and is worked on a contractual basis. You will be paid a fee for any work completed and for any meetings that you attend.
Key deliverables:
- undertake customer facing activities at centres and curriculum connect events
- generate and review materials and resources to ensure they reflect requirements
- present to and engage with stakeholders in secondary and higher education
- provide subject expertise and input in relation to qualification development and changes
- provide subject expertise to Ofqual, DfE, interboard and JCQ
- maintain awareness of the end-to-end series delivery processes
- proactively seek networking events, partnerships and advocates
- act as point of contact for customer queries where required.
What we are looking for:
- ability to deliver engaging presentations and training at AQA events and conferences
- subject expertise and enthusiasm to advocate for the subject
- links with key individuals and organisations in the subject community is desirable
- recent teaching experience of the subject is desirable
- experience of marking for an exam board is desirable
- an ability to comfortably work and deliver to tight deadlines
- strong organisation skills and the ability to multi-task
- IT literacy/skills (software such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom will be used to deliver online events).
Further information and how to apply
If you wish to apply for this role please complete the application form ensuring you do so by the closing date.
For further enquires please contact seniorrecruitment@aqa.org.uk
The closing date for the vacancy and receipt of applications is 21 October 2024.
Training and support
Alongside the support AQA and our associate community will give you, you'll also get detailed training on our core systems and processes. These include:
- Assessment writing and reviewing
- Online marking and monitoring
- Digital assessment creation
- Awarding and statistical analysis
Paper production
For some specifications, whole papers are planned, drafted, agreed and managed from beginning to end.
Exam delivery
Our exams and non-exam assessments (NEA) are marked by 30,000 examiners and moderators. Progress and quality is monitored by groups of associates, starting with standardisation and regular checking of marking through to awarding – where grade boundaries are set and applied to each student’s mark.