Change Implementation Lead

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Change Implementation Lead

Manchester
Permanent
Salary: £61,000 - £66,000

Hybrid Working - 2 days per week in the office

Are you passionate about driving meaningful change and helping organisations adapt to new ways of working? We’re looking for an experienced Change Implementation Lead to join our team and play a key role in shaping how we deliver transformation across our portfolio of initiatives.

What you’ll do

As a Change Implementation Lead, you’ll:

• Lead and influence: Partner with senior leaders and stakeholders to ensure change initiatives are delivered effectively and sustainably.

• Design and deliver: Create clear implementation strategies, impact assessments, training approaches, and readiness plans.

• Coach and empower: Support business leaders and teams to build their change capability and embed new ways of working.

• Collaborate widely: Work across multiple projects, sharing best practices and contributing to our change community of practice.

• Drive results: Monitor progress, manage risks, and ensure successful adoption of change.

What we’re looking for

You’ll bring:

• Strong experience in change implementation methodologies and tools.

• A track record of applying change theory in real-world projects.

• Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.

• Skills in problem-solving, planning, and delivering at pace.

• A customer-focused mindset, ensuring the voice of the customer is central to everything you do.

At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

What’s in it for you?

• a supportive, collaborative environment where your ideas matter, you’ll have

• access to professional development and opportunities to grow your change expertise. the opportunity to work on impactful projects that make a real difference to our organisation and customers, truly supporting teachers and learners to succeed.

• the autonomy to prioritise your work and be part of a smaller change team within a department of around 40 professionals in a centre of excellence for change delivery.

You will also benefit from

• Flexible working, a 35-hour week, and 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and Christmas closure). 

• A generous pension scheme with up to 11.5% employer contributions. 

• Private medical insurance, health cash plan, EV leasing, volunteering days, and modern offices with gym.

Application Process

Upload your most recent CV with a cover letter outlining how your skills and experience will enhance our team.

Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 11 January

Interviews will be in the Manchester office in the week beginning 26 January. You will be asked to present on a topic followed by questions exploring your skills, values and experience.

Ready to lead change? Apply today and help us shape the future.

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Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

Purpose: This role will be required to lead implementation workstreams across the portfolio initiatives. Ensuring that both the Business Change Hub delivery team and business leaders are implementing changes following best practices. Consulting and business partnering with business leaders to ensure they have the knowledge and capabilities to identify impacts, engage stakeholders, design and deliver effective training and adopt the new ways of working.
The Implementation Lead will:
• Define the implementation approach to ensure portfolio and initiative outcomes are reasonable, realistic and achievable from an organisational change perspective.
• Work collaboratively with business leaders to ensure that implementation plans are fit for purpose and being delivered to agreed timelines and quality measures.
• Share knowledge and best practice with business colleagues to demonstrate Change Management tools and techniques; including implementation methodology, templates, and delivery approaches.Landscape: The Implementation Lead will matrix manage colleagues performing implementation duties as part of the wider delivery team. Collaborating with colleagues from across the Business Change Hub to define implementation plans and agree accountabilities. This role is required to both lead and actively produce deliverables, such as Change Strategies and High Level Impact Assessments. The Implementation Lead must engage and influence senior stakeholders from across the business; at Executive, programme sponsor and senior leader level.
Activities:
 
Accountabilities
Lead the planning of change implementation activities across a range of portfolio initiatives. Collaborating with business leaders to shape delivery approaches; identify resource needs required to support with the implementation; and assess departmental change capabilities and coach colleagues to foster knowledge transfer of change management best practices.
Produce the core implementation deliverables, including: Implementation Strategy, High Level Change Impact Assessment, Process Design Assurance, Options Analysis, Training Approach, Readiness Plans, Early Life Support Approach, and Change Effectiveness Measurement.
Track the implementation plan delivery and provide quality assurance and oversight across portfolio initiatives. Leading implementation by delivering through others, coaching business leaders to effectively deliver changes and embed adoption of new ways of working.
Produce status updates, project plans, and represent Change Implementation workstreams across the portfolio governance forums, including Status Control, Management Meetings, and Portfolio Boards.
Effectively identify, track, monitor and mitigate implementation risks and issues.
Contribute to the AQA-wide change implementation community of practice. Sharing their expertise and demonstrating what good looks like, to raise the organisational change capabilities.
Guide, coach and challenge business leaders to ensure they take responsibility for the execution of implementation plans and activities.
Need to know (to be successful in this role, you will need to know):
Expert understanding of change implementation methodologies, tools and techniques.
Experience of practical application of change implementation theory in a project delivery role.
Experience line or matrix managing colleagues.
Experience of working across multiple projects and overcoming complex challenges.
Be results focused: ability to plan with a focus on short-term delivery and producing outputs and making decisions at pace.
Have a Customers front and centre mindet: understanding stakeholders roles and representing the voice of the customer.
Ability to assess complex information, situations and issues and deploy creative and flexible problem solving skills.
Excellent ability to persuade and influence both internally and in external networks, including third party suppliers.