Head of Commercial Planning & Performance

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.

Head of Commercial Planning & Performance

Permanent
Manchester: £67,000 - £76,000
Hybrid working – typically 2+ days per week in the office, with most collaboration taking place midweek

Bring clarity to complexity and help shape the future of Commercial at AQA.

This newly created leadership role is ideal for someone who can see the bigger picture, connect activity across teams and turn ambitious plans into coordinated delivery.

Commercial at AQA is growing and evolving. From vocational qualifications and digital assessment to new products, services and strategic initiatives, there's more happening than ever before. What we need now is someone who can bring visibility, alignment and momentum across that increasingly complex landscape.

You'll work with senior leaders across Commercial and the wider organisation to ensure priorities are clear, resources are focused in the right places and key initiatives move forward with confidence.

You'll be trusted to identify risks before they become issues, connect teams around shared goals and help leaders make informed decisions about what matters most.

You'll also have the opportunity to build and develop a new planning capability, shaping how Commercial works for years to come.

What's in it for you?

• A rare opportunity to shape a newly created leadership role and build a new capability from the ground up.
• Exposure to senior leaders and strategic decision-making across AQA.
• The chance to influence how major commercial priorities are planned, prioritised and delivered.
• Involvement in some of AQA's most significant strategic developments, including vocational qualifications, digital assessment and commercial growth initiatives.
• The opportunity to build and develop a team while creating lasting organisational impact.
• A 35-hour working week with flexible, hybrid working.
• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30, plus Christmas closure days.
• A benefits package including a pension which could see a combined contribution of up to 18.5%, BUPA healthcare support, wellbeing programmes and volunteering opportunities.
• Being part of AQA's inclusive and values-led culture, with opportunities to join a range of employee networks and communities.

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Leading Commercial planning and prioritisation activity.
• Creating visibility across programmes, projects and strategic initiatives.
• Identifying risks, dependencies and resource challenges.
• Supporting senior leaders with planning insight and recommendations.
• Coordinating activity across Commercial and partner functions.
• Driving alignment between strategy, priorities and delivery.
• Leading governance and planning forums.
• Building and developing a growing planning capability and team.

You'll thrive in this role if you have:

• Experience leading complex programmes, portfolios, operational planning or business transformation activity.
• A track record of managing competing priorities across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience working within a regulated environment.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• The ability to translate strategic objectives into practical plans and tangible outcomes.
• Experience identifying and managing risks, dependencies and resource constraints.
• Strong leadership skills and experience developing people and teams.
• A reputation for creating clarity, driving action and getting things done.

You do not need to come from education. We welcome applications from candidates with experience in commercial planning, programme delivery, customer operations, portfolio management, business transformation or other complex and regulated environments.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

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.

What's Next?

To apply, please upload your most recent CV.

As part of the application process, you'll also be asked to complete a short role-related application question, alongside AQA's standard diversity and inclusion question for senior-level appointments.

Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 16 August 2026.

The recruitment process is expected to include a first-stage Teams interview during the week commencing 24 August, followed by a final-stage assessment and interview in early September.

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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

AQA is much more than just an awarding organisation, our purpose is to advance education by enabling teachers and students to realise their potential. Our purpose is the reason AQA exists - we're here to make a positive difference in the world by bringing out the best in teachers and students.
This high impact and pivotal role sits within AQA’s Commercial Team, reporting directly to the Director of Customer Delivery. It is responsible for ensuring the commercial team are focused on the highest value priorities, leading the co-ordination of end-to-end scheduling, planning, and delivery of workstreams, initiatives, and activities across the commercial directorate. Although focussed on change in one area of the organisation, the scope of this role encompasses both cross organisational collaborative working, driving initiatives in other business areas, and extensive stakeholder management across the AQA Group (GQ, VQ, ASL)Landscape
The Head of Commercial Planning & Performance works closely with the Commercial teams to align workstreams across the area that support delivery of the strategic priorities as part of the business planning cycle. They create alignment across teams improving decision making, quality and speed ensuring efficient delivery across all functions
The Head of Commercial Planning & Performance leads a clear, prioritised and aligned commercial plan across all teams.  Working with business stakeholders the role provides leadership for critical initiatives, drives faster more confident decision making at SLT level ensuring delivery at pace and predictability across key initiatives.  
A key focus of the role is the development of 1–3-year commercial plans and roadmaps, alongside the governance of internal cross functional forums and Member Group meetings. This ensures alignment across all teams and drives collective progress toward the Commercial Team’s objectives and delivery of AQA’s strategic objectives.
Activities
Strategic Planning & Commercial AlignmentActs as the translation layer between enterprise strategy and commercial delivery
Partners with central strategy team to ensure clear line of sight from strategy - plan - execution
Feeds back market, performance and delivery insight to shape future strategy
Ensures commercial priorities are anchored in enterprise outcomes, not siloed plans
Cross‑Functional Coordination & Programme DeliveryLead critical cross‑functional commercial initiatives, ensuring shared objectives and consistent delivery across teams.
Represent the Commercial Team in planning forums and contribute to the oversight of multiple workstreams.
Provide support to the Commercial SLT on major commercial programmes.
Drive a unified “one team” approach across Commercial functions, ensuring coherent aims, actions, and supporting initiatives.
Build effective change management frameworks to ensure successful delivery of business systems and solutions that meet stakeholder and end user requirements.
Performance Management, Reporting & InsightOwns the commercial planning cycle - annual and 1–3 year roadmap
Owns the single, prioritised commercial plan across all functions
Owns performance tracking and reporting against that plan
Holds functions to account for delivery against agreed commitments
Monitor delivery progress, escalate risks, and provide clear updates to senior leaders.
Support leadership decision‑making through data‑driven insights and forward‑looking analysis.
Responsible for mapping workforce & resource planning needs across the commercial teams for projects, initiatives and workstreams.
Work across directorates to realise productivity and efficiency improvements for series delivery and resource requirements, drives prioritisation decisions where demand exceeds capacity
Workflow, Systems & Airtable ManagementBuild a good knowledge of Airtable to support planning, workflow management, and project coordination across Commercial, working with the systems and workflow co-ordinator to embed ways of working
Ensure planning technology is effectively leveraged to support smooth project delivery.
Leadership Support & Stakeholder EngagementAct as the key interface between Commercial, PMO, AQA assurance teams and other directorates.
Drives a one-plan, one-team approach across organisational boundaries
Ensures dependencies are visible, managed, and actively resolved
Provide support& challenge to Heads of Area and their teams in developing goals, plans, and responsibilities.
Facilitate strong communication, collaboration, and alignment across internal stakeholders
Support the growth and development of the wider commercial leadership team ensuring that change and ways of working are embedded.
Lead and manage a team of commercial support roles to achieve high levels of engagement, motivation and performance
Act as a bridge between SLT and the Commercial Leadership Team, supporting critical meetings and decisions.
Need to Know (to be successful in this role, you will need to know):
Experience leading and driving commercial planning processes and delivering outcomes across complex, multi stream programmes.
Strong stakeholder management capability, with a track record of presenting to and influencing senior leaders using clear, data driven insights.
Proven ability to manage cross functional projects and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
Skilled in tailoring communications and presentations to suit diverse audiences and stakeholder needs.
Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple concurrent project schedules and deadlines.
Creative thinker who balances innovation with pragmatic, actionable solutions.
Customer Centric approach delivering excellent customer outcomes