Operations Coordinator

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.

Operations Coordinator

10-month fixed term contract

Salary: £25,159.00 + overtime & great benefits

Location: Milton Keynes

On-Site

As an Operations Coordinator in our Scanning Centre, you’ll be at the forefront of ensuring examination scripts are handled with care, precision, and efficiency from the moment they arrive to secure storage.

From day one, you’ll receive on-the-job training and support to help you develop expertise in managing workflows and data, alongside building your people management skills.

You’ll take charge of critical workflows, handling the secure processing and storage of examination scripts. During peak periods, you’ll lead teams around the clock, driving high-quality results that have a direct impact on hundreds of thousands of students all over the UK.

And you’ll do all this in a supportive team that values communication and collaboration.

Those great benefits...

• Access, from day one, to an incredible pension scheme which could have employee and employer contributions jointly totalling up to 18.5%
• 25 days annual leave, rising a day per year for your first five years with Bank Holidays and additional closure days at Christmas.
• Private Medical Insurance and a Health Care Cash Reward Plan
• Take 5 additional paid days to participate in volunteering activities that are close to your heart.

What you'll do.

• Supervise & Train Temporary Staff: Lead teams on day or night shifts, ensuring high-quality work.
• Monitor Productivity & Performance: Prepare reports on attendance, output rates, and accuracy.
• Oversee Key Operations: Manage the receipt, scanning, storage, and secure destruction of examination scripts.
• Optimise Processes: Identify improvements to workflows and quality control.

Outside of peak periods, you’ll stay hands-on with daily operational tasks, including scanning, warehouse duties, and system logging.

What you’ll need...

Experience leading or supervising a team, ideally in a detail-focused environment and confidence using Microsoft Office tools (Excel, Word, SharePoint). Able to work shifts and extend hours during peak times as required.

What Next?  

Please upload your most recent CV with a cover letter detailing your skills and experience for this role. 

Applications close at 23:59 on Monday 31st March.

Every application will receive a response. 

AQA is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes people unique.

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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

As a key member of the Scanning Centre team, the Operations Coordinator is involved in a range of tasks in connection with the processing of scripts from receipt through Goods-in to storage.
Achieving high quality standards, maintaining agreed productivity schedules, and contributing to process improvement are all key aspects of the role.
During each Examination Series the Operations Coordinator takes responsibility for a specific function within the Scanning Centre, supervising a team of temporary workers across day, and during the peak summer series night shift, to deliver a successful series.Landscape: This operational role sits in the Scanning Centre team, and you will be reporting to the Shift Team Leader. You will be within a team of 20, working alongside other Operations Coordinators and our Continuous Improvement/Quality team.
Activities:
Implementation of allocated tasks to deliver multiple concurrent customers examination series, both UK and International, ensuring compliance to each individual contract and service provision.
Processing high stakes and time critical examinations including general qualifications (GCSE & A-Level), functional skills and on demand formative educational assessments.
Supporting the delivery to time and quality.
Working as part of a team, processing up to 12 million examination scripts with the capability to operate 24 hours a day, 6 days a week utilising a temporary workforce of up to 650 people.
Input to lessons learned and continuous improvement activities.
Ability to deliver training to individuals or teams and monitor successful outcome.
Operational Responsibilities:
Perform core Scanning Centre activities accurately, efficiently, on time and to agreed quality and performance targets, including, but not limited to the physical processing of scripts, overseeing of stock levels, warehouse activities and script destruction.
Contribute to process design, documentation and implementation.
Actively contribute to the development of process improvement initiatives and support the implementation of these initiatives within the scanning centre.
Ensure allocated area follows 5s principles, well organised and complies with all AQA Health & Safety policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Summer Series Responsibilities:
Operational Responsibilities:
Oversight and responsibility for specific allocated function, area, or process within the Scanning Centre.
Have a clear understanding of the work Instructions for the relevant operation ensuring any changes are communicated, understood, documented, and controlled through the Management Team.
Maintain the correct levels of materials and consumables required for the project are available within the allocated area.
Team Leadership:
Supervise and mentoring of temporary staff in line with the culture and values of AQA.
Ensuring the allocated team are fully trained and have a clear understanding of all processes to be carried out.
Monitor quality and performance of the team against the requirements of the project.
Identifying any issues with understanding or performance of duties within the team and resolving or escalating as appropriate.
Ensure all labour movement, attendance, absence, leavers etc. are accurately recorded monitored and reported.
Criteria
Qualifications
Essential: Good general level of education.
Desirable: GCSE Level 4 in Math and English or equivalent.
Knowledge
Desirable: Process improvement methodologies, such as Lean, Kaizen or Six Sigma
Experience
Essential: Supervising and leading a team.
Essential: Conducting repetitive work to high levels of quality.
Skills/abilities
Essential: Effective communication skills – written and verbal.
Essential: Intermediate Computer Skills
Essential: Strong attention to detail.
Essential: Able to follow detailed work instructions.
Essential: Able to deliver operator training and monitor compliance.
Essential: Ability to analyse and report on performance data.
Desirable: Microsoft Word, Excel, SharePoint, Teams and Outlook skills.
Personal attributes
Essential: Work well under pressure.
Essential: Adaptable and positive to change.
Essential: Ability to work as part of a team and as an individual.
Other
Essential: Available for working shifts and extended hours in peak periods.
This job description should not be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. There may be other duties and requirements associated with the post which the company may reasonably require you to perform from time to time.