Product Manager - Science

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.

Product Manager – Science

Permanent

Location – Guildford, Manchester, London or Milton Keynes

Salary - North - £48,635 - £55,110 & South - £50,640 - £57,383

Hybrid working with occasional national travel

Closing date - 20th February 2025

Do you want to make a real difference to the educational landscape?

As our Product Manager, you will use your passion for education, together with your commercial acumen, matrix management and stakeholder engagement skills in this wide-reaching position of influence.

Through this exciting role at AQA, you will provide your knowledge of science education to help form and deliver this key role in setting and delivering the strategic plans for our science suite of qualifications. Your depth of knowledge will come from having worked in and with schools or through commercial experience gained while working in the science education sector

At AQA, we’re focussed on understanding our customers better than anyone else and delivering the qualifications and support they need, including the development of exciting new products.

Purpose

Working in Product Management you will be accountable for managing and developing our science suite of qualifications You will deliver activities which will meet our growth and retention objectives. You’ll also help to develop and market new science qualifications and new supporting products which meet teacher and student needs. Working with all parts of our Customer and Product directorate, and more broadly across the organisation, you’ll pull together cross-functional teams to deliver product plans which drive commercial success.

Using data and customer insights, you’ll uncover and evaluate market opportunities and innovations, liaising with internal and external stakeholders and influencers to capture and develop ideas. You will be supported by the Head of Product for science in delivering our strategy for growth for AQA science.

What you will do

• Work on the management and development of science products within AQA, including prioritisation and oversight of activity for the products within science suite.
• Working across AQA’s science qualifications, you’ll be using data and insights to create recommendations for quarterly, annual, and medium-term plans.
• You must be able to understand and synthesise data and information from different sources to make recommendations and initiate activities that drive change and improve our offer, both in terms of the qualifications themselves and the training, support and resources that support schools and colleges in their delivery.
• You’ll liaise with cross-functional teams to ensure the delivery of planned activities, tracking and reporting on delivery to ensure things happen on time and on budget.
• Managing and delivering strategic projects to time and on budget.
• Where needed, you’ll represent AQA, attending conferences, exhibitions, and stakeholder visits, working closely with colleagues from the science Subject Support teams.

What's in it for you?

• Personal and professional development including access to Product and Management training and qualifications.
• This role represents a tangible opportunity to influence the future of our qualifications and support offer at AQA and so contribute to the advancement of science education at a national level. 
• Enable growth and diversification to our support and product offerings.
• Fantastic opportunity to take your leadership, product management and commercial mindset to support teachers across the UK in the delivery of their GCSE and A Level courses.
• A focus on personal and professional growth and development
• A company who focus on health, wellbeing and sustainability by enabling access to Private Medical Insurance, Electric Vehicle Leasing scheme and a Health Care Cash Reward Plan, Life Assurance and an employee assistance program
• A company who invest in your future with a really strong pension offer (up to 11.5% employer contributions)
• 25 days annual leave with bank holidays rising to 30 days with services and extra closure days at Christmas and access to volunteering leave.

What you need to succeed

• Experience working in a strategic position within the education sector with a focus on science, you’ll need a commercial mindset and some knowledge of product management and marketing is desirable (not essential).
• Strategic planning and operational delivery expertise
• Ability to negotiate, influence and challenge effectively at all levels.
• Able and willing to constructively challenge the thinking of others and influence stakeholders.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative information to support sound decision making.
• You will be systematic and well organised as you’ll be scheduling and tracking delivery of activities.

What next?

Please submit a CV and Cover letter outlining your transferable skills and motivation.

We have set a closing date of 20th February 2025

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.

#PRO22

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

Lead the development of an assigned portfolio or product within AQA, including prioritisation and oversight of activity for that portfolio or product.The post holder will oversee, under the guidance of a Head of Product or Head of Product Portfolio, the development and delivery, on time and budget, of a set of annual and medium-term product plans for their portfolio/product to support AQA’s strategic objectives, ensuring an appropriate balance of quality, customer, commercial and stakeholder considerations.
Activities:
Customer (external or internal)
Lead and act as the face of AQA’s product(s) both internally and externally.
Define the strategy and roadmap for a defined area of responsibility, work with teams across AQA to generate ideas for improvements to the design and delivery of products and supporting services. Collate and prioritise these and ensure that the approach enhances the end-to-end customer experience and meets stakeholder needs.
Use subject knowledge and expertise to ensure the product and support services are meeting customer needs and align with pedagogical approaches at all stages of the product life cycle (for Science, English & maths only).
Work collaboratively with the wider Customer & Product teams to drive continuous improvement of AQA’s customer value proposition, ensuring customer insight is at the heart of the proposition
Contribute to planning of customer engagement campaigns, events and activities, to ensure that they have the maximum impact within the resource available.
Manage and deliver strategic projects relevant to product development, management or withdrawal.
Develop an understanding of actionable insights into what our customers (teachers/schools and government) want and need and an understanding of AQA’s competitive position and customer reputation in the market and use this to contribute to the development of a Product Growth Strategy for AQA.
Cash (finances)
Ensuring sound financial management
Have a robust understanding of the profitability of the product and the factors affecting it, and optimise the performance of the product, balancing the need to achieve financial targets with customer, quality and stakeholder interests. Be the commercial champion of the assigned product/s within AQA, defining commercial priorities in line with the overall Product Growth Strategy and communicate these to internal and external stakeholders.
Work with colleagues to recommend, gain agreement to and annually update, the product’s financial targets with Finance and proactively manage activity across AQA to ensure delivery of those targets.
Contribute to the collective development of AQA’s pricing policy and advise on pricing decisions in relation to the assigned product.
Produce evidence-based proposals and financial business cases for new and enhanced products and services in line with AQA’s strategy.
Product and internal processes
Delivering quality products and outcomes – as recognised by the customer
Work with colleagues to recommend, gain agreement to and update quarterly, annual and medium-term product plans for products, balancing evidence from functions across AQA, prioritising options and overseeing their delivery to time and budget.
Act as the focal point for activity across AQA for the assigned product, when monitoring operational performance and delivery.
Analyse and interpret data and information to inform sound strategic and operational decisions and priorities.
Manage the bringing together of expertise from across AQA to collaborate in producing and delivering budgeted annual plans to support delivery of product targets and AQA’s strategic objectives.
People and culture
Ensuring we have great people achieving their potential
Demonstrate commercial flexibility by undertaking other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile as business needs change.
Comply with all AQA’s policies and other legislative requirements, including but not limited to HSE, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.
Work with colleagues in the team to create and embed good practice in product management within the team.
Utilise the available range of digital tools for communication, content creation and information processing in order to work effectively and efficiently. Maintain digital skills to meet business need.
Technology
Delivering demonstrably secure, reliable, agile and cost-effective systems
Apply business analytics to transform data from research and understanding of the customer environment into customer, market and policy insights and use this to influence stakeholders.
Government and external
Providing timely, valued insight and evidence that inform policy
Ensure that all product related regulatory and compliance activities, records and risk management processes are maintained and managed.
To be successful in this role, you will need to know:
Knowledge
In-depth subject knowledge (for Science, English & maths only)
Knowledge of Product Management and Marketing
An understanding of the educational landscape and AQA’s products, customers and the market in which it operates
Qualification
Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience
Relevant subject related qualifications (for Science, English & maths only)
Skills
Commercially astute with proven strategic planning and operational delivery expertise
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to influence and build rapport with a diverse range of stakeholders internally and externally and role model partnership based matrix style of working
Ability to think strategically and understand the commercial context in which AQA operates and the likely impact of stakeholders on product design and management at a national level
Ability to communicate commercial information to people without commercial expertise
Ability to see the big picture and understand how different services, materials and activities relate to the delivery of a quality whole
Ability to think creatively to find solutions to complex and intangible problems
Ability to make prioritisation decisions in the face of varied and potentially contradictory evidence
Ability to negotiate effectively and balance competing priorities
Ability to understand and synthesise complex, diverse and incomplete information
Ability and willingness to constructively challenge the thinking of others
Ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative information to support sound decision making
Experience
Experience of teaching (for Science, English & maths only)
Experience of successfully working in a complex environment utilising matrix management