QA Higher Education - COO

Welcome

Thank you for your interest in this important executive role with QA Higher Education [QAHE].

This is a fantastic opportunity to become an integral part of our rapidly growing organisation dedicated to delivering world-class education to a diverse population of students and driving change across the higher education landscape.

At QAHE, we pride ourselves on fostering innovation and creating transformative and flexible learning experiences to help all of our students realise their full potential. Our commitment to excellence, partnerships with brilliant universities, and focus on real-world outcomes have set us apart in the sector. As we continue to grow at a time when our sector is continually evolving, the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be pivotal to our ongoing success.

We are seeking a visionary leader who shares our passion for education and has the operational expertise to help us scale while maintaining the highest standards. As COO, you will be responsible for ensuring operational efficiency across the organisation, driving strategic initiatives, and working closely with the rest of the Executive and senior leaders to shape the future of QA Higher Education. Your important work will directly impact the experience of our students, staff, and partners, as well as meeting the expectations of our private equity investors.

This role is ideal for a dynamic, results-driven professional with experience in complex, fast-paced environments. If you thrive on challenges, have a strategic mindset, and are excited about contributing to an organisation that wants to change the face of higher education, I encourage you to apply.

QAHE offers not just a role, but a mission—to widen access to high-quality higher education that improves career prospects for a diverse range of international and domestic students. I am confident that your skills, vision, and leadership will help to enhance our progress on this journey.

If this resonates with your career aspirations, I warmly invite you to explore this exciting opportunity further.

I look forward to receiving your application and to the possibility of working together.

Warm regards,

Simon Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
QA Higher Education

About us

QA Higher Education (QA HE) is a leading private UK higher education provider that partners with renowned UK universities to offer a broad range of academic programmes, from foundation level to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, to over 17,000 students from across the globe. QA HE offers a dynamic learning environment that prepares students for success in their careers and personal development.

Their courses, which span subjects like Business, Computing, Cybersecurity, and Digital Marketing, are delivered in vibrant city-centre locations in London, Manchester, and Birmingham, as well as through online and embedded pathways. QA HE is proud to provide students with the tools they need for academic and career success and is committed to making outstanding higher education accessible to all, supporting students, working professionals, and career changers alike.

Learn more about QAHE here.

The role

Chief Operating Officer (AQ2843)

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Job Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO) – QAHE
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – QAHE
Location: London / Birmingham / Manchester – Travel to other QAHE locations as required
Department: QAHE – Exec Team
Vetting Requirement: Enhanced Disclosure

What you’ll be doing

Leading wide-ranging operational services that underpin the QA Higher Education business.

Most challenging aspects of the role

Fast paced multi-faceted role managing a broad range of competing priorities and teams whilst balancing student and employee experience with achieving strong overall business performance.

Key Responsibilities

Maintain QAHE’s position as a best-in-class provider of higher education provision within our sector through staying abreast of industry developments and best practice introducing and implementing these to the organisation. Ensuring that all aspects of our provision maintains and further develops our industry leading status.
Leading teams in providing world class student services, both back office and student facing, ensuring our learners achieve to the best of their ability and are well supported during their studies.
Continuous improvement and transformation of existing systems and processes, underlying data structures and ways of working.
Leadership of a large, nationally located operations team, developing talent and ways of working.
Leading the property strategy for QA HE, proposing footprint changes and adjustments that support the HE strategy and working with the CFO to deliver expansion of the QA portfolio.
Lead in, and develop our Student Support services and processes across a wide range of specialisms including Registry, Student Helpdesks and the Library services, line-managing the incumbent Director of Student Operations.
Operating as the epicentre of all Compliance and Risk matters providing leadership and guidance to currents heads of teams in controlling risk and ensuring compliance in a wide range of areas including University partner requirements, agent and external regulatory compliance matters, including OFS and UKVI.
Manage scheduling and planning, driving the efficient and effective utilisation of all property, teaching and learning resources.
Develop an effective project management and delivery function to support business owners to deliver strategic initiatives and major projects.
Details of remit:
- Student Operations encompassing all sub teams including Registry, Library, Wellbeing etc.
- Estates and Facilities encompassing H&S
- Academic team and fixed resource utilisation
- Compliance – incorporating university partner and other regulatory compliance areas
- Scheduling and planning
- Project management
KPIs & SLAs
- Utilisation levels of permanent staff are achieved as per budget.
- Room/property utilisation is not a constraint to growth.
- Student satisfaction during their time on programme is improved.
- Profit margins are maintained or improved against budget, looking ahead so the budget is managed proactively and taking every opportunity to optimise profitability whilst managing and maintaining student and employee experience.
Key Working Relationships
- CEO – QAHE
- Exec Team and wider Senior Leadership Team
- Student Operations Teams

Your Competencies

The role holder will have experience in operational environments, ideally in an education or HE sector.
Data analysis and the ability to challenge is a key requirement of the role, with an ability to make decisions where the data may be ambiguous.
The role holder must have the ability to create buy-in and the tenacity to drive change, leading and aligning multiple teams through wide-scale improvements. These may concern process improvements, system changes and/or product changes, that are challenging to implement.
Commercial acumen is essential, with a requirement to re-prioritise how resources and effort is allocated on an on-going basis.
The role holder must constantly be scanning the organisational environment to assess the required next steps in the organisation’s development, road mapping and prioritising these as appropriate.
The role holder must be able to operate under pressure; flexibility and team working are key.
The role holder must be a clear and forward-thinking communicator, involving others where appropriate and managing stakeholder expectations.
This is a highly visible role, with success of the QA Higher Education business being dependent on the operations team delivering to an exceptional standard and level of efficiency. Experience in learner welfare, safeguarding or support is highly desirable to support strong student satisfaction levels on a wider more holistic level.
The role holder must be comfortable challenging the status quo in ways appropriate to our culture and have a desire to make continuous changes and improvements.

Your Experience

You will have gained and be able to demonstrate outstanding leadership skills. It is crucial that the role holder has experience in taking organisations through change and development into more established and defined ways of working.

Your Qualifications

Degree / Master Qualification preferred

What you’ll bring to QA

Outstanding leadership skills with ability to engage all levels to the agreed organisational agenda and course of action.
Forms appropriate relationships with those you collaborate with and maintains professional boundaries in your work.
Works within organisational policies, procedures and Guidance specifically related to Safe Recruitment Guidelines.
Is committed to demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours in your work, acting and raising concerns where necessary.

Commitments and safeguarding

QA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults with care and support needs. We hold the expectation that all staff share this commitment in creating a safe and inclusive environment and as an organization, we comply with relevant legislation and best practices in safeguarding and safe recruitment.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and a comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on successful applicants including:

an enhanced disclosure check
qualification checks (where applicable)
online checks
identity and right to work

All applicants will be required to provide two references covering the previous three years.
We look forward to welcoming dedicated individuals who share our commitment to safety and well-being.

About QA Higher Education

QAHE is a private UK higher education provider working in partnership with UK universities to recruit to and deliver a range of programmes from foundation level to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. We currently teach over 17,000 students from all over the world.

Students preparing for undergraduate study. Working professionals looking to specialise in their field. Career changers. Everyone should be given access to outstanding higher education and our aim at QAHE is to make that possible.

We work with our partner universities to offer courses ranging from foundation programmes to postgraduate degrees covering subject areas including Accountancy, Business, Computing, Cyber, Digital Marketing, Events Management, Project Management and Web Development and delivered in city centre locations.

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Terms of appointment

Location: The headquarters are in London, which would be a good base for a candidate. However, there is flexibility to be based at the Birmingham or Manchester campuses as well. If you choose the latter options, you can expect weekly or fortnightly travel to London, especially in the initial phase.
Salary: Competitive, ranging from £150,000 to £200,000, dependent on experience, with some flexibility for discussion. Annual bonuses (up to 20%) and long-term incentives are available, to be discussed on a discretionary basis.
Benefits: 27 days of holiday (rising to 30 with continuous service), private healthcare (family membership available at an additional cost), life assurance, and a pension plan (5% employee and 4% employer contributions, with an option for salary sacrifice).
Work Arrangement: Hybrid working with a mix of on-site and remote work. Initially, you will spend three days per week on-site, reducing to two days once settled.

How to apply

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to QAHE, an executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is noon on Monday 21 October 2024.

Applications should consist of:

A full CV.
A covering letter (maximum of two pages) outlining your motivations to apply for this role, your relevant experience and how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
Please include details of two referees on your CV, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss the role(s) in strict confidence, please contact Eva Tomka on eva.tomka@andersonquigley.com, +44 (0)7596 954 388 or Akhil Yerneni on akhil.yerneni@andersonquigley.com, +44 (0)7808 649 556.