Description
Summary
Purpose:
AQA Assessment Services Limited (ASL) is pursuing ambitious growth by expanding its educational solutions services into international markets and growing sales of its SaaS assessment products. To succeed, ASL must strengthen its educational leadership in key regions, respond to emerging customer needs, secure new funding, and differentiate its services from global competitors. This includes drawing on AQA’s reputation, proven case studies, and strong local and regional partnerships.
The overall purpose of this role will drive these aims by bringing strong expertise in academic and TVET assessment into the sales process and shaping service offers that reflect best practice and customer needs. This role requires a strong understanding of assessment technology and the ability to position and demonstrate ASL’s assessment technology solutions to UK and international customers. They will be responsible for suggesting alternative solutions to government and AOs, including providing challenge at times regarding their existing processes in assessment tech, as well as advising on reforms and education policy.
The role will span the full sales cycle, including international engagement, needs analysis, solution design, proposal development, and commercial evaluation. Working closely with delivery and finance teams, the post holder will ensure services are viable, strategically aligned, and offer a clear return on investment.Landscape:
The post holder will have an international remit. As ASL’s assessment technology sales lead they will be responsible for driving the development of new business for ASL’s exam authoring and marking platforms in the UK and internationally. As a senior member of the international sales team, a core focus will be in developing business in new markets, particularly Asia and Africa, where the scope of ASL’s educational solutions may broaden into consultancy and capacity-building services in K-12 curriculum, assessment and TVET. There is significant scope for the post holder to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to the role by targeting new territories, sectors, and partnerships that provide viable sales opportunities and contribute to ASL’s growth priorities.
Activities
Market development and sales
Expanding sales of products and services into new customers and territories.
Developing strong customer relationships and managing accounts; proactive in driving specific customer interactions to ensure customer satisfaction, retention and increased sales.
Work closely with governments and AOs to advise on reforms and education policy, suggest solutions, whilst challenging their existing processes regarding assessment technology
Prospecting, engaging, qualifying, pricing and negotiation in the context of a specific customer and environment.
Sales planning in agreed sectors, markets or business areas to achieve annual target.
Researching and actively pursuing new business opportunities through identification of prospective clients, partner institutions, regional consultants, and funding partners.
Meeting prospective customers (online, at conferences and in-person visits) and recording sales activity in the CRM.
Developing new international customer opportunities for GradeMaker, e-Marker® and ASL products through market research, prospect development, delivering demos and presentations.
Managing a pipeline of GradeMaker and e-Marker® sales opportunities, responsible for converting opportunities to contract stage through customer engagement and stakeholder management.
Developing commercial proposals through to completing order forms and contracts.
Routinely checking a defined list of tender portals and feeding back to the team on potential bid opportunities.
Leading on the preparation of bids alongside a bid manager and in consultation with sales and delivery colleagues, coordinating the methodology, winning messages and costing.
Service development
Proposing service methodologies, enabling the international sales team to increase market development activity while responding effectively to tender opportunities.
Applying educational assessment expertise in the sales process; improving the quality of sales proposals, enabling more effective identification of sales opportunities, and sharing best practice.
Leading on needs analyses with prospective clients to inform proposals and help shape client procurement activity.
Collaborating with sales, product, finance and delivery colleagues, whilst acting as the voice of the customer, to hone compelling bespoke service offerings that meet margin targets and AQA’s quality standards.
Keeping up to date with assessment methods and tools in order to advise prospective customers effectively and support sales and marketing colleagues.
Representing AQA Global as an education expert in marketing campaign materials.
Financial Management
Supporting the Director of Sales & Marketing in the preparation of the annual sales forecast and then to deliver against that forecast.
Preparing monthly reports on opportunities, updates to the forecast revenue and progress against targets.
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
Essential Criteria
In depth experience in scoping, designing, and positioning educational/assessment solutions, with a consultative sales approach and strong account management capability.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, influence stakeholders, negotiate effectively, and challenge constructively.
Strong analytical, problemsolving, and decisionmaking skills, with the ability to evaluate options, balance risk and opportunity, and make sound commercial decisions and recommendations which help shape AQA’s strategy
Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, able to work independently and collaboratively across teams.
Ability to understand client requirements and translate them into compelling service propositions aligned to best practice.
Demonstrated ability to lead bid responses, review tender documentation, identify risks, and shape highquality proposals.
Commercially astute, able to assess profitability and contribute to annual planning and sales target delivery.
Willingness to undertake travel.
Desierable Criteria
A mastery of assessment methodology (eg, Classical/IRT, principles of good assessment design)
Experience working on government or donor-funded projects
A track record in delivering successful assessment projects
Experience working on projects that support employability and sector specific skills or vocational