Career Opportunity at British Council

Region: Sub Saharan Africa
Department: English & Exams
Job Category: Exams
Pay Band: 4

Purpose of Job

• To support Examination Services in Nigeria in delivering examinations on behalf of UK examination boards.
• To provide a great branded customer experience for our clients and to maintain them at the highest professional standards as set out in the British Council's QCA (Quality and Compliance Standards), project outcomes, examinations boards and partner requirements.

The following are particularly important in the way we work:

• We are completely compliant in all aspects of examination delivery. we are entrepreneurial in seeking and exploiting new opportunities;
• We focus on delivering excellence to the customer in order to achieve maximum impact;
• We work with and through partners to ensure that our work is relevant and to increase impact and sustainability;
• We are forward-thinking in our use of new technologies to communicate with our audiences and to deliver services;
• We are clear and confident about our offer to partners and customers: access to UK excellence; our reputation as a trusted partner and provider; our ability to work across sectors; our access to international networks;
• We put our values - people, creativity, mutuality, professionalism, integrity - at the heart of our work. We are committed to equal opportunity and to the celebration and promotion of diversity and inclusion.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities
(including people management and finance)

• As Exams Officer, the post holder will be line managed by the Assistant Country Exams Manager
• This role will support delivery of the different examinations administered from the Abuja office.
• All administrative procedures are in full compliance with Examination boards, Partners and EQCA standards.
• Reliability: to ensure examinations are delivered securely according to board requirements
• Quality and Compliance: to deliver a high standard of customer service as measured by our own Exams Quality and Compliance Assessment, Customer Service Standards and examination boards as required.
• Finance: all British Council standards for managing finances are met with relation to income reconciliations, cash handling, managing POs, managing contracts and procurement.
• Information Knowledge Management: Manage information created and received in compliance with the Council's information management standards, policies, the UK Data Protection Principles and local legislation.

Main Duties

Administration of examinations in Abuja:

• Exam registration procedures including receiving and collating registration forms for the Abuja area: exam board registration portals, payments and exams correspondence including dispatch of results, entering and retrieving data on CIE Direct, IWAS as the case may be
• Overseeing and taking delivery of examinations materials and checking them prior to exams commencing, packing and returning scripts daily, maintaining logs appropriately.
• Preparing candidate registration forms.
• Answering enquiries about exams.

Exam Delivery:

• Delivering Examinations on test days which includes:
  • Supervision of venue staff
  • Ensuring adherence to examination day procedures

Post-Examination administration:

• Secure and accurate despatch of test answers and materials to the examination board. Maintaining accurate logs of examination paper movements.
• Using up-to-date knowledge of PSN and IWAS/ESOLCOMMS to generate test report forms and jagged profiles when delegated by the ACEM
• Effective delegation of duties when absent on leave or through illness etc.
• Shredding examination materials while recording this in accordance with PSN standards and keeping accurate records of the movement of live materials when delegated by the ACEM
• To keep a database of suspected malpractice cases

Venue Staff:

• Venue staff creation and payment.
• To be part of the recruitment, training and monitoring team for venue staff.
• To schedule venue staff for examination sessions.

Exams Team Support:

• To assist in planning teacher training events for CIE attached and potential attached schools
• To manage recruitment, training, monitoring of support staff for the Abuja exams team.
• To support the IELTS team in maintaining logs of preparation materials for IELTS
• To support the IELTS team in managing IELTS preparation courses in Nigeria
• To assist the Abuja Exams team in delivery of schools-specific events.
• To assist Exam/Grant Funded Services (GFS) project managers in delivery of Education/Skills-specific events, including assisting with managing relationships with stakeholders.

Marketing & Customer Service:

• To follow a programme of visits to schools to build relationships with existing and potential clients to expand the business.
• To assist the ACEM in appropriate marketing of CIE and other examinations in Abuja and Northern Nigeria
• To assist the Regional Sales Manager in collecting qualitative and quantitative marketing data in order to contribute to the marketing action plan and support business development.
• Seeking and using customer feedback to improve service delivery.
• To assist in customer service, delivery of other examinations and other duties as required in this small office, especially in times of staff absences.

Finance:

• To prepare and submit income reconciliations to agreed timescales.
• To record income correctly on the FABS system and in a timely manner.
• To process payment on time for support staff we engage in test administration
• To comply with Contract and Procurement standards.

Key Relationships

• Internal: Country Exams Manager, Deputy Country Exams Manager, Assistant Country Exams Manager, Head of Marketing, IELTS Administrator, Assistant IELTS Administrator, Training Manager, Customer Service Manager, Regional Sales Managers, Centre Manager Port Harcourt, Exams Officers in Lagos and Port Harcourt, Customer Service Staff Nigeria, Finance Manager Nigeria. Schools and Project Managers etc
• External: CIE, Edexcel, AQA UK and SSA representatives, School Principals, Schools examinations co-ordinators, AISEN, APEN and other professional teaching associations, IELTS RMT, IELTS Examiners, venue staff, enquirers, candidates, Regional Exams Manager.

Other Important Features or Requirements of the job
(e.g. travel, unsocial/evening hours, restrictions on employment etc)

• Flexible working hours during peak periods (May/June & November/December) for CIE, ACCA, University of London etc is required.  Examination delivery deadlines are absolute; therefore, out of hours working may be required in order to meet these deadlines.
• IELTS tests are usually held on Saturdays and Sundays and some early evenings. Professional and vocational examinations are also occasionally held on Saturdays. Rostered working on Saturdays, Sundays and some evenings is required. Travel to administer/monitor these tests in centres outside of Abuja is required.
• Test deadlines are absolute; therefore, out of office hours working may be required to meet these deadlines. Travel to administer/monitor examinations in centres outside of Abuja may be required. Overnight stays and weekend working may be required.

Person Specification

Behaviours
Essential:

• Working together (essential): Establishing a genuinely common goal with others.
• Making it happen (essential):
• Being Accountable (more demanding)

Assessment stage
Interview

• Creating Shared Purpose (essential)
• Shaping the future (essential): Look for ways in which we can do things better.
• Connecting with others (essential): Making regular opportunities to understand others better.

Assessment stage
These behaviours will be needed to successfully carry out the role, but will not be assessed for recruitment purposes

Skills and Knowledge
Essential:

• Marketing and Customer Service - Level 1
• Computer Skills - Level 1
• English Language proficiency to IELTS band 7.5 in all areas (or equivalent).

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the education and qualification systems in the UK and Nigeria

Assessment Stage
Short listing & Interview:

Experience
Essential:

• Dealing with customers and enquiries in a service environment.
• Providing and monitoring service within quality standards.
• Working quickly and accurately to tight deadlines.
• Experience of handling and reporting on payments from customers.

Desirable:

• Experience of delivering examinations in a timely and secure manner.
• Managing and training casual staff

Assessment Stage
Short listing & Interview:

Qualifications
Essential:

• Secondary School Education up to ‘A’ Level standard.

Desirable:

• A qualification in examinations management.
  

Application Closing Date
23:59 UK time 19th February, 2016.