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Test Publishing Quality Assurance Analyst
Pearson
Manchester, , United Kingdom
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Description
Pearson VUE (www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in computer-based testing for information technology, academic, government and professional testing programs around the world. Pearson VUE provides a full suite of services from test development to data management, and delivers exams through the world’s most comprehensive and secure network of test centres in more than 180 countries, where we validate the skills and knowledge of millions of individuals every year. Pearson VUE offers a great environment to start or grow your career, we are now hiring for a Test Publishing Quality Assurance Analyst to join our team based in Salford Quays.
Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson, the world's leading learning company with global-reach and market-leading businesses. Pearson is listed on both the London and New York stock exchanges (UK: PSON; NYSE: PSO).
We believe in equal opportunity and employ people solely on the basis of their skills and abilities.
Qualifications
Responsibilities
• Design qualifications and assessments that meet technical and standards requirements and are valid, reliable and fit to be accredited.
• Maintain up-to-date understanding of current teaching practice and pedagogy to design qualifications that inspire, engage and promote best learning practices.
• Understand principles of assessment and enable coherent assessment techniques to be applied, to ensure valid and reliable standards for assessment outcomes. This involves being actively engaged in the research phase of development projects to understand the needs of teachers, learned societies, professional bodies, higher education and employer stakeholder groups. It also involves collaboration with technical experts across Pearson to ensure that the qualification structures and assessment models we design are fit for purpose in being to standard, regulatory compliant, operable and, most importantly, in enabling learners to progress in their lives through learning.
• Produce qualification and assessment content that meets stakeholder needs (including learners)
• Embed stakeholder feedback in the creation of qualification and assessment content to ensure that our intellectual property is relevant and is efficacious for our learners, ensuring that the qualifications have international currency, through being demanding, rigorous, inclusive and empowering This will mean taking ownership of the standard of our qualifications, and the overall quality and accuracy of the accredited content, through detailed checking, editing and reviewing of content against principles and expectations of our stakeholders. Of paramount importance is that the requirements of teaching and assessment are clear so that the standard can be correctly interpreted and applied.
• Manage writers of specifications and sample assessment materials
• Recruit, train, manage and evaluate writers and subject/sector specialists involved in the development process, ensuring that they are on brief and deliver quality content on time. This involves checking the quality and availability of our existing writer resource to identify expertise gaps, and the sourcing of new writer talent where required. It means co-ordinating the contracting, training and management of writers of specifications and sample assessment materials, giving appropriate support throughout development. This is so that we produce high-quality content and continue to develop our writer capability.
• Manage the development and approval process
• Lead the subject/sector team through the development and approval process for qualifications. This involves facilitating a culture of collaboration and trust to foster a great team ethic where diverse views and expertise are respected and valued. This bringing together of the unique contributions of our people enables us to produce world class qualifications and sample assessments. This will mean taking responsibility for ensuring effective collaboration, providing leadership, enabling effective resolution of potential risks and issues and taking accountability for making decisions.
• Effective leadership will also mean creating and managing the project plan and budget for developments, ensuring that all qualifications and sample assessments follow departmental quality assurance processes, and that our qualifications and sample assessments satisfy regulatory requirements.
• This position is responsible for a variety of tasks with the ultimate objective of ensuring that exams function reliably by verifying and validating them against the client’s specification in order to prevent any potential issues being experienced by clients or candidates.
Key Responsibilities
• Understand and be confident using all aspects of the Pearson VUE’s test driver software including compile and view, candidate simulator and the inspection repository to allow full and detailed checks to be completed on all tasks.
• Work with the Test Publishing, Content Development and Programme Management teams to provide a high standard of Quality Assurance for all tasks assigned to the TPQA (Test Publishing Quality Assurance) team.
• Understand and be comfortable using Pearson VUE’s proprietary software including VSS, delivery manager and registration manager to run a full end-to-end quality check of an exam.
• Pro-actively maintain a good technical knowledge to allow all basic computer and TPQA team tasks to be completed effectively.
• Plan work effectively to ensure that tasks assigned to the TPQA team meet their deadlines and maintain the highest quality standards.
• Pro-actively plan for the future attainment of goals.
• Effective and timely completion of personal objectives, requested reports and administration requests, in addition to documentation of systems and processes.
• At all times, throughout all tasks, request support, assistance and guidance as required from manager.
• All employees have a responsibility to co-operate in promoting and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment, and to take reasonable care of their own health and safety at work and that of all other staff that may be affected by their acts or omissions. Line managers have specific responsibility for the health and safety of their direct reports and other team members for which they have general management responsibility.
• All employees are also responsible for supporting and implementing the company’s policies and procedures around the Health and Safety, Security, Quality and Business Continuity arrangements that apply in their role/work function. Full details of these policies and procedures are available on SharePoint.
Key Activities
• Work closely with Test Publishing, Content Development and Programme Management teams to create effective test packs for product assessment, developing procedures for streamlining the QA process and documenting procedures and maintaining the QA system environment.
• Review, check and assure client exams for consistency with source files.
• Provide detailed feedback on any differences found between the Clients Specification document and the exam components.
• Pro-actively analyse and make recommendations to improve exam publishing and TPQA processes, tools and templates.
• Use common-sense to provide detailed, timely, efficient tracking and reporting on all assigned projects.
• Experience in areas of forecasting and prioritizing assigned tasks strongly preferred.
Essential Experience & Qualifications
• Higher educational qualification required, preferably in a technology related field.
• Experience and understanding of Quality Assurance methodologies.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and other Office applications
• Detailed, logical and common-sense approach to daily task, objectives, goals and projects.
• Strong organisational and time management skills, coupled with the ability to work on own initiative.
• Fast-paced completion of daily tasks and objectives, evidence of a high energy approach.
• Proven problem identification and solving skills.
• The ability to work in a dynamic team environment coupled with the ability to successfully communicate to all audience types and across multiple cultures.
• Keen eye for detail.
• Proven outstanding level and knowledge of English language (written and verbal).
• Good communication skills allowing staff to provide feedback on issues found with exams to be discussed and addressed in a professional and positive manner.
• Ability to remain consistent and steadfast with tasks assigned.
• Excellent customer service and skills.
• Flexibility related to workflow and changing priorities required.
• Full valid, non-restrictive passport to work in the UK
• Due to the nature of our clients a full and valid, non-restrictive UK driving license would be an advantage.
Desirable Experience & Qualifications
• Working experience in Windows, and a Microsoft network.
• Experience in areas of forecasting and prioritizing assigned tasks strongly preferred.
• Process improvement methodology knowledge
• Knowledge of another European or non-European language would be beneficial.
Working Arrangements
• 37.5 hours per week
• Normal office environment
• Flexibility required working additional hours to meet client needs and to work with colleagues globally. Occasional visits to other offices may be required.