Application Delivery Manager

Application Delivery Manager

Location: Manchester Employment type: Permanent Salary: £77,100 - £87,200 Working arrangements: Hybrid, with two days a week in the office including Thursday as the team anchor day

About the role

Shape how enterprise applications change is delivered across AQA. This is a new senior leadership role with the scope to shape AQA's Enterprise Applications delivery approach. You'll bring internal teams, specialist partners and matrix-managed resources together to deliver high-quality, impactful change across a growing software portfolio that includes Dynamics 365, Power Platform and enterprise AI.

Your decisions will help AQA maximise our growing technology investment and support the services colleagues and customers rely on to deliver fair assessment for learners.

You'll join the Enterprise Applications leadership team and lead the functional technology change delivery teams. This is an IT leadership role focused on building Product development delivery capability and achieving business outcomes. You'll own the view of delivery demand, capacity and capability, make evidence-led choices about priorities and sourcing to optimise the blended operating model that can grow with AQA's needs.

Purpose

To provide leadership and accountability for the Enterprise Applications change delivery team, ensuring internal teams, supplier partners and matrix-managed functions operate as an integrated delivery function, aligned to AQA's strategic priorities. To apply best practice change approaches to define, drive, evolve and embed the change delivery model to maximize delivery efficiency, effectiveness and output excellence, ensuring strategic projects, continuous improvement enhancements and functionality releases are delivered efficiently, safely and in support of business priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary internal Functional teams, supplier partners and matrix-managed business analysis and testing resources as one coordinated delivery function
• Agree priorities and allocate capacity across strategic projects, product enhancements and releases
• Resolve resource pressures, challenge unrealistic demand and escalate material risks with clear options
• Hold internal teams and delivery partners to account for quality, pace, value, risk and agreed outcomes
• Strengthen Agile delivery, governance, quality assurance, testing, release management and documentation
• Build a forward view of demand, skills, capacity and sourcing needs as the application portfolio grows
• Coach your direct reports, develop capability and create clear ownership for successful transition into live service
• Lead Product Functional Delivery Teams, external delivery partners and matrix managed support teams as a streamlined, coordinated function to ensure maximum velocity and high quality outcomes
• Define, implement, drive and evolve the change delivery approach in line with best practice, and continually improve ways of working to ensure delivery efficiency, pace and output excellence
• Provide clear delivery leadership by making evidence-based prioritisation decisions, challenging unrealistic demand, resolving resource contention and escalating material risks and delivery challenges with recommended options
• Develop and maintain a forward view of delivery demand, capability, capacity and sourcing needs, ensuring the change delivery model remains fit for strategic priorities and future portfolio growth
• Ensure ongoing delivery of maximised product value aligned with strategic objectives and manage resource contentions accordingly
• Own supplier delivery performance for assigned change activity, ensuring partners are held to account for quality, pace, value, risk management and agreed outcomes
• Proactively anticipate, identify and address capability and resource development needs and gaps
• Design, cost and implement appropriate change delivery models for new applications as they arise
• Work with inputs from Senior Functionals and Product Management to translate business demands, priorities and functional opportunities into deliverable change
• Collaborate with Programme and Portfolio leads to align strategic delivery outcomes
• Drive delivery governance, quality assurance (incl. documentation) and continual improvement, supporting AQA's ongoing alignment with legal/regulatory requirements and standards
• Undertake other responsibilities of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile where business needs change

Key accountabilities

• Ensure coordinated performance of direct reports, supplier resources and matrix-managed delivery teams, ensuring clear ownership, effective prioritisation and reliable delivery outcomes
• Successful delivery of ongoing pipeline of projects, enhancements and releases in line with strategic and business objectives - high quality outcomes at pace
• Achieve appropriate balance of strategic, project and Continuous Improvement level change
• Visible, accountable leadership of multidisciplinary teams, setting clear expectations, developing capability, coaching performance and creating a culture of ownership, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Accountable for developing team capability, performance standards and succession strength
• Optimal utilisation of internal capability and delivery partners to leverage skillsets and capacity
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and management – need to communicate, negotiate, influence and challenge effectively
• Delivery quality, governance, testing and release management. Proactive risk and continuity management
• Accountable for translating strategic priorities and data driven decision making into realistic delivery plans and measurable outcomes
• Drive the continuous improvement of delivery capability, approaches and standards, proactively implement innovations e.g. use of AI
• Successful transition of changes into live service

Essential criteria

• Experience leading successful enterprise SaaS application delivery teams, including managing multidisciplinary internal teams and partners (3rd parties)
• Strong commercial, governance and risk management judgement
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and challenge constructively where priorities, scope or resources are misaligned
• Expert level product knowledge of SaaS products including Dynamics 365, Power Platform, AI tools (copilot studio, foundry). Microsoft certification preferred
• Expert knowledge of best practice change delivery methodologies (incl. Agile), standards and tools (incl. Azure DevOps)
• Experience holding suppliers and delivery partners to account for outcome-based performance
• Programme/project management skillset – cross portfolio planning & delivery experience
• Exceptional interpersonal skills for stakeholder engagement, influence and negotiation
• Agile/Project Management certifications
• ITIL certified

Desirable qualities

• Comfortable making decisions across a complex portfolio while bringing people with you and keeping the focus on achievable outcomes
• Knowledge of cloud SaaS change delivery, ideally across Dynamics 365, Power Platform or enterprise AI, or closely transferable platforms
• Knowledge of optimal uses of AI within enterprise solutions and to enhance software delivery processes
• Evidence of prioritising competing demand, allocating constrained resources and turning strategy into realistic delivery plans

What we offer

• 35-hour working week with flexible, hybrid working
• 25 days' annual leave, rising to 30, plus Christmas closure days
• Benefits package including up to 11.5% pension contribution, Bupa healthcare support, wellbeing programmes and volunteering opportunities
• The chance to lead change across a growing enterprise SaaS portfolio and help embed AI-enabled improvement
• An inclusive, values-led culture with employee networks including LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, empowering women, wellbeing, ethnic diversity and Interfaith
• The opportunity to shape an evolving function, influence important technology decisions and make a meaningful contribution to education while growing your leadership impact

Application process

• Application deadline: 26th October
• First stage: Online competency and technical interview week commencing 2nd November
• Final stage: Face to face in Manchester office week commencing 9th November

Apply with your CV and a cover letter to opportunities@aqa.org.uk

About AQA

AQA is an independent charity that sets and marks over half of all GCSEs and A-levels in the UK every year. Our purpose is to advance education by helping students and teachers to realise their potential. As part of AQA, you'll very quickly appreciate the determination and unwavering passion to deliver this goal in everything we do. AQA invests in the development of its people by offering a range of professional development and learning opportunities, leading to over 50% of permanent roles being filled internally.

Diversity and inclusion

AQA is committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Reasonable adjustments

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in the role, please contact Faye Harrison (she/her) at fharrison@aqa.org.uk or 07813 724161, and she'll direct you to the right person.

Additional information

• The Enterprise Applications portfolio is experiencing increasing demand for application enhancements, strategic project change, platform evolution and AI-enabled capability. The volume, complexity and pace of change are increasing as the application landscape and functionality expands, and organisational priorities evolve.
• Reporting into the Head of Enterprise Applications as part of the Enterprise Apps Leadership team, this role manages and drives the team change delivery engine using both internal and 3rd party resource, including direct line management of internal Senior Functional Consultants and matrix management of Analyst & Test functions.
• Core products in the current stack include Dynamics 365, Power Platform and Enterprise AI. The product stack coverage within the remit may expand and evolve over time.
• The change delivery approaches must support AQA's ongoing alignment with legal/regulatory requirements and standards such as UK GDPR, ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
• AQA is committed to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk.
• Due to the confidential nature of our work, AQA is unable to employ people for temporary roles who are currently a candidate for Key Stage 4 and 5 public examinations.

Reference: #LI-JM1 #STEC