Senior Assessment Officer

Job description

The King’s community is dedicated to the service of society. King’s Strategic Vision 2029 sets out our vision for the future, shaped around five priority areas: educate to inspire and improve; research to inform and innovate; serve to shape and transform; a civic university at the heart of London; and an international community that services the world. Our ambitious Education Strategy sets out the actions that we must take to transform how we teach, how and where our students learn and how we support them during their time with us.  

The Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences is seeking to recruit Senior Assessment Officer situated within the Assessment Team. The role is responsible for the delivery of professional, service lead administrative provision of all aspects of the assessment lifecycle. To assist with the administration of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and BSc Dental Therapy and Hygiene (DTH) assessment activities, taking the lead with the management of some assessments, ensuring the smooth running of the BDS, BSc DTH exams and the external Overseas Registration Examination (ORE), run by King’s College London on behalf of the General Dental Council. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract   

This is a full-time  post

Key responsibilities

• Work with relevant colleagues to plan assessment cycles, considering the provision of processes throughout the academic year, identifying priorities and demonstrating flexibility throughout the cycle, recognising when priorities change, amending plans and adjusting work patterns accordingly.  
• Coordinate assessment administration processes relevant to the area of work, in line with university deadlines and regulations, and Faculty and external requirements. 
• To help co-ordinate the BDS and BSc DTH assessments administration for all assessed programme activity from candidate invites to final results, including production of assessment material for examinations: written, online and clinical, exam coordination and running, and results calculation and checking. 
• To ensure the provision of accurate and reliable assessment results to boards in order that students receive timely results. 
• To assist with the quality assurance and checking processes in place for assessment and provide statistical analysis of the results as part of the review process. 
• Coordinate the management of day-to-day assessment enquiries with the Assessment Officers to provide responses as appropriate within agreed timeframes, taking responsibility for responding directly to more complex enquiries and escalating with line manager when required. 
• Ensure that quality assurance requirements and, where required, accreditation requirements are met for all provision. To service committees and assessment boards as directed by your line manager.  
• Develop and improve the assessment processes through eliciting and responding to service user feedback, identifying and suggesting service improvements and implementing new ways of working as directed.  
• Work flexibly as part of a team, supporting others in times of high-volume activity. Participating in and coordinating new starter inductions. Covering staff absence and deputising for the line manager as and when required. 
• Work with the wider university community to ensure up-to-date and consistent practices are followed when utilising systems (e.g., student records systems and virtual learning environments) to undertake both day-to-day functions and higher-level processes such as reporting and extracting data, ensuring accuracy of data and identifying and resolving issues. 
• Engage with and triage students’ pastoral care needs, resolving straightforward issues where appropriate and escalating with, and informing, key stakeholders as per university frameworks. 
• Receive, investigate and resolve low-level complaints and address service setbacks, exercising judgement and escalating to line manager where required. 
• Take personal accountability for the data quality of student records, ensuring records are accurately maintained in accordance with the agreed retention schedules. 
• Ensure all work is carried out in a professional and timely manner, with appropriate confidentiality and sensitivity. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the data protection requirements and to support Freedom of Information and subject access requests. 
• Carry out other reasonable responsibilities commensurate with the grading of the post as required.  

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.  

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.      Educated to degree level 

2.      Excellent written and oral communication skills including the ability to draft documents and correspondence autonomously to a broad range of audiences  

3.      Strong numeracy skills and ability to analyse complex numerical data 

4.      Excellent time management and organisational skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines 

5.      Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office software (Word, Outlook etc) and a high-level of competence using Microsoft Excel 

6.      Data driven decision making approach, utilising appropriate information as required 

7.      Experience in the use of databases and student records systems (such as SITS) to provide management information data to a high level of detail and accuracy  

8.      Experience of stakeholder management, ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders in a professional and assured manner  

9.      Experience of working in a customer facing environment with a knowledge of how to address complaints and service setbacks in a professional and efficient manner 

10.    Experience of managing clinical and written assessments (including online examinations), or similar high stakes events management experience 

11.    Have a methodical but flexible approach to work, maintaining a high level of accuracy with attention to detail 

12.    Proactive approach, and the ability to work independently 

13.    Ability to work under pressure to complete a range of competing priorities, and requesting and utilising support as and when required 

14.    Customer service-oriented approach with a commitment to personal accountability and continuous improvement 

15.    Commitment to equality and diversity in the workplace 

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of using virtual learning environments 

2.      Experience of supervision or line management