Development Manager

Job Purpose: This role is responsible for leading the design and development of vocational teaching and learning products and services that include qualifications, sample assessments, End-Point-Assessments, digital or printed teaching and learning content, that meet the needs of learners, customers/clients and stakeholders, and are compliant with the requirements of governments and regulators. This involves collecting a strong evidence base and being strategic and creative in finding design solutions that are attractive to learners and customers and are fit for purpose and support progression. 

This role: 

• generates strong evidence bases for the design and development of products and services that are aligned with our business and sector strategies 
• designs and develops products and services that are attractive to learners and customers, meet stakeholder needs and are compliant with the requirements of governments, regulators, clients and Pearson quality policies and procedures 
• designs and develops products and services to time, budget and quality, recruiting, briefing, training and performance managing best-in-class writing teams 
• works collaboratively across Pearson to ensure smooth implementation of new qualifications including ensuring the clarity, consistency and technical accuracy of product support through the lifecycle for the portfolio of qualifications allocated 
• works collaboratively across Pearson to bring together the technical, customer and sector/industry expertise to inform the design and development of products and services, and to contribute to the continual improvement of how we do things as a department and as a wider business 

Main responsibilities: 

1. Insight and market shaping 

• Generate a strong evidence base for the design and development of products and services (via learner, customer, and competitor research) 
• Collaborate with colleagues to establish a good understanding of customer and learner needs and behaviours (for work on developments, amendments and support materials) 
• Develop and maintain insight into best practice (teaching and learning, assessment and the link between them) 
• Represent Pearson in meetings with stakeholders as part of the development process, e.g. employers, sector stakeholders, governments, regulators 

2. Product strategy and financial management 

• Develop strategies for designing and developing products and services that are both attractive to learners and customers and compliant with the requirements of governments and regulators. 
• Contribute to sector strategy development 
• Manage OPEX and CAPEX budgets 

3. Product design and development 

• Design and develop winning products and services that meet learner, customer and stakeholder needs, and are compliant with regulatory, government and client requirements and Pearson quality policies and procedures 
• Translate suite- or portfolio-level principles into winning proposals and qualification and assessment designs and client solutions 
• Lead the product and services development and/or tender process (design, development, internal approval, accreditation and government approval) to time, budget and quality 
• Provide regular management information detailing risks and issues with appropriate mitigations that ensure delivery to time, budget and quality 
• Recruit, brief, train and performance manage writers in a strategic way to deliver winning qualifications and assessments to time, budget and quality 
• Manage the updating and maintenance of specifications and sample assessment materials through the lifecycle for the portfolio of qualifications allocated 

4. Implementation, customer experience and campaigns 

Collaborate with colleagues to: 

• ensure effective set up and implementation of new products and services 
• maintain the accuracy and validity of products and services through their lifecycle 
• ensure a positive customer and learner experience in delivery through the lifecycle 
• ensure the clarity, consistency and technical accuracy of product support through the lifecycle for the portfolio of qualifications allocated 
• identify opportunities to improve our product support and the customer and learner experience 

5. Leadership and management 

• Work effectively in virtual teams across Pearson to ensure a positive working culture in support of Pearson strategy, e.g. development, bid and virtual sector teams 
• Champion a ‘learner and customer first’ culture across Pearson, ensuring there is good understanding of what is important to learners and customers and that all decisions are made with reference to their needs 
• Lead on departmental initiatives to deliver better service to our customers and learners, drive growth, develop commercial partnerships with stakeholders and other third parties, and influence major stakeholders 
• Mentor and manage staff as required 

Qualifications and experience: 

Essential 

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent 
• Experience and understanding of the UK and/or international education and qualifications market and environment 
• Experience of working on the design, and/or development of qualifications 
• Experience of balancing a commercial focus with regulatory/legal requirements and assessment validity to create solutions for customers that are practical and have competitive advantage 
• Experience and knowledge of assessment techniques and principles 
• Experience of leading and/or working effectively in virtual teams 
• Project management experience 

Desirable 

• Teaching experience 
• Experience of working on operation of qualifications 
• Experience and understanding of allocated sector / sectors 
• Experience of developing customised qualification and assessment solutions for tenders 
• Design and development of digital learning/teaching resources 
• Experience of managing budgets 

Skills and competencies 

Essential 

• Organisationally agile 
• Influences without authority 
• Ability to motivate, lead and empower others 
• Prioritises and makes effective decisions 
• Commercial acumen 
• Customer empathy 
• Creative and lateral thinker 
• Strategic thinker 
• Strong communicator with good interpersonal skills 
• Collaboration skills 
• Outcomes-oriented 
• Digitally able and focused