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About the Role

The Director of Examinations plays an important role within the College, providing strategic leadership, oversight and delivery of our exam function in the UK and overseas, ensuring alignment with best practice and GMC standards. This role has responsibility for a budget of £2M+ and for the delivery of exams to around 3,000 candidates each year. The postholder is also responsible for leading a team of six members of staff and forms a key part of our Senior Leadership Team, taking corporate responsibility for the overall direction and operational management of the College.

Responsibilities

Oversee the strategic direction and delivery of exams, including strategic leadership, development and implementation of long-term exams strategy, and ensuring examinations meet GMC standards.
Lead strategic planning, financial management, and performance of the examinations function, ensuring delivery within budget and identifying opportunities for innovation.
Champion an outstanding candidate and stakeholder experience, ensuring high standards of customer service, accessibility, fairness, and professionalism.
Provide executive leadership for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of policies, assessment methodologies, and quality assurance frameworks.
Oversee governance arrangements for examination appeals, reasonable adjustments, examination security, and risk management.
Ensure comprehensive monitoring and analysis of examination performance, assessment outcomes, and equality data.
Drive the development and implementation of digital solutions to improve resilience, efficiency, data quality, and the candidate experience.
Lead the strategic development and expansion of the College's international examination portfolio.
Ensure appropriate governance, oversight, and maintenance of systems, policies, guidance, and digital resources.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and evidence-based practice across the examinations function.
Foster close and constructive relationships with key stakeholders, including examiners, psychometricians, clinical leaders, regulators, and international delivery partners.
Provide strategic oversight of the recruitment, development, and performance of the College's volunteer examiner workforce.
Serve as the executive lead for the College's Examinations Committee and its subcommittee structure.
Lead the College's relationship with the GMC, acting as the principal point of engagement on examination matters.
Build and maintain productive relationships with key UK stakeholders, including the Postgraduate Dean for Ophthalmology, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), NHS partners, and other professional bodies.
Lead the College's engagement with international partners, including examination delivery organisations, host institutions, and the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COESCA).
Represent the College externally on matters relating to examinations and assessment.
Provide executive leadership of the team, creating a high-performing, collaborative, and customer-focused culture.
Lead, develop, and empower the team through effective coaching, succession planning, and identification of professional development opportunities.
Establish clear individual and team objectives aligned to the College's strategic priorities, monitoring performance, and fostering accountability.
Promote effective communication and collaboration across the team.
Ensure robust financial stewardship, including strategic financial planning, budget management, and long-term forecasting.
Provide strategic advice, analysis, and assurance to the Board of Trustees and Finance Committee.
Establish effective governance and programme management arrangements to deliver strategic initiatives.
Play a full and active role as a member of the SLT, contributing to the development and delivery of the College's strategy and organisational priorities.
Provide visible organisational leadership, promoting collaboration across teams and embedding a one-College approach.
Contribute to the development, implementation, and review of College-wide policies, governance arrangements, and organisational processes.
Share collective corporate responsibility for decisions taken by the SLT and Board of Trustees.
Lead and contribute to cross-organisational change programmes and strategic projects.
Champion and role model the College's values, behaviours, and leadership expectations.
Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Chief Executive.
Extensive travel in the UK and overseas is required, alongside working outside normal hours from time to time during exam sittings.

Requirements

Degree or equivalent professional qualification
Significant senior leadership experience in examinations, education, assessment or a professional membership organisation
Experience of leading high-stakes assessment or examination services, including quality assurance and regulatory compliance
Experience of strategic planning, budget management and organisational performance
Experience of leading, developing and motivating high-performing teams
Experience of working with Boards, committees, regulators and senior stakeholders
Experience of leading organisational or digital change programmes
Willingness to travel within the UK and internationally and work occasional evenings or weekends during examination periods

Skills

Strategic leadership with strong planning, analytical and decision-making skills
Excellent communication, influencing and relationship management skills
Financial and commercial awareness with the ability to manage resources effectively
Ability to lead change, manage risk and deliver continuous improvement
Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results
Collaborative, inclusive and values-driven leader who demonstrates integrity, professionalism and sound judgement
Resilient, adaptable and committed to innovation, continuous improvement and customer excellence
Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and to continuing professional development

Location

London, UK

Work Type

Full Time
Hybrid working: two days in the office (one of which is Thursday), and three from home

Experience Level

Senior leadership experience

Education Level

Degree or equivalent professional qualification

Salary/Compensations

£72,306 - £75,921 / year

Benefits

Work life balance and family friendly benefits
Hybrid working
25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days with length of service
Bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year
One day of paid leave to move house
Enhanced parental leave
Employer pension contributions up to a maximum of 12%
Opportunities for learning and development
Comprehensive e-learning package
Study loans
Season ticket loan
Cycle to work scheme
Summer Fridays (staff can finish 90 minutes early from mid-July to the end of August)
Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme (with access to free counselling sessions)
Health Cash Plan

About the Company

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists is a membership organisation and the voice of the profession, with 4,750 members in the UK and overseas.
Our role is to champion the specialty, set standards of training and practice, and influence change to make a difference to the lives of patients with eye conditions.

Equal Opportunity

The College is committed to encouraging inclusion, equity and diversity among our staff, and eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation by complying with the Equality Act 2010.
We want a working environment where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
To do this, we will proactively tackle discrimination and disadvantage and ensure that no individual or group is directly or indirectly discriminated against for any reason.
We expect all employees to champion and live our values through their work at every opportunity.