Leading on key aspects of policy for the Advanced British Standard.

Leading T Level technical qualification policy design (the new 'gold standard' technical alternative to A Levels in England) including:• working with analysts, external researchers and stakeholders to develop the evidence base for reforms• testing policy assumptions with stakeholders (training providers, students, employers and universities) including through public consultation• providing advice to Ministers, Special Advisers on evidence-based policy options Leading implementation of T Level policy through:• developing programme plans, risk management, performance indicators and reporting structure• working with Arms-Length Bodies (ALBs) and legal teams to develop commercial contracts, Invitation to Tender (ITT) and regulations• working with digital teams, UX designers and content developers to help develop.gov.uk digital platform ‘Manage T Level Results’ • handling parliamentary questions supporting debates and communicating effectively with delivery partners and stakeholders • working with parliamentary teams, Ministers to develop and enact secondary legislation• working with Treasury Officials to agree budget allocation for aspects of T Level policy• refining policy and processes as required by being responsive to new information, including through pilot projects

Management and Leadership• Establishing quality standards and ways of working for a department of 20 staff working with over 1000 external associates and approx. 2,800 schools and colleges.• Coaching, mentoring, managing performance for 8 direct reports. Programme and project management • Leading design, accreditation and launch of 12 Arts GCSEs and A-levels, whilst managing customer service to 2,800 existing schools and production of 42 high-stakes assessments (each year) for 175,000 GCSE and A-level students.Financial management; budget control and financial planning, including:• Managing and setting £2M budget, reducing costs by £300,000 over four years.• Developing break even analysis, pricing models and payback projections for new GCSEs and A-levels accounting for £4.5M contribution.Stakeholder engagement; Establishing and maintaining effective relationships in complex, highly politicised environments, for example:• Securing public endorsement from school, college, higher education and industry leaders of AQA reformed GCSEs and A-levels and support package across portfolio. • Strong working relationships with delivery partners (DfE and Ofqual) in design and delivery of new GCSE and A-levels. • Engaging prominent stakeholders in active support of low entry subjects, such as the National Gallery in support of History of Art.• Securing sponsorship for an annual ‘Creative Education Conference’ from Nokia, The Really Useful Group, EA Games, Siemens and the National Theatre. • Promoting inclusivity by ensuring disabled practitioners now mandatory learning for the first time in Dance GCSE.

Led a department of 10 staff, with 4 direct reports, and over 400 contractors to ensure GCSEs and A levels across 4 creative subjects were effectively offered at over 2800 schools and colleges.

Leadership• Led a team of 10 assessment and curriculum experts to deliver a range of high-profile complex projects that required high levels of stakeholder engagement. Key role in developing proposals for formation of two ALBs - Ofqual and QCDA.Policy design, working with team of external consultants to:• Design and secure buy-in to multi-agency annual development process for diploma qualifications.• Develop governance arrangements for partnership working across DCSF, QCA, examination boards and Diploma Development partnerships (industry representative bodies). • Subject content: led work with stakeholders to determine scope of learning for all 17 diploma subjects, e.g. Science, Languages and Engineering.• Assessment: developed design principles and regulatory criteria to ensure assessment and qualification structure supported applied learning.• Accountability measures: successfully developed arguments to secure Diploma UCAS tariff equivalent to 3.5 A-levels. Stakeholder engagement • Set-up and managed stakeholder engagement and consultation process, securing involvement of 1000 school, college, Higher education and employer representatives in national qualification design.• QCA point of contact on vocational education for DCSF/DFE international unit, presenting to representatives, for example from Japanese, Egyptian and Spanish governments on visits to UK• Supported policy development on links between UK Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and the European Credit Framework (EQF). Risk Management Set-up and designed automated web-based issue tracking system, based on red amber green ratings, to enable QCA and partner exam boards chart progress, determine priorities and produce accurate status reports. At its peak the status of over 6,000 separate compliance issues across 6 different partner organisations were being tracked.

- Led development of occupational standards for creative industries.- Managed relationships with sector skills councils to develop sector qualification strategies. - Developed model for roll-out of sector qualification strategies across all sectors.

Leadership A boutique communications agency employing 10 staff, Ethical Media Ltd was the first agency in the UK, set up exclusively to support Corporate Social Responsibility and social and environmental causes. Clients included; Demos, CSR Europe, Forum for the Future, The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, New Economics Foundation and Green Alliance. Nominated for a New Statesman 'Social Enterprise Champion' award in 2005, I co-founded Ethical media Ltd in 1999. Strategy • Developed business plan to secure start-up finance • Devised company USP, service offer and launch strategy, resulting in increase in turnover from £20K to £0.5M and profitability within 2 years. Policy Design: Devised corporate ethical policy and advised London government on policies concerning support for ‘social entrepreneurship’.Financial management Project pricing, modelling and forecasting to secure finance, cost control. Project management: I led our project management function for:• Cause related campaigns• Website design• Printed promotional campaign literature.

National Curriculum reform: Led research on the use of ICT to promote Creativity across the national curriculum, featuring in the QCA publication ‘Creativity: Find it, Promote it!’ used by primary schools in England and Wales.National Curriculum levels: Developed exemplification of standards on-line for the National Curriculum, Key Stage 1- 3 levels of attainment. This resulted in first UK on-line standards website, www.ncaction.org.uk (now closed).Vocational Qualifications: Managed development of occupational standards, NVQ structures and vocational qualifications, including revised model GNVQ specifications and revised BTEC structures and specifications.

- Managed the qualification development and awarding process, coordinating the work of chief and principal examiners for GNVQs in Art and Design, Business Studies and Leisure and Tourism.- Developed external assessments for vocational qualifications including new model GNVQ.