Quality and Compliance Manager

Location:

Hybrid, with a minimum of one day per week at Head office near Sheffield

Reports to:

Operations Director

Key relationships:
Directors, Curriculum Leaders, Tutors and Skills Coaches, Learner Support and Enrolment, Sales and Marketing, Finance and Operations

Our client is seeking an experienced Quality and Compliance Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for quality assurance, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement across its apprenticeship and wider funded provision. The role will ensure curriculum design, teaching, learning, assessment and learner support meet apprenticeship standards, awarding organisation requirements and the expectations of Ofsted, the Department for Education (DfE) and Skills England.

The postholder will act as the Ofsted Nominee and lead inspection, audit and assurance activity. Using performance data, learner and employer feedback, observations and audit findings, the role will identify risk, drive improvement and support strong learner outcomes.

• Act as Ofsted Nominee, coordinating inspection readiness, evidence collation, staff preparation and responses to external scrutiny.
• Lead the Quality Strategy, annual self-assessment, Self-Assessment Report and Quality Improvement Plan, ensuring clear evidence, ownership, measurable actions and regular review.
• Maintain the quality cycle, including curriculum reviews, deep dives, teaching, learning and assessment observations, learner work scrutiny, standardisation, learner and employer voice, and performance reviews.
• Monitor attendance, progress, off-the-job training, achievement, timely completion and destinations, intervening where performance falls below expectations.
• Coach, support and constructively challenge Curriculum Leaders, Tutors and Skills Coaches to strengthen curriculum intent, implementation and impact.
• Ensure accurate and consistent use of learner management and information systems, including reviews, learning activity, feedback, actions and evidence.
• Lead apprenticeship assessment standardisation and quality assurance, including awarding organisation requirements and relevant changes to end-point assessment arrangements.
• Oversee safeguarding and Prevent arrangements, ensuring concerns are appropriately managed, recorded, escalated and reviewed.
• Maintain quality policies, procedures and guidance, ensuring they remain current and embedded through induction, training, supervision and monitoring.
• Provide Directors with concise monthly reporting on quality indicators, emerging risks, staff development, improvement‑plan progress and inspection readiness.
• Maintain current knowledge of Ofsted expectations, apprenticeship reform, awarding organisation requirements, DfE/DWP funding rules, Skills England requirements and relevant regulatory developments.
• Oversee learner data, funding returns and supporting evidence, ensuring records, apprenticeship service information, management information, accounts and evidence are accurate, complete and audit‑ready.
• Maintain a risk‑based internal audit programme covering eligibility, assessment, enrolment, recognition of prior learning, training plans, reviews, attendance, off‑the‑job training, support, breaks in learning, completion and withdrawal.
• Coordinate DfE/DWP, awarding organisation, subcontractor, partner and other external audits, recording findings, agreeing corrective actions and verifying completion.
• Monitor funding, contractual and service performance, escalating material risks, recurring errors and control weaknesses to Directors.
• Maintain controlled procedures, audit trails, compliance checklists and staff guidance, ensuring regulatory and policy changes are communicated and embedded.
• Use trends from data…