As part of our campaign to ensure the role is recognised as a managerial position rather than an administrative one, the NAEO has produced a sample job description that fully reflects the responsibilities involved in managing, administering, and overseeing the delivery of examinations and assessments.
Although some members are now titled Exams Managers, the majority are still referred to as Exams Officers. This can give senior leaders or line managers the impression that the role is limited to basic administrative tasks.
Purpose of the job description
This job description template is designed for use:
- When a centre appoints a new Exams Manager or Exams Officer (with adaptations as required for centre‑specific needs)
- By current Exams Managers to ensure their job description accurately reflects their responsibilities
- By existing Exams Officers to demonstrate to senior leaders and line managers that their role includes significant managerial responsibilities, not just administrative duties
Why this is a management role
The NAEO believes that anyone responsible for the day‑to‑day management, administration, and delivery of examinations and assessments within a school, college, or other educational setting should be recognised as an Exams Manager.
Managing examinations and assessments requires individuals to undertake responsibilities that are clearly managerial, including:
- Overseeing the conduct of examinations and assessments
- Managing operational and regulatory risk
- Possessing specialist technical and regulatory knowledge
- Leading and coordinating teams and staff
- Supporting contingency and succession planning
- Advising and guiding the head of centre and senior leadership team
- Managing the results and post‑results processes
- Liaising extensively with internal and external stakeholders
- Completing mandatory training to maintain standards and security
In addition, the role demands a broad range of skills to protect the integrity and security of the examination system within each centre. (See the NAEO website for a full list of skills.)
This sample job description sets out these managerial responsibilities clearly and comprehensively.
Making the case for the title Exams Manager
If you are seeking to have your job title changed to Exams Manager, you may find the following resources helpful: