Business Assurance Support Officer

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. The role will help build increased customer satisfaction through improvements to test day experience as part of a quality improvement cycle.

Pay Band: 4
Location: Dhaka or Sylhet or Chattogram, Bangladesh
Contract type: Indefinite contract - Local
Closing date: Sunday, 3rd September 2023
 
Role Purpose:

The role contributes to service delivery by ensuring that we meet British Council internal compliance standards and that we satisfy external awarding body requirements. Examinations makes a significant contribution to British Council financial sustainability, and as such, it is essential that the business is robust, effective and risk-free. The role is pro-active terms of identifying and preventing risks to service delivery, training staff and developing practice. The role is reactive in terms of investigating incidents and reporting to country/regional colleagues on service disruption.

The role will support the country Operations and/or Business Assurance Team in monitoring exams compliance and ensuring compliance standards are met to British Council and Awarding Body standards. The post holder will also provide key coordination and logistical support as required.

Examinations makes a significant contribution to British Council financial sustainability, and as such, it is essential that the business evolves to maintain its position in a fast-changing operating context.

Main Accountabilities:

Consultancy, analysis and Problem Solving

  • Ensure effective follow up on test day incidents and complaints, including use of appropriate reporting mechanisms.
  • Supporting the day-to-day compliance of pre, post and test day delivery in all in-country locations and identifying / highlighting risks
  • Performing an agreed number of quality compliance assessments and quality checks across products in-country and compile reports / data as required
  • Undertaking spot checks, for example of test day procedures, according to country schedule to identify key risks and challenges.
  • Highlight compliance incidents and suspected malpractice to Head of Compliance, ESM or CEM as appropriate; and participate in initial investigation as required
  • Assist with Awarding Body Inspections as required

Internal Customer Focus

  • Managing travel and logistics for the quality assurance function, including support for visiting assessors
  • Working with Exams Team/Customer Service Team on compliance related issues/processes
  • Utilise appropriate reporting procedures for test day incidents/complaints.

Service Improvement

  • Liaise with Operations team and other staff in order to carry out required improvements that help avoid repetition of customer complaints
  • Provide guidance on new or enhanced security systems or processes
  • Support with providing training / coaching on compliance as required

Functional Expertise

  • Able to follow customer complaint-handling processes effectively, leading to resolution of complaints
  • Knowledge of all exam products administered at the centre, their administration and security
  • Proactively maintains sound working knowledge of developments in internal policy and specific awarding body requirements
  • Commercial and Financial Management
  • Actively seeks to maximise efficiencies and value-for-money when addressing operational issues

Relationship & stakeholder management

Supports the reporting and escalation of compliance issues/incidents and risks to Head Business Assurance, ESM/Country Exams Manger as required

Leadership and Management

  • Liaise with the Head Business Assurance and/ Country exams team for the secure movement of confidential materials and approvals as required
  • Support the Exams operations team to implement action plan following audits
  • Safeguarding
  • Observes policy related to safeguarding and helps minimise risks

Role specific knowledge and experience:

Essential

  • English at B1 Proficiency Level
  • Experience working in a compliant and regulated environment.
  • Some experience of working in an environment of working in an environment which includes under 18s (e.g., they are some o the customer even if most are adults)

Desirable

  • Safeguarding knowledge & experience
  • Experience of working with regulatory bodies

Qualifications

 Minimum/Essential
Undergraduate degree

Desirable
Postgraduate qualification

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and called for interview. We will only shortlist applications submitted on a British Council application form submitted electronically through our careers portal. Any hard copies of the application and incomplete application in the portal will not be accepted.

To apply, please click on the following link that will take you to the careers portal of British Council -
Apply here

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality Statement

The British Council is committed to a policy of equality and to valuing diversity and is keen to reflect the diversity of the societies in which we work at every level within the organisation. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We aim to abide by and promote equality legislation by following both the letter and the spirit of it to avoid unjustified discrimination, recognising discrimination as a barrier to equality of opportunity, inclusion and human rights. All staff worldwide are required to ensure their behaviour is consistent with our policies.

The British Council has Disability Confident Employer Status. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. Applicants are encouraged to highlight any specific requirements or adjustments needed to enable participation in the recruitment process.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.