Quality Assurance (QA) Advisor

Job Title – Quality Assurance (QA) Advisor

Salary - £31,412 per annum

Contract Type –Full-time (35), Fixed Term Contract etc.

Location - We fully support flexible working, from our superb offices in Holborn and from home. We do require staff to spend 20% of their time in the office. This is subject to role requirements.

About us

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is the professional body for surgery. Our mission is to build the future of the surgical profession and improve the delivery of surgical care. We do this through education, training, examination, supporting surgical research and providing support and advice for surgeons at all stages of their careers.

About the role

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is looking for a Quality Assurance Advisor to join the Dental Examinations team on a fixed term basis. This is an exciting opportunity to be responsible for the implementation of the quality assurance processes integral to the effective development and delivery of examinations run by the Dental and Surgical Examinations Department, as outlined in the Quality Assurance Framework, including:

· The generation and management of questions held in the dental examinations question banks through the co-ordination of question-writing/editing processes as required.

· The provision of advice and support to dental examination boards to ensure that examinations are blueprinted and standard set appropriately.

· The design and delivery of examiner training and calibration exercises

· The provision of routine result determination analysis to inform candidates’ overall scores and pass/fail status against the identified minimum standard, reporting this to the relevant Examination Board.

· The analysis of question performance to ensure that assessment material is of appropriate quality

· To facilitate the development of resources to support candidates in their examination preparation

Duties and Responsibilities

To perform the following duties either in person or by effective delegation:

Assessment Production

· Commission new questions and maintain levels of questions for syllabus coverage in liaison with the relevant Examination Board Chair or Paper Lead

· Organise and facilitate question-writing meetings as required, following up any actions agreed

· Ensure that question material produced adheres to best practice in terms of structure and format

· Ensure that final question material produced for each examination is complete and accurate

· Oversee ordering of question papers from printers and the production of question material within the department

· Undertake the entry of new question material, or the editing of existing question material, in the Examinations Department question bank

· Work with relevant colleagues to check and document the props and equipment needed for question material as appropriate

· Undertake necessary actions to ensure the security of the question banks and question material

Examination Blueprinting

· Advise each Examination Board Chair in the production or updating of an examination syllabus that frames the scope of the examination concerned, and against which each diet can be blueprinted to ensure appropriate sampling of its content.

· Advise Examination Board Chairs and/or Paper Leads to ensure that each examination has a blueprinting document that reflects an appropriate organisation of the syllabus content, identifying major topics and domains.

· Ensure that the systematic sampling of this blueprint is demonstrable for each examination diet, identifying the content assessed by each individual assessment instrument used.

Examiner Training, Standardisation and Feedback

· Organise and facilitate examiner training exercises as required, following liaison with Exam Board Chairs regarding required content and organising external speakers as necessary

· Liaise with the relevant Examinations Manager to ensure that examiners attend a standardisation meeting prior to marking for each diet of an examination, providing guidance on the objectives and format of this meeting.

· Undertake analysis of examiner performance after each examination diet, and organise this for presentation to individual examiners, using input from external psychometric advisors as required

Standard Setting and Result Determination

· Advise Exam Boards on the standard setting processes appropriate for each question format used in an examination and ensure that this is consistently followed, using input from external educationalist advisors as required

· Contribute to College-based standard setting exercises, ensuring that participating examiners are appropriately trained in the processes involved, using input from external educationalist advisors as required

· Ensure that candidate scores and results against the minimum standard identified are subject to necessary routine analysis to produce reports and recommendations for Exam Boards regarding the final status for each candidate, following input from psychometric advisors where required

· Ensure that comparative analyses between diets are carried out for each examination to ensure that the minimum standard identified remains consistent over time

Assessment Performance Analysis

· Report analysis of the question material to Examination Boards after each diet, using question management software or input from external psychometric advisors where required

· Provide guidance to Examination Boards in the review of question performance, including the identification of questions that need to be removed from examinations or revised prior to future use

· Undertake the appropriate demographic analyses of examination performance to ensure no groups of individuals are disadvantaged by any unintended bias in the assessment, with input from external psychometric advisors where required

Examination Resources Development

· Contribute to the development of approved examination preparatory resources

· Work with identified Clinical Leads and question writers to ensure the timely production of assessment material

· Work with the Education and Innovation team to arrange the design and production of the resource using existing platforms

General

· Represent the College in a professional manner in relation to his or her responsibilities and in ensuring their own continuing professional development 

· Undertake such duties appropriate to the grade, as required by the Head of Department.

Please note that this position includes travelling to centres within the UK and occasionally overseas. It may involve weekend travel and staying away for extended time. This role involves regular evening meetings.

During examinations, the post holder will be expected to work outside normal working hours and that includes weekends as well as early starts and late finish times. These will be compensated.

About you

Qualifications

· Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or a proven track record in a similar role

Skills/Experience

Essential:

· At least two years’ experience in an administrative role, ideally within medicine and education

· Experience of assessment processes including question management

· Experience of committee work

· Editorial experience

· Proficient user of MS Office

· High level written and oral communication skills.

· Excellent proofreading skills and attention to detail.

· Highly organised

· Ability to present to a range of audiences, including individuals in positions of seniority

Desirable:

· Experience of the management of medical or dental assessments

· Strong knowledge of quality assurance procedures relevant to assessments

What we can offer you

• 27 days paid holiday + bank holidays and up to 4 college closure days
• Flexible working
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme & other leave entitlements
• Variety of learning and development opportunities
• Wellbeing programme & Employee Assistance Scheme

Interested Candidates:

If you wish to apply or if you have any questions about this position please email your CV together with a cover letter to [email protected].

Any personal data collected from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us in accordance with our recruitment processes. If unsuccessful in your application, your information will be held by us on our database for a period of 6 months before deletion. If you would like your information removed sooner, please contact [email protected]

Closing date: 26th June 2025

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are open to all talent and we actively ensure that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regards to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to protecting your privacy. We are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). All College employees are responsible for records held, created and used as part of their work for the College including patient/client, corporate and administrative records. Records are managed according to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and ensure confidentiality. The College ensures that staff are trained to handle the information you submit to us with care and discretion, seeking advice where necessary.