Our Assessment Associates (AAs) perform many different roles across many subjects and qualifications. You can find a summary of these roles below. Select the role you're interested in for a more detailed description.
Assessment Associate vacancies
Assessment Associate roles
An Examiner marks candidates’ responses in accordance with the pre-defined mark scheme, whilst adhering to Code of Practice and examination procedures.
Purpose
An Examiner marks candidate scripts. Most subjects will be marked onscreen using ePEN, which can be done from home. A few subjects are still marked in the traditional method, using paper scripts sent through the post. A high level of subject knowledge is necessary in order to apply the mark scheme. Each examiner will receive an agreed allocation of scripts.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree and, in most cases, a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant teaching experience. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Visiting Examiner is responsible for marking candidates’ performance by visiting centres (schools), ensuring the overall standards are maintained.
Purpose
Visits centres to mark forms of examination work, or to conduct and mark oral examinations, or to be present at practical examinations where the activity of candidates has to be observed as part of the marking procedure.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant teaching experience. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
Moderates centres’ assessment of candidates’ work in accordance with the agreed criteria and procedures.
Purpose
A Moderator will review the centre assessment of candidates’ work in accordance with the agreed assessment criteria and Pearson's procedures. Each moderator will moderate a specified number of centre samples.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant teaching experience. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Visiting Moderator visits centres to carry out the moderation of certain forms of work, which are marked initially by teacher examiners/assessors in the centres.
Purpose
A Visiting Moderator will review the centre assessment of candidates' work in accordance with the agreed assessment criteria and Pearson's procedures. Each moderator will moderate a specified number of centre samples.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant teaching experience. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Subject Specialist provides up-to-date sector or subject-specific expertise that feeds into the development of the given qualification(s).
Purpose
An external Subject Matter Expert provides up-to-date sector or subject-specific expertise that feeds into the development of the given qualification(s).
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants must have recent occupational experience relevant to the subject or sector.
An End Point Assessor assesses the knowledge, skills and behaviour that have been learnt throughout an apprenticeship.
Purpose
To make sure that apprentices meet the rigorous standard set by employers and are fully competent in the relevant occupation.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to be occupationally competent in the pathway that they are applying for. The qualifications required will vary depending on the pathway the applicant is applying for. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Principal Examiner is responsible for a specific component and ensures the standarisation of marking.
Purpose
To be responsible for the standardisation of Team Leaders and Examinars (as required) for the purposes of marking.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant assessment and teaching experience. People Management skills are also required. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Principal Moderator ensures that internally assessed units meet the required standard and are consistent with the unit specification and assessment criteria.
Purpose
Principal Moderators are responsible to the Chair of Examiners for the standardising of coursework moderation.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant assessment and teaching experience. People Management skills are also required. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Chair of Examiners maintains standards within a subject across different specifications from year to year.
Purpose
To be responsible for maintaining standards in a subject or group of subjects across different syllabi and methods of assessment, and from year to year.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to hold a degree, and in most cases a teaching qualification. Applicants must have relevant assessment and teaching experience. People Management skills are also required. Full details on requirements can be found on the vacancy page.
A Standards Verifier verifies centre assessment decisions through scrutiny of assignments and samples of learner work.
Purpose
To undertake sampling of assessment and internal verification decisions for units from a range of programmes within a Principal Subject Area (PSA), in order to confirm that national standards have been achieved and upheld across centres. We have Standards Verifiers for our Vocational Qualifications, namely: BTEC QCF, BTEC next generation, BTEC Higher Nationals and NVQ/Apprenticeship.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to have experience in delivering and assessing vocational qualifications. Applicants will also need to evidence Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in the relevant field.
A Senior Standards Verifier is responsible for interpretation of the specifications and for verifier standardisation across a range of programmes within a Principal Subject Area (PSA).
Purpose
Be the responsible expert, in terms of specification interpretation and verifier standardisation, for a range of programmes within a Principal Subject Area (PSA). To monitor assessment and internal verification for a range of programmes within a PSA in order to report on national standards across centres.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to be an A or B grade Associate (from AA monitoring). Applicants will have substantial experience of external verification of vocational qualifications within the sector and have significant experience in delivery and assessment. Applicants will also need to evidence Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in the field.
Responsible for the interpretation of the QCF competence-based qualifications and the standards verifier NVQ standardisation over a range of QCF competence-based qualifications within a Principal Subject Area (PSA).
Purpose
Be the responsible expert, in terms of the interpretation of the QCF competence-based qualifications and the standards verifier NVQ standardisation, for a range of QCF competence-based qualifications within a Principal Subject Area (PSA). To monitor assessment and internal verification for a range of QCF competence-based qualifications within a PSA in order to report on the achievement of national occupational standards across centres.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants will need to be an A or B grade Associate (from AA monitoring). Applicants will have substantial experience of external verification of NVQs within the sector and have significant experience in delivering and assessing NVQs. Applicants will also need to evidence Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in the field of NVQ assessment and delivery.
Writers are involved in shaping and developing our qualifications or qualification-related materials.
Reviewers are expected to conduct a written or recorded verbal review of the appropriateness of qualification(s) or unit(s) assigned to them.
Scrutineers provide written comments on the final proofs of question papers and mark schemes and, where appropriate, work through the question papers.
Purpose
As a writer, reviewer or scrutineer, you will be involved in the production of various assessment materials that are valid, engaging and that produce reliable outcomes for learners. You will play a vital role in the quality assurance of these assessments.
Experience/qualifications needed
Criteria for these roles vary, dependant on the role and qualification. For further information, please have a look at the individual vacancies.
A Sector Advisor supports the verification of a qualification. The Sector Advisor will remotely sample learner work against the specification and confirm if the learner has met the standard for units of the qualification.
Purpose
The Sector Advisor will work with the Standards Verifier to recommend whether units are being assessed to national standards. This role would usually only require remote sampling from the Sector Advisor and would only require physical travelling in exceptional circumstances.
Experience/qualifications needed
Applicants must be occupationally competent and have evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the units they are sampling.
International vacancies
If you are located outside of the United Kingdom and do not hold a UK bank account, then please click on the link below to view our vacancies for internationally based Associates.
Details we share with our third-party suppliers
As part of the process of becoming an Associate, we will be required to provide your details to third-party suppliers, such as our travel partners, in order for you to undertake the role without any delay. Details of who we work with and what we share can be found in the document below.
