UK's largest GCSE and A-level exam provider, supporting half of all test-takers annually
AQA is the leading independent awarding body for UK secondary qualifications, setting and marking approximately half of all GCSEs and A-levels each year. The tech stack—Azure, Kubernetes, C#, SQL Server, Docker—reflects infrastructure built for high-volume assessment delivery and content management. Hiring is accelerating across engineering and product (12 combined roles in last 30 days), while active projects span AI adoption, assessment reform, and system evolution, suggesting a push to modernize assessment delivery alongside curriculum change.
Notable leadership hires: Head Architecture
AQA operates as an independent education charity headquartered in Manchester, serving teachers and students across the UK secondary education system. The organization sets exam specifications, delivers assessments, and provides training and resources to educators. Beyond core exam delivery, AQA operates subsidiary entities including Exampro, TQUK, Project Q, AlphaPlus, and Grademaker. The 1,001–5,000-person workforce is distributed across education, engineering, product, sales, support, and marketing functions, with mid-level roles dominating the current hiring cycle.
AQA runs on Azure cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes for orchestration, C# and SQL Server for backend systems, and Docker for containerization. Content specifications are managed using DITA tools.
Active projects include AI adoption, assessment reform, curriculum reform recruitment, system evolution, SEO improvements, and specification page updates using DITA tools.
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