SQA seeks experienced head teacher for new senior role

Wednesday 15 January 2025

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has started the recruitment process for an experienced secondary head teacher to join Scotland’s national awarding body in a senior advisory role.

The new role will see the  successful candidate join SQA on an 18-month secondment as it prepares for the launch of Qualifications Scotland.

Subject to the passage of the Education (Scotland) Bill, Qualifications Scotland will be established with a new governance structure that places involvement from and accountability towards children, young people, adult learners, and the teaching professions at the heart of what it does.

In our Prospectus for Change, launched in November last year, we set out three key pledges: resetting relationships, harnessing technology, and evolving qualifications.

A practising head teacher’s insight will help us ensure we are meeting those pledges, as well as addressing the needs of schools across Scotland, and help ensure that SQA’s qualifications, policies and services reflect the real-life experience of teachers and learners.

The successful candidate will help learners and teachers across Scotland feel the difference from day one of the new awarding organisation.

Fiona Robertson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), said: “We are pleased to have launched the recruitment for a secondary head teacher, who will help shape Scotland’s new national qualifications body and ensure we deliver on our Prospectus for Change.

“We are seeking a secondary head teacher who brings fresh, first-hand leadership experience of Scotland’s classrooms. By strengthening our links between schools, school leaders, teachers and learners, , we can ensure the work we do  meets their needs  now and as we look to the future, in  shaping Qualifications Scotland. This exciting new role is crucial to achieving our ambitions.

“The successful candidate will ensure that the decisions which shape Qualifications Scotland reflect the experiences of teachers, pupils and schools across Scotland. This new role delivers on our commitment to ensure teachers’ and pupils’ voices are at the heart of how we develop and improve our qualifications now and in the future.”

Donna Stewart, Interim Director of Qualifications at SQA, who is leading the recruitment process, said: “We are looking for a practising secondary head teacher or someone with recent experience of a senior secondary leadership role who can bring credible, up-to-the-minute experience of running a school, working with staff teams, and supporting pupils. We’re looking for someone enthusiastic about practical solutions, who welcomes innovation and who is passionate about shaping the future of qualifications.

“The successful applicant will be pivotal in making sure that innovations in SQA’s – and in turn, Qualifications Scotland’s – qualifications and processes truly serve pupils in schools across Scotland, by keeping the day-to-day needs of learners and schools front and centre of our decision making.”

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a significant transformation within the Scottish education system. SQA welcomes applications from all interested head teachers.

Applications for the new position are being accepted until 26 January.