Job Description
We are interested in hearing from engineers with rail specific technical engineering knowledge relating to a specific aspect of the railway. You must have experience in at least one of the following specialist areas: rail specific civil engineering, rail track, rail signalling and control, rail systems & integration, rail traction and rolling stock, rail telecommunications, network and digital and rail electrical, mechanical and building services.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
TITLE OF POST: Independent End-point Assessor (IEPA)
STANDARD: ST0495 Rail and Rail Systems Engineer
RESPONSIBLE TO: Assessment Delivery Manager
MONITORED BY: Lead Independent End-point Assessor (LIEPA)
SALARY: Payment will be based on a rate per assignment (Reasonable travel and expenses paid in addition to agreed rate)
STATUS: Contracted services (self-employed)
FUNCTION OF THE POST:
- Provide a high-quality independent assessment experience for apprentices and their employers.
- Undertake assessment of apprentices in line with relevant Open Awards assessment strategies, guidance documents and supporting materials, ensuring high standards are maintained.
- Provide standard specific technical advice and support to Open Awards to continually improve assessment activities and minimise risk to assessment validity.
- Work with the wider Open Awards team to develop and promote the Open Awards’ end-point assessment offer to all stakeholders.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Assessment
1. Maintain a thorough working knowledge of all Open Awards’ end-point assessment policies and procedure, applying these impartially in practice.
2. Assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours of apprentices in line with the relevant standard and assessment plan, ensuring all assessment requirements are met.
3. Provide detailed feedback to justify and support assessment and grading decisions in line with defined criteria.
4. Comply with Open Awards assessment processes and operational requirements, ensuring assessment documents are completed fully and accurately, and submitted in line with defined timescales.
5. Ensure assessments accommodate reasonable adjustments where these have been approved in advance by Open Awards.
6. Maintain the confidentiality and security of live assessment instruments and supporting documentation, ensuring these and/ or their contents are not shared or communicated to unauthorised parties.
7. Support the maintenance of Open Awards assessment strategy and instruments, providing feedback on performance.
Technical advice and support
8. Provide support to Open Awards as required to deal with technical enquiries, including with regard to assessments and reasonable adjustments, in a timely manner.
9. Support Open Awards, if necessary, in manging enquiries and appeals from apprentices in relation to assessment decisions.
10. Provide advice on potential improvements to assessment instruments and the assessment process and procedures.
11. Provide data and reports to Open Awards to support business and regulatory activities, including for standardisation and performance reviews.
12. Support the development of related marketing and promotional materials in liaison with the Development and Marketing team such as content for case studies and news articles.
Standardisation and currency
13. Attend and participate in standard specific and other training and standardisation activities associated with the role.
14. Adapt and revise assessment practice in line with agreed outcomes from standardisation activities.
15. Undertake and maintain standard specific continuous professional development (CPD) to ensure technical knowledge and skills are current and credible.
16. Provide evidence of CPD activities to Open Awards upon request.
17. Undertake CPD activities to ensure the current standard, associated assessment plan and external quality assurance requirements are met.
18. Support the technical content of standard specific events, webinars and workshops.
Quality assurance
19. Work collaboratively with Open Awards colleagues to address assessment and administration issues in a timely manner and ensure service standards are met.
20. Report any suspected malpractice or maladministration concerns immediately to Open Awards.
21. Respond to requests for information or clarification to support internal or external quality assurance activities in a timely manner.
22. Complete any personal actions/ improvement requirements resulting from quality assurance activities to the required standard within agreed timescales.
General Responsibilities
23. Inform Open Awards as soon as practicable of any change in circumstances that may result in an actual or potential conflict of interest, including in relation to the independence of end-point assessment.
24. Manage own performance to ensure service standards are met.
25. Undertake remote assessment and/ or travel to undertake end-point assessment activities within agreed timescales.
26. Provide Open Awards with any market intelligence relating to the standard and competitor offers.
27. Contribute to the continuous improvement of Open Awards end-point assessment service.
28. Support other members of the Open Awards team to coordinate end-point assessment activity.
29. Support the organisation’s commitment to equality and diversity and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of the work undertaken
This role description is not intended to be either prescriptive or exhaustive; it is issued as a framework to outline the main areas of responsibility at the time of writing.
Person Specification
TITLE OF POST: Independent End-point Assessor (IEPA)
STANDARD: ST0495 Rail and Rail Systems Engineer
Criteria
Qualifications and Training
1. Hold a relevant rail engineering qualification recognised by a professional engineering institution
2. Hold or working towards a formal assessor qualification (e.g., D32/33, A1, CAVA)
Experience/ Knowledge
3. At least 5-years of current experience, working in Rail Engineering within the last 3 years at Level 5 or above
4. Understand the standard and assessment plan
5. Experience of assessing work-based competence
6. Experience of delivery or administration of an Ofqual-regulated qualification
7. Experience of developing and maintaining customer relationships
8. Experience of working in an adult/further education environment
9. Experience of working remotely and contributing to video conferencing meetings
Skills/ Abilities
10. Ability to build strong relationships with customers and colleagues
11. Ability to comply with processes that meet regulatory requirements
12. Ability to discuss and make clear systems and processes to customers
13. Strong organisational skills
14. Ability to represent Open Awards in discussions with customers and other stakeholders
15. Strong verbal and written communication skills
16. Be self-motivated and use own initiative to meet agreed targets
17. Ability to organise work on multiple tasks at once
18. Ability to work as part of a team
19. Ability to identify and solve problems and suggest solutions
20. Keen eye for detail
21. Be ICT literate using Microsoft Office and Outlook in a range of purposes
Commitment
22. Commitment to Equality & Diversity
23. Commitment to customer service
24. Commitment to attend standardisation events and activities as required
25. Commitment to own Continuous Professional Development to maintain technical currency and credibility
Other
26. Be independent of the apprentice, employer and training provider
27. Be adaptable, flexible and open to change.
28. Flexible approach to travel at short notice and overnight stays
29. Access to a laptop/ PC with a secure and reliable internet connection
30. Full Driving Licence
31. Appointment subject to Basic DBS Disclosure.
Job Type: Freelance
Salary: £150.00-£300.00 per day
Benefits:
Work Location: Remote
Reference ID: ST0495 Rail and Rail Systems Engineer end-point assessor