Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review – Reviewers

Are you passionate about tertiary education in Scotland's colleges and universities?

Do you have current or recent experience of overseeing, managing and/or assuring academic standards in a senior academic or professional support capacity, as well as experience in assessing students and conducting quality assurance activity in a further or higher education setting?

If so, you might be the person we are looking for!

Through an open call and through nominations by institutions, we are now seeking to expand our pool of QAA Reviewers, to include peers with experience of further and/or higher education, to take part in Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review (TQER) from academic year 2025-26. TQER is the new external peer-led and enhancement-focused review method for Scotland's tertiary sector that supports assurance and enhancement of the quality of provision across Scotland’s tertiary sector. It is a key delivery mechanism of Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF). 

Effective reviewers are essential to the delivery of a peer-review system of quality assurance and the credibility of review findings and outcomes depends upon review teams having up-to-date knowledge and experience. The peer-review system is also critical in building the capacity and capability of the sector for quality improvement and enhancement. Institutions also benefit through having staff trained as reviewers and through the experience and insights they gain through review team involvement which they can bring back to their institution.

This is an exciting time to join an organisation with an essential role in the UK’s tertiary education sector. While we are seeking experienced individuals specifically for TQER, as a member of our reviewer pool you can be invited to participate in other QAA review activity in the UK and abroad.

We are a world-leading quality agency with unmatched experience of providing impartial regulatory and collaborative quality assurance and enhancement. We support universities and colleges, and work with students and learners, governments, funders and regulatory bodies, to evidence and enhance the excellent quality and high standards of the education they provide.

We work towards a greater public understanding - domestically and internationally - of how excellent quality is demonstrated in UK higher education, and how autonomous institutions both assure its delivery and address weaknesses. Our work safeguards the value of qualifications for students and learners and protects and promotes the reputation of further and higher education.

About the role

The time commitment depends on the activities you choose to accept and is likely to involve desk-based activity over a series of weeks, virtual team meetings, two visits to the institution, coming to judgements and writing a report. Review teams for Scotland’s TQER method are put together to reflect and respond to the contextual circumstances and strategic ambitions of individual institutions.

Further details about the main duties and responsibilities, and the knowledge and skills required, are available in the Role Profile below.

Fees for each quality assurance activity are confirmed at the point you are invited to participate.

Completion of mandatory (Health and Safety, GDPR, Equality Diversity & Inclusion and Cyber Security), generic and method training will be required prior to undertaking any quality assurance activity and the first instance of generic and method training is likely to be delivered in the Spring of 2025.

If you have any questions about the role we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch by email to CRT@qaa.ac.uk and we will arrange for a team member to reply by email or by calling you, please give your preference.

How to apply

Early applications are appreciated although the closing date for applications is midnight on 20 January 2025.

Please submit your application via our online application form.

The application form is also provided as a MS Word document to enable you to prepare your answers, but please ensure you complete and submit your application using the online form. Please note, you will not be able to save your progress in the online application form and return to it later. Therefore, we advise you prepare your answers before completing the online form.

If you require this advert and the Role Profile in a different format or language to suit your needs, please let us know by emailing CRT@qaa.ac.uk.

QAA recognises the positive benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion. Our aim is to be truly representative of all sections of society, and for all to feel respected, free to be themselves no matter what their identity or background, and able to give their best. We value the differences that a variety of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and skills brings and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants to apply.

If you have not heard from QAA within three weeks of the closing date for this vacancy, then your application has not been successful. Please be aware that we are unable to provide feedback on individual applications.