Vacancy:    Assessment and Examinations Officer

The company serves the public interest through regulating and supporting the actuarial profession in South Africa. This is done through the provision of a world class education to actuarial students, setting and maintaining professional practice standards for actuaries, advancing actuarial skills and knowledge in both current and wider fields of actuarial practice, being an objective voice engaging decision makers on the public good in areas of policy making where actuaries can contribute, and creating opportunities for actuaries to work locally and abroad.

The company is committed to delivering high-quality, professional, and efficient support services to its network of members and volunteer members. The position of Assessment and Examinations Officer is based in Cape Town and reports to the Education Manager. The position will be filled in line with the Actuarial Society’s employment equity policy.

Purpose of the job

The Assessment and Examinations Officer plays a critical role in the successful delivery, execution, and continuous improvement of the company’s examination and assessment processes. This role goes beyond basic administrative support, encompassing the operational planning, management, quality assurance, and governance of all activities across the full examination and assessment value chain. The Officer serves as a vital link between the company’s Education Team, registered student members, volunteer examination and assessment teams, and external stakeholders, including technical service providers, ensuring a seamless, robust, and professional examination and assessment experience.

The Assessment and Examination Officer provides key support to the Education Executive, Education Manager, student members, and examination and assessment volunteers (including Principal Examiners, Assistant Examiners, Scrutineers, guinea pigs, and External Examiners).

Key Responsibilities

1. Operational Delivery of Examinations and Assessments
   1. Coordinate the end-to-end operational delivery of the company’s examinations and assessments to student members, including but not limited to:
      1. Loading and managing examinations, papers, and assessments onto appropriate platforms for student access.
      2. Making examination materials available to volunteers before, during, and after examinations and assessments for setting, reviewing, marking, and moderation.

1. 1. 3. Ensuring secure, confidential, and timely handling of examination and assessment materials.
      4. Overseeing the implementation of examination procedures and ensuring compliance with all policies and protocols.
      5. Overseeing examination and assessment platform operations, liaising with IT and technical support where needed.

2. Planning and Scheduling
   1. Develop and manage the examination and assessment timetable in alignment with the tuition timetable, in collaboration with the Education Secretary.
   2. Ensure timely scheduling of examinations, assessments, workshops, and marking deadlines in consultation with volunteers and stakeholders, in collaboration with the Education Secretary.

3. Volunteer Management and Governance
   1. Work with the Education Secretary to manage contracts, record-keeping and formal appointment processes for exam-related volunteers.
   2. Support the recruitment, onboarding, training, and quality assurance of volunteer examiners and support roles.
   3. Coordinate and manage volunteer governance processes, including tenure tracking, rotation planning, capability assessments, and succession planning to ensure sustainable examination and assessment delivery.

4. Training and Quality Assurance
   1. Develop and execute induction and ongoing training programs for examination and assessment volunteers.
   2. Support the quality assurance processes related to examination and assessment setting, marking, and moderation, ensuring consistency, fairness, and adherence to the company’s standards.

5. Special Concessions and Member Support
   1. Assist in the design, administration, and operational execution of special concession processes for eligible candidates.
   2. Act as a key point of contact for candidates requiring examination- and assessment-related support or special accommodations, ensuring sensitivity, confidentiality, and compliance.

6. Incident Management and Appeals
   1. Monitor, investigate and report on examination incidents as received from various stakeholders in line with the risk appetite set by the Board of Examiners.
   2. Manage and coordinate responses to examination and administration incidents, irregularities, and appeals.

1. 3. Assist in documenting incidents, investigations, and resolution processes in line with the company's governance frameworks.

7. Communication and Member Engagement
   1. Work closely with the Member Engagement Team to develop and implement examination- and assessment-related communications, including candidate notifications, guidelines, operational updates, and feedback mechanisms.
   2. Ensure that all communications are accurate, timely, student-focused, and

aligned with the company’s standards and policies.

8. Compliance and Policy Management
   1. Ensure all examination- and assessment-related policies, handbooks, student guidebooks, operational procedures, and governance documents are regularly reviewed, updated, and appropriately disseminated.
   2. Support the implementation of continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen examination governance and compliance.

9. Collaboration with the Technical Business Solutions Team
   1. Actively collaborate with the Technical Business Solutions team to optimise, troubleshoot, and evolve examination and assessment platforms and digital tools.
   2. Participate in the design, user testing, and implementation of system enhancements and upgrades.

10. Stakeholder Facilitation
    1. Facilitate and support collaboration across multiple stakeholder groups, including internal teams, volunteers, service providers, and candidates.
    2. Act as a liaison to ensure operational and technical requirements are communicated and met effectively.

11. System and Process Development
    1. Support the continuous improvement of examination and assessment operations, including contributing to process designs, piloting new systems, and testing of platform enhancements.
    2. Identify operational risks and inefficiencies and propose actionable improvements.

Key Relationships

1. Internal: Education Executive, Education Manager, Education Secretary, Examinations and Assessment Team, Member Engagement Team, Technical Business Solutions Team, Operations and IT Support Teams

2. External: Student members, Examination and Assessment Volunteers, External Service Providers and Contractors (e.g., proctoring, vendors, examination and assessment platforms)

Minimum Experience and Qualification Requirements

1. Matric certificate with a preference for a post-matric qualification (qualification in education administration, operations management, or a related field is advantageous).
2. Minimum of three to five years of experience in general, assessment or examination administration, education operations, or professional body environments. Experience within a well-governed institutional examination environment is preferable.
3. Previous experience working with digital assessment platforms preferred.
4. Fluent in MS Office, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
5. Must have access to reliable transport. A valid driver’s licence and own transport

would be advantageous.

Skills and Key Competencies Required

1. Operational Excellence: Strong operational planning and execution capabilities, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently under strict deadlines.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including students, volunteers, and professional peers.
3. Problem-Solving and Incident Management: Proactive in identifying issues and implementing effective solutions, particularly in high-pressure examination environments.
4. Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and empathetically.
5. Governance and Compliance: Strong understanding of governance principles, quality assurance, and compliance frameworks relevant to assessment environments.
6. Project Management: Ability to plan, monitor, and deliver multiple examination cycles and initiatives efficiently within stipulated timeframes.
7. Technology Savvy: Comfortable using online examination systems, learning management systems (LMS), document management platforms, and communication tools. Able to navigate across multiple system applications.
8. Financial Literacy: Basic financial literacy to support tasks such as volunteer contract management, honorarium processing, and budget tracking related to