JOB DESCRIPTION: Quality Assurance Officer

Reports to Manager of Member Support Services

Location Working from home with regular travel across England

Salary £29,636 - £33,200 (NJC scale points 35 – 39) pro rata

Length of contract 29.6 hours or negotiable, minimum 18.5 hours, temporary for one year initially.

MAIN PURPOSE OF POSTTo coordinate, develop and promote the Women’s Aid Quality Framework and conduct quality assessments of women’s domestic violence services across England against the Women’s Aid Federation England National Quality Standards.

To help ensure that the Women’s Aid Quality Framework is developed and promoted alongside other relevant products and services as a core element of Women’s Aid’s member ‘offer’.

DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Quality Standards coordination and delivery

1. To coordinate the delivery of Women’s Aid National Quality Standards assessments jointly with the Direct Services Support Officer, including processing applications, organising the collection of evidence and scheduling Quality Assessment Panels.

2. To conduct quality standards assessments of domestic violence services, including reviewing evidence, making site visits, writing assessment reports and presenting cases to the Quality Assessment Panel.

3. To support the Chair of the Quality Assessment Panel in conducting panel meetings and dealing with appeals and complaints.

4. To supervise the delivery of any assessments conducted by consultant assessors, ensuring they are conducted professionally and in line with Women’s Aid assessment practice.

5. To provide support and training to consultants delivering assessments for Women’s Aid when required.

2. Promotion of the National Quality Standards

1. To promote the Women’s Aid Quality Standards to members of Women’s Aid Federation England and other service providers supporting women and children survivors of domestic violence, in order to generate further business and work towards universal take-up across the sector.

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2. To work with others in the Membership Team to promote the Women’s Aid Quality Standards to commissioners and government as the leading quality framework for services working with women and children survivors of domestic violence.

3. To liaise with partner organisations in the VAWG Sector Shared Core Standards group, and with Welsh Women’s Aid, who have adapted our standards as theirs, to share skills and good practice in quality assurance and to promote the combined sector standards to commissioners as complementary measures of specialism within the VAWG sector.

3. General Responsibilities

1. To monitor, evaluate and report on the impact of the project.

2. To keep the Chief Executive, Director of Services and other relevant staff up to date on all project delivery issues through regular internal briefings.

3. To maintain clear and adequate records of work done and to produce reports on work programmes and activities as required by management.

4. To contribute to team meetings and organisational priorities, and to participate in supervision and other line management meetings

5. To take direction on projects and priorities from your line manager, which may vary from time to time.

6. To carry out word-processing, filing, and administrative tasks necessary to comply with the job description.

7. To assist in the delivery of conferences or events organised by Women’s Aid, if required.

8. To abide by all organisational policies, codes of conduct and practice, and to work within a framework of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.

9. To be flexible within the broad remit of the post.

OtherThis job requires regular travel across England and occasional unsocial hours.

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PERSON SPECIFICATION: Quality Assurance Officer

EXPERIENCEEssential: Experience of providing and/or managing direct services to survivors of violence

against women and girls. Experience of quality assurance and accreditation systems involving

assessment and review against identified criteria and coordination of assessment panels.

Experience of implementing measures to positively promote equality and address discrimination in service provision.

Experience of writing and producing briefings and reports other information resources to a very high standard and for a variety of audiences.

Experience of managing projects within a set timeframe and with clear outputs.

Desirable: Experience of working with local authority, police or health commissioners to

influence commissioning practice Experience of service delivery within a quality assurance framework. Experience of developing or delivering products or services for local members of a

wider network or federation

SKILLS & ABILITIESEssential: Excellent verbal communication skills at a variety of levels to a wide range of

audiences, from CEOs, trustees, Quality Panels and commissioners, to women and children survivors and frontline staff.

A high standard of writing skills including producing reports and briefing papers. Ability to plan and deliver projects within a set timeframe and with clear

outputs/outcomes. Ability to analyse complex information and identify the implications for women

and children affected by domestic violence and the services supporting them.

Desirable: Ability to provide training and support to local services and commissioning

teams. Highly computer literate and proficient in word-processing, email, databases

and Website technology, preferably in a Windows based environment.

KNOWLEDGEEssential: Knowledge of quality frameworks appropriate to domestic violence services. Knowledge of the principles of quality assurance and good practice in delivering

accreditation processes. A very good understanding of the experiences and needs of women and

children affected by domestic and sexual violence. A very good understanding of intersectionality and the impacts of other forms of

oppression on those experiencing violence against women and girls. Thorough understanding of the role of specialist services supporting women and

children at risk of violence against women and girls.

Understanding of national and local commissioning processes relevant to domestic violence services and the role of strategic partnerships in the promotion of quality assurance and impact measures across the sector..

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Understanding of the role of Women’s Aid Federation England in supporting and representing specialist services.

EDUCATION/TRAINING No formal qualifications are required for this role although evidence of relevant

learning is advantageous.

OTHER REQUIREMENTSEssential:

Able to demonstrate a commitment and sensitivity to the aims and objectives of Women’s Aid.

Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities. Willingness to travel regularly and work occasional unsocial hours as required. Able to work from home on a regular basis.

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SUMMARY OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Terms of appointment: Confirmation of appointment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a probationary period. This will normally be of six months (less for short term contracts). During this time an employee will be expected to establish their suitability for the post. During the probationary period employment may be terminated in writing, giving one week's notice by either party (this may be waived by mutual agreement). Only any statutory dismissal procedure will apply during the probationary period. There is no probationary period for contracts of under 3 months.

Salary: £29,936 pro rata (on an incremental scale guided by the NJC Local authority pay scale point 35 - 39) + benefits. Salary is paid in arrears through bank credit by the 25th of each month. Part time staff receive pro-rata payment based on hours worked.

Working hours: The standard working hours for this post are 29.6 hours per week, working remotely from home; benefits include a generous bank holidays and annual leave package and contributory pension scheme.

Support and supervision: Women’s Aid has a commitment to providing regular supervision and support to staff with annual appraisals forming a key part of staff development. We have a training policy in place and encourage staff to take an active role in their career development plan. Pension: Women’s Aid is enrolled with the People’s Pension scheme. Women’s Aid normally contributes 7% of salary and the employee contributes 3% towards the group pension scheme. Eligible staff will be automatically enrolled on the scheme when they have successfully completed the 3 month interim probationary review. .

Annual Leave: Women’s Aid offers an annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year rising by one day per year until 30 days annual leave per year is reached. In addition, we offer 8 days public holidays plus 2 additional days in March and August. All leave entitlement is calculated pro-rata for part time employees.

Other leave: Employees have contractual rights to time off for reasons of sickness, maternity and other circumstances.

Period of notice: 1 month after your probationary period has been completed.

Union: You have a right to membership of a trade union. Women’s Aid recognises Unison.

Asylum and Immigration Act 1996: To confirm your right to work in the UK, Women’s Aid will need to see the original of at least one document from a specified list (available on the gov.uk website). Most commonly this is a British Passport.

Additional information is available on request.

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