Role Profile
Job title
Exams Assistant Role Profile (100% post)
Region
EU Europe
Location
Berlin
Reports to
Exams
Co-ordinator
Department /
Country
Pay band
Exams / Germany
Duration of job
Fixed-term post for
7 months as cover
for maternity leave.
J
Purpose of the post:
To carry out a range of exams administrative tasks to ensure that examinations in Germany are
administered to the highest operational and security standards and result in an enhanced reputation
for the British Council amongst its key customers and stakeholders.
Context and Environment
In Germany the British Council has a long track record of delivering cultural relations through
English language teaching and exams delivery and draws on a reputation developed since 1959 for
innovation, trust, shared values and an ability to promote the diversity and creativity of the UK to a
German audience.
Our examinations work in Germany is part of our English Strategic Business Unit. We administer
IELTS English language examinations at 16 open test venues throughout the country as well as a
number of IELTS test sessions at selected German universities. The British Council is also
expanding its exams reach through the development of new exam products, such as the Aptis
English language test. Current management and delivery mechanisms for examinations services in
Germany will also evolve through the implementation of new administrative processes that are
designed to rationalise current service delivery.
By 2017 the Germany operation is committed to putting the UK at the centre of our networks to
create engagement and opportunity for British stakeholders with influencers across Germany,
thereby building security and prosperity for the UK. It will win recognition, visibility, profile and
income through access to influential people across a broad spectrum and will develop greater
collaborative working within the British Council and with partners in Germany and the EU.
We work in all the federal states in Germany from our office in Berlin.
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).
General Accountabilities and Responsibilities:
Note: The term “exams” refers to any examination products that the British Council administers in
Germany. Whilst current examination activity relates to IELTS and Aptis work, this will change as
new products are added to our examinations portfolio through business diversification.
Exams administrative planning and management
 Familiarity and strict adherence to exams operational standards, as outlined in exams policy
documents and other exams guidelines
 All exams activities are delivered to required deadlines, to quality targets and client /
customer satisfaction
 Familiarity with key exams targets and key exams contacts in Germany.
Relationship management
Build and maintain effective relationships with key audiences and stakeholders in Germany and
beyond to contribute to the impact that our examinations business makes to planned operational,
financial and impact targets for the British Council in Germany. This involves:




Up-to-date knowledge of the context in which the British Council operates across Germany
Ability to represent BC Exams, our objectives and standards to key contacts as required
Systematic approach taken in engaging with key contacts and audiences
Contact databases updated regularly and meet all relevant data protection standards.
Key relationships:
Internally: Collaborative working relations with colleagues in Exams; English; Education & Society;
Digital & Exams Marketing
Regionally: Global and regional English & Exams colleagues
Externally: Exam candidates; Exams test-venue staff; university contacts and venue providers for
examinations.
Finance & SAP work
 All SAP work carried out in accordance with required SAP processes
 Finance task management carried out accurately and to all agreed deadlines.
Customer service
Awareness of and adherence to customer service excellence is demonstrated at all times in daily
exams work; feedback from stakeholders is sought regularly and acted on in daily exams
operational work.
Performance management
Demonstrate active commitment to maintaining one’s own performance portfolio during the
performance year. This involves:
 Regular meetings with line manager to ensure deliverables, development plans and other
objectives and standards outlined in the Role Profile are achieved to agreed deadlines
 Regular attendance demonstrated at all-staff and exams team meetings
 Ongoing commitment to exams training to increase knowledge and skills-set
Risk reporting
 Escalating risks arising from non–compliance in the Germany Exams operation to Exams
Operational Manager.
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Cover
Post holder to provide reasonable cover for other exams colleagues, due to sickness, annual leave,
TOIL or other unforeseen circumstances.
Main Duties:
ain duties are specified in accordance with business needs across the Germany Exams portfolio
and are stated in Appendix 1, which must be read in conjunction with this Role Profile. As main
duties within the Exams portfolio change, this Role Profile will be updated accordingly.
Please specify any passport / visa
and / or nationality requirement.
The post holder must have a European Union
passport or be legally entitled to work in
Germany.
Please indicate if any security or
legal checks are required for this role.
Child protection self-declaration form.
Person Specification
Desirable
Essential
Behaviours
Knowledge

Making it happen – essential

Being accountable - essential

Working together – essential

Connecting with others essential

Shaping the future – essential

Creating a shared purpose essential
Product Knowledge
Knowledge of all examinations
administered by BC Germany, or
demonstrable ability to acquire that
knowledge within three months of
appointment.
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Assessment stage
Shortlisting / Interview
Not assessed for
recruitment purposes
Shortlisting
Core Skills
Responding to customer needs
Plans and supports a service
approach that balances a
personalised delivery with business
needs; investigates service delivery
and contributes solutions to
problems / issues identified.
Shortlisting / Interview
Skills and
Knowledge
IT & Digital skills
Experience of working with
Outlook, Word, Excel, & MS
Powerpoint programmes; ability to
engage with Facebook, Twitter and
BC Sharepoint sites, or
demonstrable knowledge to
acquire this knowledge within three
months from date of Role Profile.
Shortlisting
Knowledge
Language skills
Demonstrable English and German
language skills to CEF B2 / ALTE
level 3.
Shortlisting / interview
Submitted by
Caroline Murdoch
Date
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28 October 2015
Appendix 1 – Main Duties in accordance with current Role Profile.
Note: The term “Exams” refers to any examination product that the British Council administers in
Germany. Whilst current examinations activity in Germany relates to IELTS and Aptis work, this will
change as new exams products are added to our Exams portfolio through business diversification.
IELTS operational planning and management – pre-test work:
 match candidate documentation with Online Registration entries and issue confirmation emails
to candidates
 confirm candidates in the Online Registration System
 export data from online registration to IWAS and the candidate income spread sheet
 liaise with CDC on final test venue staffing for test sessions
 inform test venue partners of candidate numbers for test scheduling
 prepare attendance registers, desk labels, speaking test apportionments and data for TDP for
test sessions to required deadlines
 carry out final checks of candidate applications and related exam papers before exam paper
despatch.
IELTS Exams paper despatch:
 check and prepare digital recording devices before each test session
 pack IELTS suitcases before despatch to test venues
 check receipt of test day materials with DHL / test venue partners prior to test days
 arrange courier pick-up for collection of exam cases to required times and deadlines
 check DHL invoices against orders made.
Customer Service Management:
 prepare and update all pre-test standard emails on an annual basis.
 travel within Germany to observe a live IELTS test session at least once per year.
SAP tasks:
 create vendors for Exams / rest of office
 assist with creation / closing FPOs every financial year.
Finance Tasks:
 prepare pre-test refunds for approval by Exams Manager.
Joint tasks (in rotation with other Exams Assistants according to duty rotas):
 process post for exams and distribute to the relevant exams colleagues
 frank exams post and take to post office on days when Facilities staff are unavailable
 update FABS sheet upon receipt of daily bank statements
 prepare Hotline rota schedules
 staff Hotline and deal with email enquiries (Levels 1 & 2)
 prepare exam papers for monitoring
 Supervise test sessions Germany-wide from the Berlin office on test day Saturdays, including
arranging DHL pick-up of test papers.
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Guidance on Preparing a Role Profile
(a) Job Description
Complete the job description section of the role profile
Purpose of job – What is the overall aim of the job? Why does it exist? (One or two sentences are
usually enough for this).
Context and Environment – what does the department do? Which region does the job sit in? Are there
any particular challenges or attractions of the region or area? Is it part of a team, if so how big is the
team and where does the job fit? Who does it report to?
Accountabilities, Responsibilities and Main Duties
Accountabilities - results for which the post holder is held accountable not necessarily tasks they
perform themselves. More senior roles often have more accountabilities as they deliver results
through others.
Responsibilities – what actions or tasks is the job holder responsible for? e.g. management or
administration of finances, managing people, delivering or contributing to organisational targets,
delivering own or others work to agreed standards
Main Duties – the main specific duties that job holder has to do in order to meet the responsibilities
e.g. project planning, budget planning, event co-ordination, teacher recruitment. This is not meant to
be an exhaustive list of all the tasks in a job, just the main ones. If there are one or two duties which
form the major part of the job e.g. reconciliation of payments for a finance role it is helpful to indicate
what percentage of the job these activities take up.
Key Relationships
What people or organisations (internal and / or external) does the job holder have to interact with or
influence and to what level? For example an Events Co-ordinator might have to maintain
relationships with venue providers and participants externally and managers and PAs internally.
Other important features or requirements of the job – are there significant or unusual demands which
are essential to the job e.g. unsocial / evening hours, international travel etc? Please be as specific as
possible on these and only include those which are essential.
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(b) Person Specification
Complete the person specification section. As part of the role profile, it is used for recruitment
purposes only. It sets out the selection criteria used for short listing and interview i.e. nature and level
of the skill, knowledge and behaviour which will be assessed. These criteria are classed as either
essential or desirable. Essential criteria are always used in assessment. Desirable ones are used to
enable selection for interview where more than five candidates meet the essential criteria.
Candidates who have declared a disability and who meet the essential criteria are always interviewed.
To increase opportunity while minimising bureaucracy and the amount of work for applicants and
recruiting managers, no more than eight criteria should be listed as essential under the headings of
behaviours, skills & knowledge and experience. We recommend that a maximum of four desirable
criteria can be added.
Behaviours – List all 6 Behaviours and identify those – we suggest no more than four - which you
propose to use as part of the selection criteria and specify the required level i.e. essential, more
demanding or most demanding. In the interest of minimising bureaucracy, please remember that you
can choose to assess Behaviours Behaviours at interview only, thus streamlining the application and
short listing stage.
Skills and Knowledge – Select required skills and level from the list of Core Skills Core Skills.doc
Guidance is no more than two - for example project and contract management, financial planning and
management. Specify any additional knowledge requirement (this may be not always be applicable)
for example, knowledge of employment law.
Experience – What is the minimum experience (work or otherwise) which is required or desirable for
the job for example, leading a dispersed team, implementing a new system or policy, working in the
public / private sector.
Qualifications - Please list the minimum qualifications or equivalent required for this role. Sometimes
the "equivalent" could be practical experience or a local qualification or other similar accreditation.
Qualifications should only be listed as essential if absolutely necessary for the job.
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