Fractional Operations Director Opportunity

Meet AiCore

AiCore exists to help large employers in England get every employee using AI to drive revenue, cut costs and boost productivity through role specific training pathways that are fully government funded.

Our track record (proof we can deliver)

Originated at Imperial College London, where we founded the Machine Learning Society with DeepMind sponsorship and educated 6,000+ students pro bono.

Selected by NVIDIA to deliver specialised training via their Deep Learning Institute across top UK universities.

Became the fastest-growing AI bootcamp in the UK, training 1,500+ people during Covid-19.

Partnered nationally with the UK Department for Education, delivering outcomes that contributed to an estimated £17,310,932 tax uplift and supporting 740 people into employment.

Apprenticeship business holds Grade 2 Ofsted and 91% completions.

We’re seeking a single, senior owner to put a robust, inspection-ready quality and compliance operating system in place without requiring a full-time hire.

What you’ll own (fractional but accountable)

As Fractional Head of Quality & Compliance, you will own and elevate the quality, compliance, and continuous improvement system across AiCore’s apprenticeship provision. Your mandate is to protect outcomes (for learners and employers), protect funding (ESFA rules and audit readiness), and raise the bar on teaching, learning, assessment, and operational rigour so that quality scales as we scale.

This is a role for someone who can operate with high autonomy in a fast-moving, remote-first environment, while bringing the discipline and credibility of an inspection-ready quality function: robust SAR/QIP cycles, strong internal audit, clean ILR/data controls, and a culture of accountability.

Because the role is fractional, success depends on leverage: you’ll set standards, controls, cadence, sampling and escalation; delivery/ops leaders execute day-to-day activity, with you providing oversight, coaching, and risk-based assurance.

Your scope mirrors what top-tier Heads/Directors of Quality typically carry in high-performing ITPs: ESFA funding compliance, EIF alignment, internal quality assurance, TLA/OTLA expectations, data integrity (including ILR), inspection readiness, staff development/standardisation, and safeguarding assurance.

Engagement model (Fractional)

Quality Team Vision

We’re building a quality function that is:

Outcomes-obsessed: completion, progression, employer satisfaction, and learner experience

Inspection-ready at all times: no “inspection panic” culture—just strong cycles and evidence

Who This Is For

You’ll likely thrive here if you:

Take pride in high standards, clean evidence, and disciplined operating rhythm

Enjoy building systems that make teams better (not “quality police,” but quality leadership)

Can challenge constructively, coach confidently, and hold peers accountable

Like high-growth contexts where you must prioritise, simplify, and execute

Believe apprenticeships can be a serious engine for capability-building done properly

What We Offer

Real ownership of the quality & compliance strategy and operating system (fractional, but decisive)

Direct access to leadership; high influence on how AiCore scales delivery

Remote-first autonomy with a high-performance, high-integrity culture

Investment in professional development (inspection readiness, leadership, coaching, sector CPD)

The opportunity to build a quality model for modern AI capability-building not generic training

What We Expect From You

Core Responsibilities

Quality Strategy & Continuous Improvement

Audit, Compliance & Risk Management

Teaching, Learning, Assessment & Learner Journey

Inspection Readiness & External Relationships

Safeguarding & Learner Protection

Leadership & Enablement

Requirements (Essential)

Proven experience leading quality in apprenticeship / work-based learning provision, with credible ownership of SAR/QIP cycles, internal audit, and inspection readiness

Strong working knowledge of ESFA funding rules/compliance and the Education Inspection Framework

Demonstrable ability to drive improvement in teaching/learning/assessment standards and learner outcomes

Strong command of performance data and compliance reporting (including ILR-related integrity controls)

Comfortable operating with autonomy in a remote environment; high standards, high integrity, direct communication style

Nice to Have

Experience as an Ofsted Nominee or leading a provider through inspection/monitoring with strong outcomes

Governance/advisory experience or board-level quality reporting

Experience scaling quality systems in a high-growth environment (new standards, new cohorts, new delivery teams)

Location

Remote-first (UK-centric), with occasional travel as required for quality activity, partner engagement, or inspection-readiness milestones.

Compensation

Competitive, dependent on experience. Structured as a day rate or monthly retainer (fractional).

Show more Show less