At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.
Job title: Customer Journey Manager (CRM)
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Manchester
Salary: £43,650 to £49,650
Working arrangements: Hybrid – 2 days a week in the office
Ready to design and optimise journeys that make a real difference for schools, educators, and learners? If you’re passionate about creating seamless, personalised experiences, this is the role for you.
As a Customer Journey Manager you’ll play a key role in shaping how our customers experience AQA, by leading the hands-on creation and optimisation of automated journeys in our CRM. You’ll connect experiences across Marketing, Product, Sales, and Service, ensuring every interaction is meaningful and measurable. Your work will help us deliver on our mission to support learners of all abilities.
Key responsibilities
In this role, you’ll be responsible for:
- Designing and managing automated, multi-channel customer journeys across the lifecycle.
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams to embed CRM-driven workflows that improve outcomes.
- Using data and insights to refine journeys and report on success metrics.
What we are looking for
You’ll thrive in this role if you:
- Have experience with CRM campaign management and journey automation (Dynamics, HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar).
- Can work confidently with Marketing, Sales, and Service teams to deliver integrated experiences.
- Are skilled in journey mapping tools like Figma and process design.
- Bring excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Have an analytical mindset and a passion for continuous improvement and A/B testing.
What’s in it for you
This role offers you:
- The chance to step into a new role and shape customer experiences that impact thousands of learners.
- Opportunities to innovate and experiment.
- A collaborative culture that values curiosity and improvement.
- Flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance.
- Access to professional development and growth opportunities.
Diversity and inclusion statement
At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.
Application process
To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role by 23.59 on Sunday 18 January.
First stage interviews will take place remotely throughout the week of 26 January, second stage interviews will take place in our Manchester office throughout the week of 02 February.
#CRE23
Recruitment Agencies
We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.
Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.
Full Job DescriptionSummary
Purpose:At AQA we are more than just an awarding organisation, we are committed to advancing education by enabling both teachers and students to realise their potential. Our purpose drives everything we do – we're here to make a positive difference in the world by bringing out the best in educators and learners.
The Customer Connections team plays a pivotal role in this mission, working across the organisation to ensure customers are at the heart of every interaction. This role is key in shaping how we connect with customers through personalised, automated journeys that support onboarding, engagement, and retention.
As a Customer Journey Manager (CRM), you will design, build, and optimise customer journeys using our CRM platform. You’ll bring together data, technology, and creativity to ensure customers experience seamless, personalised interactions that make AQA the partner of choice in education.Landscape:
AQA is a leading exam board and education charity, known for delivering high-quality assessments and trusted support for schools and educators. The Customer Connection team ensures that customer needs are reflected across all touchpoints.
This role will report into the CRM Manager, who is responsible for setting and delivering the CRM strategy across Customer & Product (C&P). The CRM Manager leads the development of personalised, data-driven experiences and oversees the evolution of our CRM capabilities.
In this context, the Customer Journey Manager will focus on the hands-on creation and optimisation of automated journeys, while playing a pivotal role in connecting customer experiences across multiple teams across C&P. They will work closely with Marketing, Product, Sales, and Service stakeholders to design journeys that are impactful for customers, foster cross-team alignment, and deliver measurable outcomes for the business.
Activities:
Develop and manage customer journeys
Lead the creation and development of customer journeys in CRM for key customer segments, covering multiple touchpoints and stages of the lifecycle (e.g. awareness, onboarding, lead nurture, in-life service).
Translate customer journeys into automated, multi-channel campaigns (e.g. email, SMS, and alerts to Sales/Service).
Work with stakeholders to ensure journeys not only deliver communications but also trigger actions across teams that improve customer outcomes.
Define and report on clear success metrics of each journey
Regularly refine and A/B test customer journeys based on new insights, customer feedback, and business objectives.
Customer centric culture champion
Foster a customer-centric mindset across the organisation by ensuring all teams understand the importance of the customer journey and how their role contributes to the overall experience.
Advocate for customer-focused changes and improvements, ensuring that customer satisfaction is prioritised at every touchpoint.
Journey optimisation and continuous improvement
Identify key pain points, bottlenecks, and opportunities across the customer journey and work with relevant teams to implement changes that enhance the overall experience.
Track customer experience metrics and continuously monitor performance to identify trends, issues, and areas for improvement.
Data-driven insights and reporting
Leverage both qualitative and quantitative customer insights to make informed decisions regarding journey optimisation.
Conduct regular reporting on customer journey performance, providing insights and recommendations to leadership for continuous improvement.
Champion a “test and learn” approach, sharing outcomes of A/B tests and optimisation experiments to embed best practice across teams.
Technology & tools management
Oversee the implementation and use of journey mapping tools and customer experience platforms (e.g. Visio and Figma) to effectively visualise and manage customer journeys.
Build and optimise real-life automated campaigns and workflows in CRM, translating journey designs into measurable, scalable experiences.
Ensure that the technology stack supports customer journey initiatives, including data integration across customer touchpoints.
Need to know (to be successful in this role, you will need to know):
Strong experience with CRM automated campaign management and journey automation (Dynamics, HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar)
Experience working with cross-functional teams, particularly Sales, Marketing, and Service, to embed CRM-driven workflows into daily practice.
Strong background in visual design, process mapping and the use of journey mapping software (e.g. Figma).
Experience partnering with Functional Specialists to translate business requirements into practical CRM journeys and ensure solutions meet both customer and operational needs.
Key skills
Strong stakeholder management - you’ll be connecting customer journeys across multiple teams and departments, from Marketing through to Sales and Service.
Core project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and drive initiatives forward
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present to senior leadership and facilitate discussions across diverse teams.
Strong analytical mindset - confident with KPIs and optimisation
Curious and experimental, with a drive for continuous improvement
Familiarity with customer journey analytics tools and lifecycle marketing strategies.
