Examinations, Enrichment and Educational Visits Officer

GEMS International School, Al Khail, opened in September, 2013, as a premium school offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme.

Job Purpose

The Examinations, Enrichment and Educational Visits Officer is responsible for the secure, accurate and compliant administration of internal and external examinations, while also providing high-quality operational, data and administrative support for the school’s enrichment, extracurricular activities and educational visits programme.

The postholder will play a key role in ensuring that examination processes, ECA systems, trip administration, participation data, parent communication, approvals, records and compliance evidence are well organised, accurate, timely and aligned with school expectations.

This role is designed to strengthen operational oversight across high-volume, high-impact areas of school life. It will support the Systems & Data Manager, the Assistant Principal for Enrichment and Extracurricular, the Education Visits Coordinator, programme coordinators, academic leaders and operational teams by ensuring that essential systems are efficient, traceable and professionally managed.

Key Accountabilities

·       Coordinate the full administrative cycle for internal and external examinations, including entries, timetables, rooming, seating plans, invigilation, access arrangements, results and post-results services.

·       Ensure examination processes are compliant with awarding body requirements, internal school procedures and relevant regulatory expectations.

·       Maintain secure systems for the handling, storage, distribution and return of confidential examination materials and associated records.

·       Provide administrative and data support for the school’s enrichment and extracurricular programme, including ECA sign-up, registers, staffing information, participation tracking, parent communication and reporting.

·       Support the administrative operation of national and international educational visits, including documentation, permissions, registers, risk-assessment records, transport lists, communication and approval workflows.

·       Maintain accurate student, activity, trip and examination data across relevant systems, trackers, MIS platforms and evidence folders.

·       Support inspection, accreditation, audit and compliance readiness through organised records, clear evidence, accurate data and efficient administrative systems.

·       Communicate professionally with students, staff, parents, external providers, examination boards and operational teams in relation to examinations, ECAs, enrichment activities and educational visits.

Examinations Administration and Assessment Operations

·       Coordinate and manage all internal and external examination processes, including NGRT, GL assessments, MYP eAssessments, IB DP, IB CP, BTEC, mock examinations, baseline assessments and any other relevant formal assessment or examination cycle.

·       Maintain an annual examination and assessment calendar, ensuring that key deadlines, registration dates, submission windows, examination windows, results dates and post-results timelines are recorded and communicated clearly.

·       Liaise with examination boards, awarding bodies, external agencies, invigilators, staff and relevant school leaders to ensure that all examination administration is accurate, compliant and completed within required deadlines.

·       Manage candidate entries, amendments, withdrawals, transfers, option changes, tier changes, late entries, certification processes and associated records with a high degree of accuracy.·       Prepare and maintain examination timetables, rooming plans, seating plans, invigilation schedules, clash arrangements, supervision plans and operational briefings for staff and students.

·       Coordinate mock examination and internal assessment schedules in collaboration with senior leaders, heads of department, programme coordinators and phase teams.

·       Ensure students, parents and staff receive accurate information regarding examination expectations, deadlines, conduct, equipment, access arrangements, results arrangements and post-results processes.

·       Provide administrative support for examination briefings, candidate guidance, invigilator training, staff reminders and examination-day logistics.

Compliance, Security and Examination Integrity

·       Ensure secure receipt, storage, handling, distribution, collection and dispatch of examination papers, confidential materials, scripts and assessment documentation.

·       Maintain accurate logs relating to confidential materials, secure storage access, paper movements, script dispatch, incident records and awarding body correspondence.

·       Ensure examination rooms are set up in accordance with relevant requirements, including seating, signage, clocks, notices, candidate numbers, access arrangements and permitted materials.

·       Coordinate invigilation arrangements and ensure invigilators receive clear schedules, expectations, documentation and escalation routes.

·       Escalate any suspected malpractice, irregularity, breach of examination procedure, candidate concern or operational risk promptly to the relevant senior leader and examination board where required.

·       Maintain organised examination evidence files to support internal assurance, KHDA inspection readiness, accreditation processes and external audit requirements.

·       Ensure examination processes are consistently documented so that decisions, communications, changes, incidents and follow-up actions are traceable.

Access Arrangements, Inclusion and Student Support

·       Work closely with the Personalised Learning department, programme coordinators, counsellors and relevant leaders to coordinate access arrangements, reasonable adjustments and special consideration requests.

·       Maintain accurate administrative records of approved access arrangements, supporting evidence, deadlines, rooming requirements and student-specific examination needs.

·       Ensure access arrangement information is communicated only to those who need it and is handled with appropriate confidentiality and sensitivity.

·       Coordinate separate rooming, additional time, reader, scribe, supervised rest break, technology or other approved arrangements as required.

·       Support the administration of special consideration requests, absence from examination, medical documentation and candidate-specific circumstances where relevant.

·       Ensure vulnerable students, students with SEND or students requiring additional support are appropriately planned for within the examination administration process.

Results, Post-Results Services and Certification

·       Coordinate results-day arrangements, including secure access to results, preparation of documentation, student and parent communication, staffing logistics and escalation routes.

·       Prepare accurate information for students, parents and staff about results release, remarks, reviews of marking, appeals, resits, certificates and post-results deadlines.

·       Administer post-results services including enquiries, reviews, appeals, re-marks, clerical checks, script requests and related finance or consent documentation.

·       Maintain secure and accurate records of results, certificates, candidate requests, post-results decisions and awarding body correspondence.

·       Coordinate the receipt, checking, storage and distribution of certificates and ensure uncollected certificates are logged and retained in line with school procedure.

·       Produce examination reports and summaries for leaders, including entries, results logistics, examination incidents, process strengths, risks and recommendations for future cycles.

Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities Administration

·       Provide administrative and operational support to the Assistant Principal for Enrichment and Extracurricular in the planning, organisation and monitoring of the school’s ECA and enrichment programme.

·       Maintain accurate ECA registers, student participation lists, staff allocation records, activity descriptions, schedules, locations, capacity limits, waiting lists and parent-facing information.

·       Coordinate ECA sign-up processes, student allocations, amendments, withdrawals, attendance records and activity changes across relevant systems and trackers.

·       Prepare and distribute accurate communication to parents, staff and students regarding ECA options, timings, locations, expectations, cancellations, changes and key deadlines.

·       Monitor ECA attendance and participation data, identifying gaps, low uptake, repeated absence, capacity issues, timetable clashes or operational concerns for escalation to the AP for Enrichment and Extracurricular.

·       Support the organisation of enrichment events, competitions, clubs, societies, student leadership opportunities, community initiatives and wider co-curricular activities where required.

·       Maintain records of external providers, activity leaders, staffing arrangements, student lists, rooming, resources and operational requirements.

·       Support the review and improvement of ECA systems so that the programme is inclusive, well organised, efficiently administered and aligned with the school’s wider enrichment strategy.