Head of Candidate Engagement

Full time, 35 hours per week

Location: London, RCGP Head Office (Hybrid working – minimum 2 days per week in the office)

Closing date: 5.00pm, Friday 26 September 2025

Interview date: Friday 03 October 2025 via Teams

Role to commence: as soon as possible

About the Role

We are seeking an outstanding leader to join our Examinations team. We want this really important role in place to drive the best possible candidate experience for every GP Registrar sitting the MRCGP examination. Candidates are also members of the College, and this is one of the most important transitions in their professional journey.

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Examinations, you will oversee a team responsible for candidate-facing processes including appeals, mitigating circumstances, complaints, and reasonable adjustments. You will ensure these processes are fair, transparent, and equitably applied, supporting candidates with professionalism and empathy, while safeguarding the integrity of a high-stakes licensing examination.

Importantly you will lead on the communications strategy for the Examinations team, working very closely with colleagues to strengthen a cohesive, College-wide approach.

A summary of key responsibilities.

• Lead and manage the Candidate Engagement and Reasonable Adjustments teams, ensuring high standards of service and delivery.
• Develop and deliver a comprehensive communications strategy for examinations, ensuring clear, empathetic, and professional engagement with candidates and wider stakeholders.
• Oversee candidate-facing processes including appeals, mitigating circumstances, and complaints, maintaining fairness, transparency, and rigour.
• Ensure all reasonable adjustment requests are considered and implemented in line with policy and regulatory standards.

About You

You bring a wealth of experience in communications, stakeholder engagement, or candidate services, and ideally a strong background in education, assessment or professional standards. You’ll be equally comfortable leading a team in high-pressure environments as you are working strategically across a complex organisation.

Essential qualities for this role are:

• proven leadership and people management skills.
• strong communications skills and expertise
• the ability to develop clear strategies and engage diverse audiences.
• the ability to work collaboratively with senior stakeholders, balancing candidate support with examination integrity.

About us

The RCGP is the professional membership body for GPs in the UK, with over 55,000 members. We set and uphold the standards of general practice to ensure high-quality care for patients.

The MRCGP examination is the endpoint assessment that doctors must pass to join the GP Register. Each year, around 6,500 candidates sit the assessment. This role ensures candidates are supported with the highest quality of service and communication, while safeguarding the integrity of the examination process — a balance that ultimately serves both candidates and patient safety.

We have a brilliant team that were awarded the Team of Culture within the College. What we do makes a real difference to candidates and patients.

Please download the Candidate Pack for the full list of responsibilities, and requirements for the role.

To apply, please click 'Quick Apply' (via the 'Apply' button above) and complete the application form.

The Royal College of General Practitioners is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

~ Building a sustainable future for general practice ~

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