Are you ready for Grade 8/Senior Management?

Answer 15 questions and I’ll send you a personalised report

This assessment will help you to measure and improve three things:

how consistently you’re already operating at Grade 8/Senior Manager level, so you can stop proving yourself in the detail and start showing up as a senior manager with conviction.
your ability to lead beyond your immediate team or project, building influence and trust across functions in ways that make you visible at the next grade.
your capacity to think and act strategically, creating clarity and alignment for others even when things feel uncertain, pressured, or politically sensitive.

Note on Grade Levels: Grade titles vary between institutions (some use Grade 7/8, others Grade F/G, or UE07/UE08). What matters is the role level: if you’re currently a senior officer, project lead, or first-line manager looking to move into senior management or head of function roles, this assessment is designed for you.

You're a Grade 7/ Line Manager. You manage your team well. You deliver excellent work. Your stakeholders trust you.

But here's the question that keeps nagging: Am I actually ready for Grade 8/Senior Management?

Maybe you're thinking about applying for roles. Maybe you're already acting up. Maybe you're just trying to understand what "strategic leadership" actually means when everyone keeps telling you that you need to demonstrate it.

The problem is: you can't see what you can't see.

What This Scorecard Does

This isn't a personality test. It's not going to tell you your leadership style or which Harry Potter house you belong to.

This scorecard maps your current readiness against the Hidden Curriculum for the Grade 7 to Grade 8 transition: the unwritten expectations that determine who gets promoted and who stays stuck.

It assesses you across 15 competency domains that panels actually look for when evaluating Grade 8 candidates:

Accountability
Communication
Strategic awareness
People leadership
Influencing without authority
Working through ambiguity
And 9 others that matter at this level

You'll get:

A readiness indication showing where you currently stand
Specific feedback on your strengths and development areas
Clear insight into what "strategic leadership" actually means at this level
Recommended next steps based on your results

Who This Is For

Take this scorecard if you're a Grade 7/Line Managers who:

Wants honest feedback about your readiness for Senior Management (not just reassurance or "more of the same please" types of feedback)
Is tired of hearing "not quite ready" without understanding why
Needs to know what to work on rather than guessing
Wants to understand the Hidden Curriculum before you apply

Who This Isn't For

Don't take this if you:

Just want someone to tell you you're brilliant (you probably are, but that's not what this measures)
Aren't willing to see your development areas clearly
Are looking for a quick fix or hack

What Happens Next

The scorecard takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Be honest with your answers. This is for you, not for anyone else. The more honest you are, the more useful your results will be.

After you complete it, you'll get immediate results with specific recommendations based on your readiness level. No waiting, no sales call required.

Ready to find out where you actually stand?

Hi, I'm Fiona,

I’m a Career Progression and self-belief coach working exclusively with Higher Education professionals. I spent over a decade managing professional services teams in HE before moving into coaching, where I’ve now helped hundreds of mid-career professionals navigate the messy middle.

I created the Hidden Curriculum of PS Progression and the Progression Pathways tools because I know how vague and frustrating internal career development can feel and I believe you deserve better.

Think of me as your guide for the next step. I won’t hand you a cookie-cutter checklist. I’ll help you spot what’s really holding you back, build on what’s already working, and take courageous action that feels like you.

Go to my website