Introducing Ivonne Brooker-Leon, Quality Assurance Manager at ServiceIQ. Ivonne discusses her varied role and outlines why Quality Assurance is at the heart of everything we do. 

Quality Assurance (QA) is a systematic approach to building and maintaining quality throughout a product's lifecycle by implementing and monitoring processes that prevent errors, ensure compliance with standards, and support customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

In the complex and ever-evolving world of QA, Ivonne Brooker-Leon and her team keep the wheels turning to meet the standards required to maintain our accreditations by monitoring assessors, assessment practices and completing moderation work. 

Ivonne’s team work closely with government organisations such as The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), the Tertiary Education Commission and standard setting bodies like Workforce Development Councils (the Industry Skills Board from 2026), employers and learners, to make sure that we're meeting our requirements.

A typical day for Ivonne involves leading the four-strong team of QA Advisors and a further 11 contracted assessors. “I begin by checking on my team and clarifying any priorities or roadblocks they may have. It’s varied; managing external moderation requests, responding to academic integrity cases, reviewing policies and procedures, answering questions or queries about unit standard interpretation, questions about our assessments, and then working with our assessors to support their assessment practices,” says Ivonne.

As well as assisting the wider ServiceIQ business, the QA team also takes on external requests. “Standard setting bodies, for example, will contact us for samples of our assessments to check for consistency, authenticity, fairness and validity, while NZQA completes audits every three or four years – checking that we're meeting all our KPIs as a trusted education provider.” 

By its very name, ‘quality’ and ‘assurance’ gives anyone involved with ServiceIQ at any level the guarantee that we are providing a world-class service to the highest regulatory standards. 

Ivonne arrived in New Zealand from her native Peru in 2012. Working out of Christchurch, Ivonne joined ServiceIQ in November 2021 having previously held compliance positions at AsureQuality and a strategic training and development role at Auckland Council. With a passion for policies and procedures, is this the ideal job? “It is! I love it here. We’re almost behind-the-scenes guardians, making sure that everything is done the right way.

“Self-assessment is a key practice for us – making sure we review our practices, policies, procedures, gather feedback from our trainees, our employers, and our stakeholders, and learning and improving what we do.” 

When the wheels are smoothly turning, requirements are met, programme and assessment integrity are maintained, and reputation soars – essential to what we do and impossible without the QA team. 

“Another significant part of my role is on the personal level. I believe in a culture of continuous improvement, and we have a responsibility to pursue excellence. QA is about showing a commitment to that idea every day. For ServiceIQ, it’s critical that everything we do is done well, and that’s where we can help.”

Ivonne explains that there’s another important reason why maintaining high standards and best practice is essential, which extends far beyond the business. 

“Studying in New Zealand is well regarded overseas. We play a part in keeping and maintaining that reputation – in the day-to-day operations, the great job ServiceIQ do, and what we do in the QA team.”

Ivonne believes QA is built on integrity, transparency and upholding ethical practices. These values help ServiceIQ deliver its many services – and drive how her team functions.  

For Ivonne, job satisfaction comes in many forms. “The process can often be just as important as the outcome. A good day for me might be seeing positive outcomes from our external regulators but also something that really makes me enjoy my job is seeing the whole cycle of self-assessment. Asking people how they found the courses, getting that feedback, then seeing the improvements happening, resulting in a good outcome at the end, is very appealing – from trainees or employers.”

QA can also be challenging and highly demanding, so Ivonne works hard to foster a positive culture in her team.  “I thrive in a collaborative environment, and I enjoy seeing the team succeed, their growth, and achieving things – especially when they go the extra mile for our customers. It’s a serious job, but we have fun. We’re a passionate and diverse group, made up of people with different levels of experience, skills and knowledge.” 

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