Head of educational mentoring jobs

Are you a passionate, skilled and compassionate Occupational Therapist who believes every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive? Do you want to work somewhere where your expertise has a visible, lasting impact — where independence grows, barriers are reduced, and young people are empowered to succeed in all aspects of their lives?

At Southover, we are looking for a committed Occupational Therapist who brings clinical excellence, creativity and a genuine determination to make a difference. Our students have often experienced disrupted journeys, but with the right therapeutic support, they make exceptional progress — not only academically, but socially, emotionally and functionally.

This is a unique opportunity to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, where therapy is fully integrated into the school day. You will play a key role in supporting students with sensory and motor needs, helping staff embed effective strategies, and ensuring every young person can access learning and daily life with confidence.

If you thrive in a dynamic environment where no two days are the same, where relationships are central, and where your professional judgement and innovation are valued, you will feel right at home here.

We are seeking an Occupational Therapist who is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based interventions, raising aspirations and supporting students to develop the skills they need for lifelong success.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a good school where your work truly matters. You will contribute to a nurturing, ambitious and holistic environment that prioritises the wellbeing and development of every young person.

What we are looking for:

• A qualified Occupational Therapist who will make a real difference

• A skilled clinician with experience of sensory and motor needs

• Someone who is flexible, creative and solution-focused

• A strong relationship-builder with excellent communication skills

• A proactive team player who thrives in a collaborative environment

What we offer:

• A warm, welcoming and supportive working environment where staff wellbeing really matters

• The opportunity to work closely with students and see the direct impact of your interventions

• A committed, multi-disciplinary team who collaborate, support and celebrate each other

• Opportunities to contribute to whole-school practice, training and development

• A highly rewarding role where you can have a transformational impact on young people’s lives

Important information:

• We only accept applications using our application form; CVs cannot be considered

• Southover is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff are expected to share this commitment

• The successful candidate will require an Enhanced DBS Certificate and will be subject to a range of safer recruitment checks

• All staff must comply with data protection responsibilities and adhere to GDPR principles

• We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and operate in full accordance with the Equality Act 2010

• Applicants must have the Right to Work in the UK

• Please note: Depending on application numbers, we may shortlist and interview before the closing date

Demand for our specialist tutoring programmes for Children Looked After, those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) continues to increase and we are seeking a dedicated and effective Partnerships Account Manager to join our team and support the increased demand for our provision and the continued scaling of our organisation.

The Organisation

Equal Education is a social enterprise working to improve outcomes and narrow the attainment gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, including Children Looked After, those with SEND, and unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We have over 13 years’ experience delivering 1:1 tuition, working with hundreds of Schools and Local Authority partners across the country, reaching hundreds of pupils annually. 

As a member of the Fair Education Alliance, we believe in providing meaningful educational provision to students whose needs may not be best met within a traditional classroom environment, those who aren’t currently accessing education, or who benefit from additional 1:1 support. We work with over 200 qualified teachers to provide academic, subject specialised and individual tutoring and mentoring for children of all ages. Tutors provide pastoral care and work with pupils to increase engagement and attainment. Our programmes will help the students to overcome barriers to learning, help them build trusted relationships, increase their aspirations, and fulfil their potential. We are passionate about our cause and are looking for people who are motivated by a strong desire to address educational inequality and improve outcomes. 

What is the Role?
In this role, you will drive business growth by securing new partnerships and managing key client accounts across designated regions. With a focus on building and sustaining long-term local council and school relationships, you will work closely with clients to understand their needs, expand our service offerings, and ensure the highest levels of satisfaction. As the majority of our key client relationships are with local councils, we are looking for someone with knowledge of how they operate.

The post holder will have the opportunity to line manage junior member(s) of the team, who provide essential bid-writing and administrative support to facilitate efficient and effective client management.

This role would suit someone with proven ability to operate effectively in scaling organisations where processes are still being defined. This role suits someone who is adaptable, resilient, and confident working at pace amid change.

The role will be suited to those who have worked within an education setting and held the title: SENCO, Head of Department, Advisory Teacher, Inclusion Coordinator or Designated Teacher. The role will also be suited to those who have worked within a Local Authority setting and held the title: Commissioning Officer, Senior Case Officer, Case Officer. Whilst the role is also suited for an experienced (key) account/client manager, we are looking for an individual who has experience and/or knowledge of the UK education system.

This role is ideal for an ambitious, client-focused individual, passionate about creating positive outcomes for vulnerable students. If you’re ready to contribute to a growing organisation that’s making a difference, we’d love to hear from you! We expect that the successful candidate will be able to swiftly absorb our ways of working and contribute to the ongoing growth and success of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Client Acquisition and Relationship Management

   • Proactively seek new business opportunities within assigned regions to grow the client base.

   • Develop and maintain strong, positive relationships with key clients, ensuring their evolving needs are met and service offerings are aligned.

   • Lead regular client review meetings to discuss progress, gather feedback, and identify additional service opportunities.

   • Manage internal relationships to ensure what matters to clients is communicated internally using the proper channels, to allow for effective delivery by our Service Delivery team

   • Maintain good internal stakeholder relationships with our Service Delivery team to ensure client demands are balanced with our processes and team capacity. 

2. Strategic Planning and Development

   • Collaborate with Senior Leaders to develop strategies for client retention and growth.

   • Work closely within the Partnerships team to align on strategic objectives and ensure seamless service delivery across functions.

   • Participate in client and industry events to represent the organisation, expand networks, and identify new business opportunities.

3. Performance Monitoring and Reporting

   • Monitor client engagement, satisfaction levels, and service outcomes; produce regular progress reports for management.

   • Oversee tracking and analysis of client-related statistics to ensure targets are met and clients receive impactful, value-driven service.

   • Manage and track client data and prospect pipelines using CRM systems, ensuring accuracy and up-to-date information.

   • Report to the the Partnerships Director on accounts, Tenders, Bids, client meetings on a regular basis.

   • Be curious to explore our Salesforce system data, understanding and interpreting delivery and impact data. 

4. Line Management and Support Coordination

   • Lead, mentor, and manage junior member(s) of the team focused on bid/application writing, tender management, and client-related administration.

   • Support junior member(s) in producing and reviewing high-quality application documents and responses that align with client requirements and enhance our partnership outcomes.

   • Provide oversight to ensure that administrative tasks are completed efficiently, supporting smooth client interactions and consistent follow-through.

   • Work with other area leaders, to ensure strong delivery of services.

   • Contribute to, and foster strong internal working relationships to successfully delivery against strategy and objectives.. 

5. Bid Management and Process Improvement

   • Oversee the preparation and submission of tenders and bid applications, working closely with junior member(s) to ensure high-quality and timely submissions.

   • Continuously review and improve internal processes to optimise bid management, client onboarding, and service delivery.

   • Report on bid submission performance, review bidfeedback to continuously improve. 

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Detailed knowledge of the UK education sector. 

• Experience working in the education sector or with local authorities, particularly in roles involving SEND or children’s services.

• Proven track record in client relationship management, with experience in sales or partnership development roles.

• Strong communication skills, particularly in face-to-face and telephone interactions, with the ability to build rapport quickly and maintain long-lasting relationships.

• Experience managing a small team, providing leadership, direction, and support to ensure high-performance standards.

• High level of empathy and commitment to supporting vulnerable and underserved communities.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet both short- and long-term deadlines effectively.

• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) for tracking client data, leads, and progress.

• Proactive, problem-solving mindset, able to address issues independently and provide client-focused solutions.

• Able to work in a high pressure environment, whilst taking initiative, we would want the postholder to ask for support when needed.

Desirable:

• Exceptional written communication skills, with proven confidence in drafting, editing, and refining persuasive content across a variety of formats.

• Experience in bid and tender writing or grant applications is advantageous, though a background in producing compelling written materials for diverse purposes is equally valued.

General
The job is subject to having the right to work in the UK, two professional references and a basic DBS check.

Why Equal Education?

• Competitive salary

• Investment in you - we believe in developing from within and offer our team training opportunities and personalised development plans, as well as the chance to get involved with lots of projects across the organisation.

• Flexible, hybrid work environment with regular opportunities for in-person client engagement.

• Working alongside a passionate team working to make a positive impact in the lives of under-resourced children and young people across the UK.

• Staff wellbeing benefits such as ClassPass membership, access to discounts via Perks at Work, eyecare vouchers, regular wellbeing sessions and team social events.

At Equal Education, you are the expert. We give you the space, the support and the technology to be your best. The rest is up to you.

Being you at Equal Education 

Every young person we support is unique and our team isn’t any different. Our differences are our strength when it comes to providing a tailored, human approach to education. We are proud of our people and provide an environment where everyone can bring their most authentic self to work. 

Our recruitment practices are carried out in line with equal opportunities and all candidates will be reviewed fairly regardless of age, gender reassignment, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. 

Next steps

If you feel inspired and you think you have the right motivation and experience for the role, we would love to receive your application.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received and interviews will be arranged accordingly. We reserve the right to close this application early, for example if we receive an unprecedented number of applications, so please apply promptly to ensure you are considered for this role.

Looking for a charity role where children and families are treated with warmth, curiosity, and compassion?

Ready for a role where operational leadership means noticing the details, solving problems early, building strong systems, and helping a busy service run smoothly and thoughtfully?

Looking for a thoughtful values-led organisation where kindness and accountability go hand in hand?

This is what our children and parents could soon be saying about the service you help lead …

‘I feel like some of the darkness has turned to light’.
‘It’s like an egg has been opened up and all the good is coming out…. Life feels like it is on the right track’.

We need you and more importantly, our children and young people need you!

Join our lovely children’s mental health charity team as Service Lead for our specialist part-time alternative provision, supporting children and young people with EHCPs whose needs sit in the intersection of SEND and mental health.

We are looking for someone who can quickly understand and work within the Love Squared ethos and approach, while bringing strong organisational leadership, warmth, and consistency to the service.

This role would suit someone who is perceptive, highly organised, and proactive, with the ability to quickly understand complex situations and keep a busy service running and developing smoothly and thoughtfully.

You will need strong organisational skills, fantastic attention to detail, and love problem solving, and proactively manage multiple moving parts with love and imagination. 

It will suit someone who wants to take real ownership of making things work well! 

A little bit about Love Squared …

Our vision is a society where imagination, love, and kindness are the everyday words that people associate with child and family services. It is a vision where young people can walk into their futures with joy. We want to bring love to children and families’ services. We don’t think it’s enough to care a bit, you have to care a lot if you want to transform outcomes.

We want to change the national landscape of how children experience the mental health system, putting kindness at the forefront of every interaction. Building awareness, starting a movement, hearing the children’s voices and those of their loved ones: we want to transform the experience of those impacted by mental health.

We are on a mission to ensure that no child has to lose out on a world of potential because of mental health. We don’t have magic wands, but we do believe that every child and family has the right to get services designed and delivered for their individual needs, and with love and imagination. Everyone has a right to have their story remembered and treated with curiosity and sensitivity.

We directly deliver imaginative, and carefully case managed services for children and young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs (working in the intersectional needs of mental health and SEND). We do this through our work as a specialist non-school part-time alternative provision for children with education, health and care plans (where this particular advertised role sits!) and through our Glow services where we provide a number of therapeutic projects such as our children’s listening helpline, Drop the Pressure, online mentoring projects such as Transitions, Game On and Remix, 1:1 counselling and mentoring in schools, and therapeutic mentoring workshops in schools as well as holiday groups in nature, and with cooking and a range of other activities. We believe that you can’t change outcomes without looking at issues holistically and thoughtfully. For us it’s about long-term change.

As our new services lead for (outreach ALP), you will help us continue seeking to make three key differences for our children and young people: Improved mental health, Reduced social isolation,  Increased ability to thrive in education

The Role

Our Outreach (part time ALP) service will deliver services to around 45 children and young people at any one time over the next academic year. Our young people are often neurodivergent, have SEND and/ or mental needs such as anxiety, OCD and other diagnosed or undiagnosed needs. Many have very supportive and involved families and parents/ carers who also deserve our empathy and support, and many have had difficult childhood experiences and might be really struggling with loneliness and social isolation. The funding for outreach comes primarily from individual children’s EHCP’s and we design careful and thoughtful packages of education and wellbeing provision with an emphasis on therapeutic and trauma informed work. This is usually commissioned through local authorities (we work with a number across the South West and in London) and can also be commissioned by social care and NHS. The work with the children is delivered by a team of around 25 education and wellbeing practitioners. We usually deliver services in the home and the community and for many of our young people, who are usually not in school - we are key professionals, mentors and cheerleaders in their lives, delivering usually around 12 hours a week of services for each child as a part time ALP. Partnership work and safeguarding are day to day features of the services as is building supportive mentoring relationships with practitioners ensuring they have the right support, training and supervision to fulfil their roles and feel happy and supported, and building warm, nurturing relationships with families and wider stakeholders. 

We have a clear idea of our objectives for this service for next academic year (we want to make it even more amazing for the children and young people) and we need someone who will be truly excited about running day to day and the year to year. This is a key operational leadership role within a busy and fast-paced service requiring someone who is highly organised, proactive and fast on their feet - its that ‘head, heart and hand’ approach driving positive action and strategically aligned change across the service whilst holding their own case load, and able to maintain oversight of multiple complex moving parts, while ensuring children, families, and practitioners feel nurtured, inspired, and well-held.

In this role, you will:

• Oversee the day-to-day running of the Outreach (ALP) service reporting and ensuring on monthly and year to year deliverables. 

• Manage relationships with children, professionals, families and practitioners dealing with cases from referral onwards, by phone, face to face and by email, and to be in proactive and sensitive communication including with professionals and vulnerable children and families. This will  often require imagination, quick wit, empathy, and diplomacy to resolve. 

• Take an active role in strategic problem solving; being able to think about what issues might come up, what lies behind the words or the data, and what needs to be done to reassure, and move things forward successfully. 

• Collate and analyse a range of systems and data (quantitative and qualitative) with a view to improvement in communications, systems and processes and will make these improvements happen in the service and ensure they are embedded and become consistent.

• Deliver services which have meaningful long term impact for the children, but always be proactively seeking to do more and to make them better.

• Have confidence in dealing with conflict and disagreements, ensuring that the children and families voices are heard and working positively with our partners.

• Lead on personalised and holistic case management including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control and closure across children’s cases. 

• Proactive commitment to safeguarding best practise and information sharing including commitment to Love Squared safeguarding procedure including acting as Deputy Safeguarding Lead and attending relevant multi-agency meetings. 

• Effective risk-management for service and individual children/ young people in liaison with other stakeholders.

• Manage practitioner and other relevant recruitment so that capacity is carefully managed across the service.

• Support and improve service design, delivery and best practise for the children including running regular team meetings for each placement, individual and group supervision, and providing wellbeing support for practitioners. 

• Ensure that additional and joined up support is sought and achieved as needed to meet the children’s needs and that this is proactive as much as possible rather than reactive. 

• Ensure that reporting, planning, and other documentation both for individual children and at service level is compliant, to a high standard and well organised and managed. 

• Support the ongoing development and sustainable growth of the service in alignment with the Love Squared ethos and approach

• Line manage and supervise Case Manager(s) and supervise and mentor the practice of the practitioners. 

• Help ensure children and families experience services that feel thoughtful, imaginative, loving and genuinely supportive.

• Undertake other duties in the charity as required, being a willing and nurturing colleague and team member, supportive of senior leadership as well as practitioners and other team members. 

This role needs someone who:

• Enjoys managing/ leading services proactively, creatively improving service design - joining up the dots and seeing how things could run smoother and better for our beneficiaries and for the charity while understanding why strategic alignment and keeping ethos already in place and special. 

• Love to solve problems - the little ones, the bigger ones and enjoys a thoughtful challenge, often at pace! 

• Notices when things are starting to drift and acts early to solve,  - using learning from individual scenarios to create solutions at service level. 

• Can manage multiple moving parts calmly and thoughtfully. 

• Combines strong systems thinking with warmth and empathy, and loves working with people including team and parents/ carers - supporting and nurturing with love and kindness. 

We are looking for a wonderful person who has experience in:

• Significant experience working with children and young people with SEND and/or social, emotional and mental health needs

• Strong safeguarding knowledge and confidence managing complex safeguarding situations with best practice reflective practice

• Experience overseeing or coordinating front line educational/ health or other relevant case-managed services or provision

• Experience supervising, supporting, or line managing staff and frontline practitioners/ education or mental health teams

• Strong project management, operational, and administrative skills

• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple moving parts within a busy service

• Ability to organise, coordinate, and maintain oversight across multiple workstreams, timelines, and priorities

• Confidence developing and improving operational systems and processes

• Ability to quickly process information, prioritise effectively, and proactively problem solve

• Experience building strong, warm and compassionate relationships with parents and carers

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Confidence using systems, tracking information, and maintaining clear oversight of delivery, actions, and timelines

• Ability to identify opportunities for improvement and contribute to the ongoing development of services and systems

• Comfortable taking ownership of operational improvement and helping services grow sustainably over time

• Ability to work within an established relational and values-led approach while helping strengthen and refine service delivery

• A proactive, thoughtful, and emotionally intelligent approach to leadership and service management

• A belief in trauma informed,child-centred, and holistic approaches using a variety of tool kits to supporting children and families

Qualifications (Desirable, not Essential)

• Relevant qualification in education, SEND, mental health, youth work, social care, counselling, psychology, or a related field, or in project management/ operations or organisational development

Most importantly … 

You will align with our key values of:

• Love, imagination, Nurture, and Brave. 

Our team commits to these in all their interactions and through our code of conduct and behavioural framework as part of our wider safeguarding culture and best practice.

So why work for us?

Our work is sometimes challenging and tender, but it is also enriching, rewarding and we are always looking for your vision and input as we grow as a charity. 

Benefits

• 29 days annual leave plus public holidays

• Pension: 3% employer contribution, 5% employee contribution

• Flexible working as much as possible around service needs and opportunities for home working for at least some of the week (specifics to be agreed). 

• Free access to on-demand and structured counselling plus mental health resources via Spill.chat employee assistance scheme

• Collaborative working with a supportive, warm team and colleagues. 

We want everyone at Love Squared to love working for us and feel like they are an ambassador for the charity, spreading the word about what we do and the impact we have, for the sake of the children and families we serve, and we will celebrate each and every achievement with you from the tiny (they said ‘hello!’) to the big ones, as well as the tougher moments - we work as a team, supporting and nurturing each other. 

Most importantly, it’s this: 

‘Your work has been life changing, and in each conversation we feel so listened to’

Some important things! 

An application form is required as part of the recruitment process (we can’t accept just a CV!) and any appointment to joining our team will involve appropriate safeguarding checks for regulated activity with children and adults in line with our safer recruitment process such as appropriate DBS and other relevant safer recruitment checks, as well as being able to demonstrate right to work in the UK and you would be required to sign up to the DBS update service and have or obtain an appropriate DBS check for working with children and vulnerable adults. 

We may also carry out proportional online searches on candidates who are shortlisted for interviews. 

Please be aware that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.  It is an offence to apply for the role if the applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relating to children. 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a confidential self-declaration form of their criminal record and other relevant checks as part of our safer recruitment process.  Please note that we operate a positive disclosure policy for cautions and convictions and historic convictions that are not related to offences against children or vulnerable adults, Love Squared would normally be willing to undertake a careful risk assessment with the applicant’s permission before coming to a decision about whether the application can be taken further.  

The interview process will include more than one stage, and please be aware that there might be two stages to the interview process and a short written/ relevant task. 

Due to capacity (we are a busy charity with a small team!) we are so sorry (and we really mean this) but we unfortunately cannot offer feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted (eg. where we don’t progress an application form to the next stage). 

We're committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applicants from under-represented groups, diverse backgrounds, and those who don't always get their voices heard. If you have any access requirements or need reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process, then please let us know, and we'll make every effort to ensure these are supported.