Education Pathways Universities Lead

This exciting new role sits within REUK’s Education Pathways work which has been in a pilot phase for the last few years and is rapidly growing now that the UK government has made a commitment to expanding safe and legal routes to higher education in the UK for refugee students.

Higher education provides a transformative pathway for refugee youth, but establishing sustainable institutional access routes requires systemic collaboration. This role will lead the growth, formalisation, and management of university partnerships required to make an education pathway to the UK grow and flourish. You will oversee the complete partnership lifecycle: from university outreach and onboarding (including negotiating formal agreements at senior level), to enabling the formation of campus welcome groups, leading on initial and ongoing university and welcome group training and support, and monitoring and improving all university-facing processes within the pathway.

The postholder will work alongside a newly created Students Lead role, enabling you to focus on the institution-facing workstreams, while student-facing onboarding, welfare, and direct casework are handled by your counterpart.

This is a critical role within a small, high-capacity specialist unit within REUK. Because this is an emerging and new area of work you must be comfortable working with risk and ambiguity, refining and learning rapidly as parameters evolve. You will be an allrounder - as comfortable presenting to university executive boards and Vice-Chancellors as you are drafting MoUs, establishing Terms of Reference, organising and facilitating institutional training, and handling complex partnership operations independently.

Role outcomes

1. UK universities actively partner with REUK to create, expand, and sustain dedicated safe and legal education pathways for displaced students. To this end, key responsibilities include: 

• Developing and executing a national university engagement strategy to identify, pitch to, and secure new partner universities across the UK higher education sector.

• Engaging directly with key university representatives - including Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Heads of Admissions, Sanctuary staff and key academics - to build institutional buy-in and secure long-term commitment to refugee education pathways.

• Negotiating university support packages, including as appropriate fee waivers, scholarship or bursary structures, and accommodation commitments.

• Nurturing and strategically managing existing university partnerships to ensure institutional sustainability, high-level engagement, and year-on-year growth in pathway placements.

• Representing REUK where appropriate in sector-wide higher education networks and working groups on displaced student pathways.

2. Partner universities establish institutional frameworks, well-trained staff networks and campus welcome groups to receive refugee education pathway learners. To this end, key responsibilities include: 

• Guiding universities in establishing and structuring sustainable on-campus welcome groups (bringing together university staff and students) to support the welcome and integration of education pathway students.

• Designing and delivering high quality training sessions for on-campus welcome groups and other key staff members.

• Developing practical toolkits, guides, and frameworks for university staff to accompany above training.

• Collaborating with the Students Lead to ensure campus welcome structures integrate with REUK's student support mechanisms.

• Advocating within partner institutions for structural policy improvements (e.g. contextual admissions and flexible documentation policies).

3. University partnership governance, agreements, and operational systems run effectively and efficiently. To this end, key responsibilities include: 

• Drafting, negotiating, and finalizing formal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), Terms of Reference (ToRs), and operational service agreements with partner universities. 

• Managing all administrative and governance aspects of university partnerships independently, including contract tracking, partnership reviews, and operational timelines without junior admin support.

• Coordinating institutional admissions frameworks and placement quotas with university registry and admissions departments.

• Serving as the primary point of contact for senior university leads when strategic, structural, or other partnership challenges arise

• Maintaining robust data systems and records relating to university commitments, funding allocations, and institutional agreements.

4. REUK’s Education Pathways university partnerships work is robustly evaluated, financially sustainable, and aligned with REUK’s broader strategy. To this end, key responsibilities include: 

• Reporting directly to the Education Pathways Lead  on partnership growth, institutional engagement metrics, and strategic pathway goals.

• Working in close alignment with the Students Lead to ensure institutional frameworks effectively support cohort needs and programme delivery.

• Collecting sector data, university feedback, and institutional metrics to demonstrate impact to funders, university boards, REUK’s board of trustees, and government stakeholders.

• Supporting grant reporting and budget management related to university pathway expansion and partner development.

• Feeding operational insights from university partnerships into REUK’s broader research, policy, and systemic change initiatives.

Person specification

Although each role requires particular competencies, we seek staff members - irrespective of role - who are willing and able to demonstrate core competencies related to 1) character and values, 2) personal working style and 3) team working. Please see the applicant pack for more details. The competencies required for this specific role are:

• Higher Education sector expertise: Deep understanding of UK university governance, executive structures, admissions procedures, international frameworks, and sanctuary initiatives.

• Senior stakeholder engagement and negotiation: Proven track record of engaging and influencing senior decision-makers within universities.
   

• Partnership governance: Demonstrated experience drafting, negotiating, and executing formal and operational agreements, including MoUs and ToRs.
   

• Facilitation and training: Strong training and facilitation skills, with a track record of designing and delivering workshops and guidance, ideally within the higher education or refugee education sectors

• Operational self-sufficiency: Outstanding organisational skills with the ability to manage high-level administration, systems setup, and contract management independently without administrative support.

• Knowledge of education pathway models: Familiarity with international refugee education pathway models (such as Canada’s WUSC; Australia’s RSSP/SkillPath and or others operating in Japan, Italy, Ireland etc).

• Knowledge and understanding of refugee tertiary education: Strong understanding of the systemic barriers faced by refugee students in higher education both in the UK and in first countries of asylum. 

• Interpersonal skills: An ability to build and maintain positive, warm and confidence inspiring working relationships with internal colleagues and external partners and stakeholders, including in complex situations.

• Communications: Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including ability to appropriately communicate nuance and complexity; confidence communicating with and presenting to high level audiences.