Organisational Initiatives and Governance Manager

Key information

Location: Scotland (remote), Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London

As this role will play a key part in developing upReach’s presence in Scotland, applicants based in Scotland are particularly encouraged to apply.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full time)

Start date: ASAP (we are happy to work with notice periods)

Duration: Permanent

Salary: £36,340 - £41,065 per annum if based in London. £33,690 - £38,410 per annum if based in Scotland, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, or Nottingham, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.

Application deadline: Wednesday 22nd October, 12pm

About upReach 

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?  

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report.

Role Overview

upReach is seeking to hire an Organisational Initiatives and Governance Manager. This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with upReach’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) on strategic projects, internal communication, governance, and other internal and external initiatives.

The role will provide direct support to the SLT, building their capacity and enabling the charity to continue to grow and increase its impact. They will support the collection of key data for strategic decision making and take responsibility for regular and accurate reporting to our Boards, whilst also leading on the planning and delivery of several key projects. Projects they work on will include exploring how to best expand our work in Scotland and coordinating the cohesive delivery of work that falls under the umbrella of our ‘Double Benefit’ approach.

Whilst Governance and the support provided to the SLT will remain consistent in this role, organisational initiatives will change over time, depending on where it is agreed with the SLT that the ROI is greatest and can best achieve upReach’s overarching mission.

Core Responsibilities

The Organisational Initiatives and Governance Manager will report to the Director of People and Strategy and work on initiatives and projects that the SLT believe will help us to best achieve our mission. In addition to this, the Organisational Initiatives and Governance Manager will also work closely with the SLT to provide governance and operational support. This will include coordinating with Trustees to organise the yearly calendar of governance events and preparing papers for Trustees, Advisory Board and Services meetings, including the Annual Report. 

This role will require influencing and collaboration in order to deliver upReach’s mission through a range of stakeholders across the team.

Core responsibilities will include: 

1) Strategic Projects & Organisational Initiatives

• Be the operational driver of organisational initiatives, as agreed on by SLT, that have an impact on the success of upReach’s mission and our impact on Associates across the country. 

  • Projects may be outward facing or operational in scope, depending on what is deemed to be of most importance at the time. They may also be at different stages in their life cycle, and as such, the role may require initial exploration phases, creation of implementation plans and the coordination of different teams to complete and assess success, as required by the specific initiative.

• Attending meetings and following up with key stakeholders to ensure the completion of relevant projects to a high standard.

• Collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to gather and report key information, along with recommendations, to the SLT or other senior managers.

2) Governance & Leadership Support

• Preparing papers and required documents for Trustees, Advisory Board and Services meetings, including the yearly Annual Report. 

• This may also include supporting internal communications and calendar management for the SLT (for example, organising the yearly governance calendar). 

3) National Development & Expansion

• Be the champion for upReach’s national development strategy, ensuring there is understanding and buy-in across the team regarding the importance of upReach’s growth outside of London with respect to social mobility coldspots and existing regional presence and tracking OKRs related to this.

• Drive plans regarding how best upReach can expand its work in Scotland. Having recently successfully registered as a Scottish charity we are exploring what expansion could and should look like, and this role will work on the practicalities regarding how upReach can sustainably support more students in Scotland. Pending approval of plans from the SLT and Board, the role would lead on enacting the agreed upon approach.

  • Liaison with relevant departments to collaborate on prospect fundraising, university and employer partnerships, as well as student attraction and onboarding activities, will be required as part of this initiative. 

4) Double Benefit Approach

• Have oversight of a cohesive, deliberate programme of Double Benefit effective practice at upReach, working across teams to do so. This will include:

  • Supporting the Events team in the creation of the agenda and delivery of the annual Championing Change event in collaboration with Bank of America, bringing together employers across industries to promote inclusion and social mobility.

  • Support work on policy being led by the Marketing and Communications Team to ensure it is cohesive with our wider Double Benefit approach.

  • Coordinating with the Partnerships team regarding use of our Employer Engagement Toolkit and any bespoke consultancy or training requested. 

This role will also provide line management for 1-2 members of our Future Charity Leaders Programme one day per week, as they work on a six month ‘rotation’ in the areas described above. 

Please note that it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role, especially given the nature of this role to work on a range of projects and initiatives. As such, the job description aims to provide an overview of your remit and core responsibilities.

Skills and Experience

To be successful, it is anticipated that you would have experience:

• Working in a project management role, ideally within a charity

• Working with a variety of stakeholders and a demonstrated ability to influence and coordinate with different teams

• Researching and the ability to create a business case based on the research results

• Creating project plans and completing end to end project work

• Working in a fast-paced environment and working independently

Previous experience working in charity governance or supporting senior leaders would be desirable, but is not essential. 

Team Culture & Benefits: 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.

• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 

• Birthday leave and Voluntary leave

• Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members. 

• 3% Pension Contribution, which increased to 5% after 5 years of working with us. 

• Cycle-to-work scheme.

• Monthly socials and annual wellbeing days

• Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training. 

• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.

• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 

  • Disability and Inclusion Network

  • Diverse Roots Network 

  • Green Network 

  • LGBTQ+ Network

  • Mindfulness Network

  • Parents and Carers Network

  • (Im)Migrants Network 

Ready to apply?

We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible.

Applications close on Wednesday 22nd October at 12pm. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

At upReach, we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We celebrate and value the diverse perspectives that people from all backgrounds bring to our team. We are passionate about creating a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of communities across the UK. Diversity in the workplace creates dynamic and effective organisations and we are actively working to build a more inclusive workforce by continuously improving our recruitment, retention, and development practices. We  encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities , those who are care-experienced, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those who are LGBTQIA+.