School Partnerships Alliance
Membership & Communications Manager
3-4 days per week
£35,000-£45,000 pro rata and subject to experience
Mainly remote (at least initially), with in-person attendance required at monthly team meetings and in-person membership related events which may take place at differing locations, across the UK.
First-round interviews will be held online on Tuesday 12th August. Second round interviews will be in person in London on Friday 15th August.
We are willing to wait for the successful candidate to work through a notice period, but that candidate will be able to start from 1st September 2025 or as soon as available thereafter.
About Us
Formed in 2021, the School Partnerships Alliance (S.P.A.) is an independent, non-politically aligned membership and delivery organisation which supports and promotes impactful, sustainable and mutually beneficial cross-sector school partnerships. We promote and develop best practice, commission research, provide training and offer a wide range of partnership brokering and audit support. We wholeheartedly support the delivery of the strongest pupil outcomes for all children and our national programmes and initiatives are informed by research and experience and driven by impact.
The S.P.A.’s ambition is to become the leading, evidence-led, trusted voice on school partnerships in the UK. Working as a force for school improvement, our vision is for independent-maintained school partnership work to embed itself into the fabric of the national school system; one which is both self-improving and sustainable. We work to enrich both public and policymaker understanding of the benefits of cross-sector school partnerships through research, targeted initiatives and impact analysis.
Our long-term goal is for all UK schools to partner in some form, to improve both their own and their partner schools’ performance and deliver benefits to all pupils, particularly those attending schools in under-resourced areas. We want to work with a wide range of organisations and individuals who share our vision for a fairer future for all children and build a national strategy for school partnerships. A future where all schools work together for meaningful, mutual benefit to support the educational and emotional needs and aspirations of the next generation.
Purpose of the Role
The Membership & Communications Manager is a new part time role at the School Partnerships Alliance, reporting to the Chief Executive and working closely with our Executive Assistant. You will join us at an exciting time as we develop our new organisational strategy and expand our current school membership offer. As this is a new position this post does not currently have direct reports, but there may be an opportunity to recruit additional team member(s) as the organisation continues to grow over the next 12-18 months. You will be required to work closely with both our CEO and Director of Programmes and Research to lead on the development and delivery of the membership strategy, both stewarding and growing our membership base year on year. You will also be required to manage our new website, provide support with our social media, and ensure that all member communications align with both our brand values and guidelines.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and deliver a new, robust membership strategy that supports the S.P.A.’s key objectives. This will include new member acquisition, current member retention and ensuring that stewardship of school members is effective and fit for purpose. You will work with the Director of Programmes and Research to help deliver a credible school partnerships CPD programme and collaborate with the wider S.P.A. team to create a tangible, attractive membership offer (both on and off-line) that will bring schools together, challenge existing partnership practice and support new thinking.
- Actively identify, solicit and enrol new schools as members, building and maintaining an evolving pipeline of new membership prospects.
- Plan and prepare for meetings with current and potential members and accompany CEO and/or Director of Programmes and Research to cultivation meetings where appropriate.
- Be the first point of call for all members and with the support of the Executive Assistant to the CEO, oversee the processing of all new membership applications, renewals and invoices and ensure all enquiries from existing and prospective members are responded to in a timely manner.
- Work with the wider team to confirm a calendar of membership events across the school year. These will take place both online and/or in locations across the UK, so occasional travel will be required.
- Oversee the membership budget and provide quarterly income forecasts and reports to the CEO and Trustees, monitoring and reporting against income targets.
- Build and maintain partnerships with wider S.P.A. stakeholders to include external school membership organisations, MATs and S.P.A. trustees.
- Empower S.P.A. staff and our trustee board to support membership development, utilising their talents and networks effectively.
- Lead on the preparation of high-quality digital membership communication and related marketing and event materials.
- Oversee the establishment of an appropriate administration system to ensure effective membership tracking, due diligence, and to ensure that the S.P.A. has a robust, professional approach to member stewardship.
- Ensure all membership delivery complies with our internal protocols and all external regulations.
- To attend relevant S.P.A in person events.
- To be an active ambassador for the organisation and carry out any other related duties deemed commensurate with the requirements of the role.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience
- Passionate advocate for young people and a commitment to the School Partnerships Alliance’s central mission.
- A minimum of 3 years non-profit membership/communications/fundraising experience in a relevant role would be desirable.
- A proven track record of securing membership subsidies and/or donations from trusts and foundations, corporate partners and major donors.
- Excellent relationship and people management skills, varying your style to the needs of the audience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
- Excellent team skills, strong listening and problem-solving abilities with a positive attitude.
- Excellent organisational skills, and the ability to work to deadlines.
- Proficiency in CANVA/In Design and MS PowerPoint to create impactful digital communications.
- Thorough knowledge of structured CRM systems and support tools, all MS Office including Excel.
- Strong understanding of account management and relationship management.
Person Specification
- You are an enthusiastic professional who is passionate about opportunities for young people and education.
- You have an effective and energetic work ethic and are comfortable approaching and working with senior stakeholders across a wide range of organisations and educational institutions.
- You have a keen eye for a prospect and the knowledge and experience to convert them into lasting supporters.
- You are able to work independently and as part of a team.
- You are flexible, reliable and with a can-do attitude.
Equal Opportunities
The School Partnerships Alliance is fully committed to the principles of equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital or disability status and welcome applications from applicants of all backgrounds.
Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is therefore subject to an enhanced DBS check, online checks and two satisfactory references.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Location: Home based
Contract: Permanent, full time - 35hrs per week
Salary: £27,250 gross per annum
Closing Date: 28 July 2025
Assessment Day: 5 August 2025 (Location TBC)
Are you looking for a new opportunity?
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a vibrant and growing charity delivering life changing nautical adventure for young people through the Sea Cadets to give them the best possible head start in life. We also provide personal and professional development opportunities for seafarers with the Marine Society. Working with our staff, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a vision and five-year strategy to take us forward and further improve the astounding contribution already made through our work to the lives of thousands of young people and seafarers, while fully supporting our volunteers who are vital to our success.
We are currently looking for a Growth and Development Worker based in England to join our team. This is an externally funded post which will be focused on opening new provision and supporting existing provision in order to reduce waiting lists within specific funding areas. This is a very varied and rewarding role that requires someone who is self-motivated, organised, creative, tenacious, positive, IT competent and with a real interest in people. You need to be able to coach, empower and inspire our volunteers and cadets, both in person and remotely, to grow the Sea Cadets.
Responsibilities
Delivering a variety of training sessions on, for example, recruitment of cadets and volunteers
Developing new growth and recruitment tools and ideas
Promoting flexible volunteering and the volunteer strategy
Assisting with running our social media accounts
Working with and empowering our volunteers to develop plans for growth
Planning and setting up Juniors Sections in new and existing locations/units
Delivering assemblies in schools
Forming part of various working groups with colleagues to develop the tools, resources and processes needed to increase the positive impact of the Growth and Development team.
Supporting the delivery of funded outreach projects
Requirements
Previous experience of working with volunteers
Experience delivering on multiple project plans simultaneously
Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships with a variety of stakeholders remotely and face-to-face
Experience delivering workshops and/or training
Self-motivated and able to manage your time and workload effectively
Flexible and enthusiastic
Able to work as a team player with creative ideas and solutions who will empower our volunteers to make a difference to the lives of even more young people across the UK
For further information, please download the
Benefits
Flexible Working hours and a hybrid culture
Cycle to work scheme and Season Ticket Loan
25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Life assurance (4x salary) for those that join the pension
Private medical insurance
Pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.
National staff conference: All employees come together once a year to reflect on the past year and celebrate success at our offsite staff conference. This is a great opportunity to listen to employees' views, and for employees to network, share information and socialise.
If you are interested in this Growth and Development vacancy, please apply now!
Additional Information
MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.
We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire.
All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo a criminal record check.
We help launch young people for life through adventure.




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.