Allen Lane has been retained by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) as their recruitment partner in the recruitment of a new Head of Finance Business Partnering.

About SOAS

SOAS is part of the University of London and is the leading Higher Education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East. SOAS courses are taught by highly respected academics engaged in research that influences government policy and the lives of individuals across the globe, with 5200 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying on campus and a further 3000 registered on distance and online programmes.

About the role

The Head of Finance Business Partnering reports to the Director of Finance and Planning and leads a team of four Finance Business Partners. The team aims to collaborate closely with budget holders, often Heads of Department, academic leaders and Directors of Professional Services, in communicating financial information to aid in business planning and reporting.

You will provide leadership, management and support to the team in ensuring that the needs of budget holders and that of the senior management team are being met and broadly speaking ensure continuous improvement of the business partnering function. You will be tasked with preparing SOAS’ annual budget and forecast, managing the preparation of monthly management accounts and commentaries as well as monthly income and expenditure reports.

In addition, you will provide strategic and operational advice to the Director of Finance and Planning, Executive Board and other committees and support the strategic development of SOAS as a whole.

About you

You will be a fully qualified (CCAB) accountant with a demonstrable track record in leading and developing a team of Finance Business Partners previously. You don’t need prior experience of operating in a higher education environment (although that would be advantageous), but you do need to demonstrate an ability to quickly grasp the context of operating at this level within higher education. An ability to simply present financial information to non-finance stakeholders is key, as is a clear and effective communication style.

You must be free to interview in the third week of December.

Applications will be reviewed prior to closing date and as such immediate application is recommended. For further information, contact Andy Thomas or Ed Stroud at Allen Lane.

Programme Coordinator (term-time only)

We are currently recruiting a Programme Coordinator (39 weeks, school term-time only) to work within our Partnership and Programmes team. The role would be supporting with the delivery of our Quality Assurance Review (QA Review) programme during the QA Review delivery season only.

The role is for 37.5 hours a week, for 39 weeks of the year

About Challenge Partners

Who we are: Challenge Partners is a practitioner-led education charity that enables collaboration between schools to enhance the life chances of all children, especially the most disadvantaged.

How we do it: The Challenge Partners central team works closely with school leaders and other education professionals to facilitate a variety of programmes and services for schools in our partnership. We ensure the knowledge and skills of the best in our network are available to everyone, reducing the variability in education provision whilst improving the performance of all schools, leaders, and pupils in the partnership.

Our team: There are currently just over 20 people in our growing team. We are dedicated to working hard for our schools whilst enjoying what we do and who we work with. You will be working in a friendly and dynamic group with backgrounds in education, the wider social enterprise and charity sector, and the corporate world. The majority of roles are school-facing, and team members work closely with leaders in our schools to generate and refine ideas and create maximum value for the network.

Job Purpose:

To support the delivery of the QA Review. This position requires a self motivated, organised, detail-focused and personable individual to work as part of our team.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of the programme during the QA Review season, including scheduling programme dates, training sessions, and other supporting activities.
• Respond to email and phone queries relating to the QA Review in a timely and professional manner
• Manage associated programme communication as appropriate
• Coordinate and schedule meetings with external stakeholders
• Maintain agreed relationships with programme stakeholders. As directed, maintain relationships with customers, service providers and other stakeholders as identified and resolve all queries and operational issues, escalating as appropriate
• Utilise and update our internal CRM system (Salesforce)
• Other tasks commensurate with the role as appropriate

Person Specification:

Specific skills and attitudes we are looking for in an applicant are as follows:

• Excellent relationship management skills and a friendly, personable demeanor
• Positivity and optimism
• The ability to work well under pressure
• Outstanding attention to detail, and pride in your work
• High computer literacy required. Experience of using Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is highly desirable. Experience of using Salesforce desirable
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to deal with people diplomatically and appropriately, building rapport with those at varying levels of seniority
• Ability to prioritise effectively to meet competing demands, through excellent organisation and time management
• A willingness to learn and give and receive feedback
• A passion for education, and a desire to make a difference

Personal Characteristics:

Our team is very important to us, and we are looking for someone who shares our key values:

• Excellence- we are always looking for ways to improve because we are determined to achieve the best for every child, teacher and leader.
• Equity- we treat each other fairly, with trust, care and respect. We seek the best for every child, and know that those who have the least, need our combined expertise the most.
• Courageous leadership- we speak up and take responsibility for all children, making sure that we do not harm others in doing our best for our own schools
• Challenge- We expect the best of ourselves and each other, and value challenge which helps us improve
• Collaboration- We listen to, share with and learn from each other, developing our practice together so that every child benefits from our combined wisdom and creativity
• Innovation- We use and generate research, we innovate with discipline and evaluate intelligently in pursuit of better outcomes for all children, especially the most disadvantaged.

Benefits of working for Challenge Partners

• 25 days of paid holiday per year, plus 8 additional days of bank holiday (pro-rata for part-time)
• An employer contributed pension - we match up to 5% of your own contribution
• Private healthcare
• Flexible working hours
• A school based office in South Bermondsey. There is currently no requirement for staff to work in the office, but you may choose to do so.
• A supportive and friendly team
• A chance to make a real difference to educational outcomes
• The opportunity to progress and develop skills in a dynamic and fast-growing team
• The opportunity to interact with the children at our school (including weekly reading)

How to apply and our recruitment process

Challenge Partners is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you would like to be a part of our team, then please send your application by Sunday 6th December - 11.59pm

• A CV of no more than two pages
• A cover letter of no more than two pages demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the role and the person specification.

Please note that we will disregard your application if we do not receive a CV and role-specific cover letter.

Appointment will be dependent on receipt of satisfactory references and completing a DBS check.

Recruitment process: Interviews to take place via video link. Candidates will also be required to complete additional tasks via email.

Start date: We are ideally looking for someone who is able to start immediately, although we are prepared to be flexible to ensure that we recruit the most suitable candidate.

Networks Assistant (part-time 0.6 FTE)

We are recruiting a Network Assistant to support the delivery of our Trust Leaders Network and other programmes run by Challenge Partners.

The role is for 22.5 hours a week

About Challenge Partners

Who we are: Challenge Partners is a practitioner-led education charity that enables collaboration between schools to enhance the life chances of all children, especially the most disadvantaged.

How we do it: The Challenge Partners central team works closely with school leaders and other education professionals to facilitate a variety of programmes and services for schools in our partnership. We ensure the knowledge and skills of the best in our network are available to everyone, reducing the variability in education provision whilst improving the performance of all schools, leaders, and pupils in the partnership.

Our team: There are currently just over 20 people in our growing team. We are dedicated to working hard for our schools whilst enjoying what we do and who we work with. You will be working in a friendly and dynamic group with backgrounds in education, the wider social enterprise and charity sector, and the corporate world. The majority of roles are school-facing, and team members work closely with leaders in our schools to generate and refine ideas and create maximum value for the network.

Job Purpose:

You will have an important role to play in supporting the delivery of our work with school trusts by providing administrative support to ensure the smooth running of our Trust Leaders’ Network. You may also be asked to contribute with other administrative tasks that support the delivery of our organisational priorities.  You will report to the Head of Network Development.

Key Responsibilities

• Liaise with trust partners to communicate programme activity and assist with meeting preparation
• Upload files, meeting papers or reports to Dropbox and GoogleDocs, update our Trust Leaders Network directory and manage our inbox, using our escalation process to redirect and respond to queries
• Provide technical support for virtual meetings for the Trust Leaders Network and other events as required
• Manage bookings and provide relevant information to the finance team for invoice generation, send out contracts and prepare expense claims for processing
• Maintain our Salesforce CRM system, upload data as directed and maintain other programme dashboards used internally for planning, monitoring or evaluation purposes
• Support across other networks, programmes and activities as required e.g. arranging virtual or in person national recruitment events

Person Specifications:

Specific skills and attitudes we are looking for in an applicant are as follows:

• Good written and oral communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, express yourself concisely and appropriately with senior leaders
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise and multi-task effectively
• High computer literacy - confidence and competence in using GSuite, Microsoft programmes and Salesforce (or similar CRM system) would be an advantage
• A willingness to learn, take initiative, identify and provide solutions and improvements
• Attention to detail and pride in your work
• Positivity, optimism and agility - we are a small organisation and all staff are expected to contribute across the organisation (and beyond their specific job role) to ensure our success and sustainability. You will therefore need to be flexible and comfortable with uncertainty
• A passion for education, and a desire to make a difference

Experience of either administrative support or project management, communications, account management, business development, relationship management within the education sector or similar is desirable.

Benefits of working for Challenge Partners

• 25 days of paid holiday per year, plus 8 additional days of bank holiday (pro-rata for part-time)
• An employer contributed pension - we match up to 5% of your own contribution
• Private healthcare
• Flexible working hours
• A school-based office in South Bermondsey. There is currently no requirement for staff to work in the office, but you may choose to do so.
• A supportive and friendly team
• A chance to make a real difference to educational outcomes
• The opportunity to progress and develop skills in a dynamic and fast-growing team
• The opportunity to interact with the children at our school (including weekly reading)

How to apply and our recruitment process

Challenge Partners is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you would like to be a part of our team, then please apply with:

• A CV of no more than two pages
• A cover letter of no more than two pages demonstrating how you meet the requirements of the role and the person specification.

Please note that we will disregard your application if we do not receive a CV and role-specific cover letter.

Appointment will be dependent on receipt of satisfactory references and completing a DBS check.

We will be interviewing on a rolling basis and looking to appoint someone to start in January/February 2021. Please apply promptly to be considered for this role. We will close the application process when we appoint.

Start date: ASAP in January/February 2021 although we are prepared to be flexible to ensure that we recruit the most suitable candidate.

About School Food Matters

School Food Matters (SFM) exists to teach children about food and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food during their time at school. We provide fully funded food education programmes to schools.  Our experience delivering these programmes informs and strengthens our campaigns, bringing the voices of children, parents and teachers to government policy.

Healthy Zones

Funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity (GSTC), this five year programme will work with 80 primary and secondary schools in Lambeth and Southwark to tackle childhood obesity.  Building on our pilot programme, we have developed a variety of activities to improve the food on offer throughout the school day. We will consider the needs of each school and offer support accordingly. This will include support to develop and implement food policies and/or to introduce healthier food to after school and breakfast clubs.

About the role

SFM is looking to appoint a suitably qualified manager to lead the monitoring, evaluation and learning of the Healthy Zones programme. This role will be key to understanding the effectiveness and impact of the programme and building an evidence base of what works to inform future changes in practice and policy.

They will set up, lead and champion learning processes so that they can support project teams to use findings effectively.

The role will involve overseeing and providing support to the external evaluator (ICF) as well as coordinating with various partners; securing access to relevant project information and documentation; collating and cleaning data; leading the review of evaluation outputs; and documenting the lessons learned throughout the process to inform the overall evaluation. It is critical that this person can work well with the external evaluator to share formative learning with the project team and our funder (GSTC) to aid and improve programme delivery.

We are seeking someone with an eye for detail, proven experience conducting research and data analysis, an ability to effectively communicate evaluation findings to a range of audiences, and a track record of developing strong relationships with partner organisations.

Key tasks

Coordination

• Support the external evaluator to design and implement data collection and evaluation tools
• Document the implementation of the evaluation including completion of milestones/deliverables and provide regular updates to the Healthy Zones programme team and funder
• Coordinate data collection and monitoring activities between the programme team and external evaluator
• Coordinate findings to inform programme learning
• Keep the external evaluator updated about changes to programme delivery or evaluation context
• Facilitate access to the necessary information, data and contacts required for the evaluation

Data collection and analysis

• Collate and prepare monitoring data (as required) and perform regular quality checks
• Ensure adherence to ethical and data protection standards throughout the evaluation
• Continually monitor and update existing Logic Models and Theory of Change approaches to evaluation and impact management across the Healthy Zones programme to inform our work and strategic approach

Report writing and presentation

• Coordinate the writing of the interim evaluation report after three years of the programme, setting clear expectations for what should be included
• Assist with the presentation of the results to both internal/external audiences

The Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Manager will also undertake any other tasks relevant to the affairs of SFM that may arise from time to time. Therefore, being flexible and approaching the job with an open and positive mindset is essential!

Person Specification

Essential

• At least two years’ experience leading the implementation or management of monitoring, evaluation and impact projects
• Understanding of theories, concepts and approaches to evaluation and demonstrable expertise of monitoring, evaluation and impact frameworks and systems
• Ability to implement data collection and collation using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
• Experience of managing databases and interpreting and analysing large volumes of data
• Clear and concise writing skills
• Strong data collection and analysis skills
• Good understanding of data management and GDPR

Desirable

• Experience managing external contractors or partners
• Experience of setting up or managing learning and/or using evidence to improve interventions
• Degree in social research or social science
• Experience working remotely and/or with an organisation that has remote workers
• Experience working in the charity sector
• An interest in children’s health, campaigning and environmental issues

Data and Impact Assistant (part time 0.6 FTE)

We are recruiting for a Data and Impact Assistant to work within our Network Development Team.

With over 400 schools in our National Network of Excellence and 100 trusts this is an exciting time to join our central team and contribute to the success of our partnership.

As Data and Impact Assistant, you will have an important role to play in ensuring we use data effectively and strategically for the benefit of our partner schools, and to demonstrate the impact of our work. In this role, you will maintain our Salesforce database to a high standard of accuracy, find solutions to technical issues and work with others to deliver improvements/efficiencies to our CRM system. As a member of the Challenge Partners central team, you will contribute to every child receiving a great education.

The role is for 22.5 hours a week

About Challenge Partners

Who we are: Challenge Partners is a practitioner-led education charity that enables collaboration and challenge between schools to enhance the life chances of all children, especially the most disadvantaged.

How we do it: The Challenge Partners central team works closely with school leaders and other education professionals to facilitate a variety of programmes and activities for schools in our partnership. We ensure the knowledge and skills of the best in our network are available to everyone, reducing the variability in education provision whilst improving the performance of all trusts, schools, leaders, and pupils in the partnership.

Our team: There are currently just over 20 people in our growing team. We are dedicated to working hard for our schools whilst enjoying what we do and who we work with. You will be working in a friendly and dynamic group with backgrounds in education, the wider social enterprise and charity sector, and the corporate world. The majority of roles are school-facing, and team members work closely with leaders in our schools to generate and refine ideas and create maximum value for the network.

Job Purpose:

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring that Challenge Partners is able to use data effectively to deliver and demonstrate impact for our partner schools. The Data and Impact Assistant will work with colleagues across the Challenge Partners team, as well as an external Salesforce developer, to help translate the needs of the organisation into technological solutions. The Data and Impact Assistant will troubleshoot issues, generate system improvements, and serve as a champion for effective data management within the team. In addition, they will be prepared to provide organisational and data support to emerging priorities as they arise. The post holder will report to the Network Development Manager.

The successful candidate will be comfortable inputting, manipulating and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data, and a willingness to develop their skills further. Prior experience of Salesforce or a similar CRM system would be an advantage.

Key Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities of the Data and Impact Assistant will include:

CRM administration: you will be responsible for maintaining Challenge Partners’ Salesforce database, putting in place processes to ensure a high standard of data accuracy. You will work with others to generate improvements/efficiencies, and work with internal and external partners to find solutions to Salesforce-related issues.

Reports and dashboards: you will assist team members by generating reports to support our ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and fulfilling data requests from team members and external stakeholders

Influencing others: You will serve as a champion for Salesforce and a culture of effective data management across the organisation, providing coaching or training as needed

Related organisational support: you will step up to assist and provide administrative support with emerging priorities as they arise, as agreed with your line manager

Person Specification

Specific skills and attitudes we are looking for in an applicant are as follows:

• Experience of inputting, manipulating and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data (prior experience of Salesforce or CRM would be an advantage)
• Excellent computer literacy, including with Microsoft Excel
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Practical, methodical approach to solving problems
• Works collaboratively and effectively with others across the organisation
• Positivity, optimism and agility - we are a small organisation and all staff are expected to contribute across the organisation (and beyond their specific job role) to ensure our success and sustainability. You will therefore need to be flexible and comfortable with uncertainty
• A passion for education, and a desire to make a difference

Benefits of working for Challenge Partners

• 25 days of paid holiday per year, plus 8 additional days of bank holiday (pro rata)
• An employer contributed pension - we match up to 5% of your own contribution
• Private healthcare
• Flexible working hours
• A school based office in South Bermondsey. There is currently no requirement for staff to work in the office, but you may choose to do so.
• A supportive and friendly team
• A chance to make a real difference to educational outcomes
• The opportunity to progress and develop skills in a dynamic and fast-growing team
• The opportunity to interact with the children at our school (including weekly reading)

How to apply and our recruitment process

Challenge Partners is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you would like to be part of our team, then please apply with the following:

• A CV of no more than two pages
• A statement of no more than two pages demonstrating how you meet the  requirements of the role and the person specification

This is a part-time role, and is based in London - although flexible working arrangements will be considered for the right candidate.

We will be interviewing on a rolling basis and looking to appoint someone to start in January/February 2021. Please apply promptly to be considered for this role. We will close the application process when we appoint.

Start date: ASAP in January/February 2021 although we are prepared to be flexible to ensure that we recruit the most suitable candidate.

Job Title: Head of Outreach Activities (Maternity Cover)

Salary: £43,000 per annum

Location: London – Bedford Square

Contract Type: Fixed Term (January 2021 – September 2021)

Department: Outreach Activities

Reports to: Head of Public Engagement

Hours: Full-Time: Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm

The Architectural Association was founded in 1847, opening as a day school in 1901. The AA is committed to public benefit attained by the learning, teaching, discussion and promotion of architecture.  The School is recognised as a worldwide leader in architectural education, with graduates that include many of the world’s leading architects, scholars, critics and educators. The academic and professional programmes of study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, up to and including doctoral level, are validated by external professional and academic bodies.

Role Overview:

The post of Head of Outreach Activities is a new role developed to work across the different departments within the Public Engagement, Communications, Admissions and Registry Departments. Reporting to the Head of Public Engagement, the role will lead on planning events and activities for prospective students together with the admissions department as well as developing strategies on how to reach students who don’t currently apply to the AA. The role also includes increasing student engagement within the school through events like our Introduction Week at the start of the year for new students and our Graduation at the end of the year to book-end a students’ time at the AA. Additionally, this position will involve reaching out to the profession, members and alumni as well as potential partners and donors through a series of outreach activities and events.

Applicants will be expected to currently work from home, with a view of returning back to office based work subject to easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

What we offer:

A wide-range of staff benefits including generous annual leave and a defined-contribution pension scheme.

Please note the position may close before the advertised closing date if we have received a sufficient amount of applications. We therefore advise that if you are interested to not delay in applying for the position.

The AA School is committed to tackling systemic inequalities and particularly welcome applications from women and anyone who is from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background, along with applications from anyone who considers themselves to have a disability.

Thank you for your interest in the AA and this role.

Please note that it will not be possible for the AA School to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for successful candidates as this role does not fall into one of the standard occupational codes deemed eligible for sponsorship by UK Visas and Immigration. Successful candidates will therefore need to be eligible to work in the UK or have limited leave to remain in the UK and associated right to work for the duration of their employment with the AA School, in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006

Personal Assistant to the CEO & Managing Director (Maternity Cover)

Reports to: Line managed by CEO but also reports to MD

Location: Flexible, UK-based

Contract:  Fixed term – 9 months (with possible extension)

Salary: £32,542 - £33,518 per annum (dependent on skills and experience)

 + 5%  pension

Hours:  35 hours per week

The School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) is looking for a Personal Assistant to support the Chief Executive and Managing Director for a fixed term period of 9 months.

The purpose of this role is to provide the CE & MD with the relevant administrative and secretarial support to ensure effective management of the organisation. You will be booking meetings, responding to emails, coordinating diaries and supporting relationship management with funders, policy makers and partners. You will also be responsible for supporting the CE and MD with their internal responsibilities.

School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) is a charity that supports people using entrepreneurial approaches to tackle complex social problems. We run practical learning programmes and courses to support people from all backgrounds to realise their potential and bring about lasting social and environmental change.

This role will suit you if you are highly organised, enjoy working in a support role, are a friendly and clear communicator, and have a keen attention to detail.

Our commitment to inclusion

Diversity is a fact of life. Inclusion is a choice and a practice – for organisations and individuals. At the School for Social Entrepreneurs, our aim is to drive inclusion into every area and activity of what we do: from access to programmes, to grant investment, to board, staff and partnerships.

However you identify, we would like to hear from you. In our commitment to continue to diversify our teams, freelance staff and programmes, we are particularly keen to hear from those who identify as: being from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds; LGBTQ+; and those with disabilities.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during our recruitment processes, including assistance with reading this page or documents linked to below, please contact us details on the job pack.

For full details about the role, including the Job Description and Person Specification, please see details in the enclosed application pack.

Closing date: midday on Friday 4th December 2020

Job Description: Chief Accountant

Reports to: General Manager and Treasurer

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:                             

1. To develop, improve and maintain accounting reporting and controls
2. To manage, develop and support the Management Accountant and Trainee Accountant

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Core activities

• Management of the Accounts team
• Review of current accounting processes to find efficiencies and improvements. Using Audit reports and feedback from the Finance Sub-Committee, develop new protocols in a wide-ranging review of how the Greentree integrated accounting and CRM system is used
• Quarterly reviews of:
  • TB Account reconciliations (Bank, Debtors, Creditors, Accruals/Prepayment)
  • VAT Returns
  • Capital Projects Approvals & Expenditure
  • Nominal Ledger journals
• The generation and co-ordination of Annual Budgets and Forecasts for all the School’s activities, excluding those of our trading subsidiary and the regional Branch operations
• The production of summary Management Accounts by major business segment showing actual performance to Budget with a commentary on causes of variances
• The construction and implementation of monthly budgetary expense controls, and production of regular reports to show actual performance to Budget / Forecast
• The communication of these reports to key Budget expense holders and the Executive committee to include recommended actions to be taken
• Review of the School’s funds and a twelve-month rolling Cash forecast of requirements
• Working with the Treasurer and General Manager on an expanded and updated organisation-wide Finance Manual. Identifying risks to the business and finding processes that address these risks
• Submit Annual Returns to the Charity Commission and Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Additional

• Working with General Manager on payroll and pensions
• Assisting with the annual Audit of the organisation, including supporting the Management Accountant in preparing the financial statements
• Cross-training roles with Management Accountant and Assistant Accountant to provide cover during busy periods or team member absence

Hours

Monday to Friday (8 hours including paid lunchbreak) within the hours of 8:30am – 6:30pm
Initially based at home, in due course this role will be at our office in West London.

Person Specification: Chief Accountant

Experience

• Qualified as a Chartered Account 3+ years ago
• Experience working with an accounting solution such as Sage or Dimensions, within a medium-sized organisation. Knowledge of Greentree ideal
• Supervisory or management experience essential. Ideally management of a team, and experience developing and coaching staff into new or enhanced roles
• Experience in an accountancy role in a charity essential. Time spent within a charity of £1m+ annual turnover preferable

Qualities

• Comfortable with leading significant change in a small team
• Efficient and problem-solving, able to set out clear milestones for reaching goals
• Patient, with a team-focussed attitude
• An understanding of the unique challenges posed by a high-turnover organisation with a small core team

28 days annual leave per year (excluding Bank Holidays) and pension scheme.

Do you have what it takes to engage, inspire and enable thousands of students across the UK, to take action to welcome refugees to the UK?

Do you want to make a real difference and gain a huge variety of experience, including campaigning, volunteer management, communications and events organising? Then this is the perfect role for you. 

STAR is looking for an enthusiastic and energetic individual with great communication skills and experience of running a student society or similar. You will work with the Student Network team to provide support to STAR group leaders at universities and colleges across the country, helping them to run their groups, organise engaging events, coordinate creative campaign actions and ensure they are up-to-date with what’s happening across the network, and in UK asylum policy. You’ll also have a key role in organising national events, including our annual conference and student training events.

About us 

Student Action for Refugees is the national student movement building a society where refugees are welcomed and can thrive, as equal members of the community. 

People arriving in the UK face many challenges in both claiming their right to asylum and building new lives. Challenges that result from a hostile policy environment, negative public attitudes, unhelpful media narrative and a lack of access to services. Our network of STAR student societies and activists is creating a more understanding, just and welcoming society - today and in the future by; campaigning for policy change; providing practical support and connecting communities through volunteering; improving access to university; sharing information about asylum and the lived experience of refugees to shift narratives. 

Last year was our 25th anniversary, marking a quarter century of a vibrant student refugee welcome movement that has impacted on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and has made a difference far beyond the walls of universities and colleges. 

In 2019/20 we were active in 61 universities and colleges in England, Scotland and Wales - 53 STAR student groups, in 39 towns and cities, were supported and empowered to take local and national action to welcome refugees. The groups were run by 285 STAR student leaders with a membership of 4096 students. Together we:

• Campaigned for the right to work for asylum seekers, an end to immigration detention, improved refugee family reunion rights and improved access to university and more. 

• Volunteered in partnership with 43 local charities recruiting 1,623 STAR student volunteers for 82 projects supporting 3,166 refugees – providing academic support for children, English conversation clubs, drop-in centres, IT workshops, gardening projects, sports clubs, fun community events and more. 

• Organised 550 events attended by 22,000 people, providing a platform for experts by experience, academics, activists and organisations, to inform about asylum and the experiences of refugees. 

• Supported 9 universities with scholarship development, 8 STAR student groups to campaign for Equal Access at their institutions and we provided information and advice to over 300 prospective students and university staff. 

Location: London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Nottingham or Newcastle. The role will initially be on a remote basis.

Key Information

upReach are seeking to hire a Senior Officer - Partnerships & Professional Experience Programmes. This is an exciting opportunity to directly contribute to the growth of the charity by supporting the Employer Partnerships Manager to identify opportunities to partner with employers on exclusive work experience programmes as well as deliver the work experience programme with guidance from the Sector Programmes Manager. This role would suit individuals with experience managing partner relationships and implementing programmes, who have a passion for social mobility and are used to operating in a fast paced environment. In addition to growing employer relationships, the successful candidate will take responsibility for the successful implementation of exclusive work experience programmes for our Associates with our sponsors & partner employers. They will be a key member of a dynamic and growing national team.

This individual will play a pivotal role in identifying and implementing exclusive work experience programmes with our sponsors and partner employers. ​This could include unique application processes for the Associates on our programmes, Professional Experience Weeks with sponsors or partner employer firms, and the upReach Professional Internship Programme​. With dual reporting to the Employer Partnerships Manager & Sector Programmes Manager, they will grow and improve the resourcing of upReach’s exclusive work experiences programmes - from the identification of opportunities with partners & designing the experience, to implementing promotion to Associates and alongside the Sector Leads, the execution and evaluation of the programmes.

Core Responsibilities

These will include:

Developing and Managing Employer Partnerships

• Managing upReach’s portfolio of existing partners with exclusive work experience programmes, stewarding relationships to ensure the partnerships remain strong and mutually beneficial.
• Ensuring all exclusive work experience programmes are delivered effectively and on time, in collaboration with the Employer Partnerships Manager and Sector Programme Manager.
• Researching and developing a new pipeline of exclusive work experience partners.
• Preparing and delivering compelling and evidence-based presentations to potential partners.

Programme Design & Delivery

• Contribute to the design and delivery of each of the exclusive work experience programmes, creating a 12 month plan in advance of the start of each recruitment cycle.
• Design the framework and delivery materials of the upReach Professional Internship Programme, working with the Sector leaders to develop the appropriate content, identify & support sector volunteers, and support Associates in the day to day delivery of each Sector programme.
• Lead the development of engaging promotion of new opportunities to Associates to increase the number and diversity of applicants.
• Work with the Sector Programmes Manager to design application assessment materials (where required) and applicant support resources for Programme Coordinators.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the exclusive work experience programmes.

Person Specification

This position would be suited to individuals who are committed to upReach’s mission and have an understanding of, and empathy with, the challenges facing those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

To be successful you should have experience managing partner relationships and implementing programmes. The ideal candidate will be proactive, resilient and used to managing competing priorities within a varied workload. They should be flexible and willing to perform varying duties depending on the shifting needs of the charity.

Essential Skills/Experience

1. Experience working in a fast-paced environment and working independently to find solutions to problems.

2. Ability to engage and flex communication style confidently with a variety of stakeholders, such as beneficiaries, upReach partners and all levels of employees across the organisation.

3. Experience working directly with key stakeholders to manage and grow a relationship and/or partnership.

4. Excellent influencing, facilitation and communication skills (both oral and written) and be comfortable preparing and presenting reports and proposals to senior management and external stakeholders.

5. Strong programme management and problem solving skills, in addition to superb organisational skills and time management skills to manage a varied workload.

6. Self-motivation and an ability to work in a small team as well as independently, with a creative and a proactive attitude.

7. At least a Grade ‘B’ in Maths and English GCSE (if you have extenuating circumstances, let us know)*

8. University degree (2:1 or higher)* in any discipline, or equivalent experience.

* The nature of the role requires a high standard of Maths and English, and the ability to quickly review a large amount of information and identify and communicate key themes clearly. Applicants may demonstrate this through the academic qualifications shown above and/or other relevant experience. As our beneficiaries are all undergraduates, a good understanding of the university experience is essential, although it is not necessary that this was acquired through personally gaining a degree.

Desirable Skills/Experience

1. Partner relationship identification and management

2. Experience delivering all aspects of a programme end to end, from design to

   reporting and evaluation.

3. Experience with graduate application processes.

4. Familiarity with G Suite and Zoom video conferencing software.

Values & Competencies

upReach upholds the following values:

• Perseverance
• Integrity
• Advocacy
• Aspiration
• Proactivity

We are looking for candidates to display the following competencies during the application stages:

• Problem solving and decision making
• Planning and organising
• Collaboration
• Passion and motivation
• Communication skills

Application Process

Please submit a PDF copy of your CV and covering letter by 9am on Tuesday 5th January 2021. Please explain your motivation for applying to this role, why you are interested in working at upReach, and provide further details on how your experience matches the job description. Please include SENIOR OFFICER - Partnerships & Professional Experience Programmes in the subject line and indicate in your cover letter where you heard about this vacancy. Early applications are encouraged.

There may be an initial round of short telephone interviews w/c 4th January 2021 subject to candidate availability. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a virtual assessment centre the week of 11th January 2021. If you are not available on these dates please let us know in your application.

Please Note: upReach has a responsibility under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that, ​at the time of starting their employment, successful candidates have permission to work in the UK.

If you have a right to work in the UK, ​you will be required to bring proof of this to your interview (by providing your original passport or other right to work documents). If your permission to work in the UK relies on a job offer, please bring written details including evidence of any existing visas or work permits. A photocopy will be taken of your document(s) and stored securely. If you are unsuccessful at the interview the photocopy will be destroyed. Unfortunately, upReach is unable to financially sponsor Visas or work permits.

Equal Opportunities

upReach is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We support workplace diversity and believe it creates dynamic and effective organisations. We are working hard to increase diversity in our team and would particularly welcome applications from BAME candidates.

We are committed to making our roles and culture inclusive. We can make reasonable adjustments throughout the application process and on the job. 

First Give inspires young people to make a difference to the causes they care about. We aim to support the next generation to be socially conscious and community-minded, with the skills and confidence to drive social change.

We do this by working in partnership with secondary schools to deliver the First Give programme, providing a fully resourced scheme of work that guides an entire year group of students to engage with local charities and causes and then carry out social action (fundraising, raising awareness, campaigning, volunteering etc) in support of them. At the end of each programme, a celebratory School Final is held at each school, where teams representing each class deliver presentations about their projects. The class considered to have engaged the best with the programme secures a First Give grant of £1,000 for their chosen charity. By the end of the programme, however, the whole year group will have given back meaningfully to their local community.

We are at an exciting stage of our journey, looking to open up our delivery to more parts of England and Wales. We are seeking a Partnerships and Communications Lead to drive this element of our work. This is a sales role.

The Partnerships and Communications Lead is responsible for design and implementation of the school sales and marketing strategy for First Give, working with a motivated team to achieve ambitious targets in order to engage schools to deliver the First Give programme across England and Wales. We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic candidate who is looking to expand their leadership skills and take ownership of a complex sales project. You will be an excellent communicator, with highly developed independent working and a positive, proactive attitude.

Location: Working from home for now, with travel to schools across England and Wales once restrictions allow it. Regular travel to London for team meetings will be required. Should the successful candidate live in London we are able to offer desk space in our office in North West London.

Other requirements of the role: Must have access to a car and a full clean driving licence. A car allowance is provided

NB First Give is committed to the safety and welfare of children and young people. We follow Safer Recruitment Guidelines. Any offer of employment is subject to reference and DBS checks.

Benefits:

• 25 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays. First Give closes between Christmas and New Year and this time off is given to staff gratis. You will also be able to take your birthday off in addition to this.
• Pension of 5% following probation period
• Where appropriate, a work from home allowance will be provided
• Generous CPD budget

Key Responsibilities:

Marketing and sales:

• Selling the First Give programme to secondary schools in England and Wales
• Develop sales strategies and approaches to market the First Give programme to secondary schools across England and Wales
• Design new, and develop existing, marketing and lead-generation campaigns for the First Give programme, especially to engage and attract new schools to our work
• Work with the Programmes team to develop and implement nuanced regional strategies for programme sign up, with an emphasis on growth in targeted areas as necessary
• Develop relationships with key partners such as multi-academy trusts to secure wider partnership working
• Develop and implement a strategy to re-engage schools who have lapsed in their participation on the First Give programme
• Build relationships and networks across the education sector (for example regional Teacher groups, Local Authorities, Headteacher groups etc.) to increase profile and support sales
• Manage sales and marketing expenditure to budget
• Analyse trends, data, demographics, pricing strategies, and other information that can potentially improve marketing and sales performance using Salesforce
• Help to interview, hire, manage, and direct members of First Give’s P&C team as and when this is needed

External communications:

• Co-ordinating FG’s external communications including liaising with PR, social media, newsletters
• Oversight of First Give’s brand identity across various print and digital platforms
• Oversight of First Give’s website and other digital assets

Person specification

Essential:

• Passionate about young people and their potential to drive social change
• Proven track record of success of selling products into the secondary school market or similar
• Experience of design and implementation of creative and effective marketing strategies
• A developed and commercial understanding of the secondary education market in England and Wales
• Experience of excellent stakeholder management and relationship building
• Experience of collating and analysing sales data effectively in order to drive growth
• Excellent presentation skills with an ability to deliver concise, engaging and persuasive presentations
• Experience of managing external communications (eg, website, PR, comms) in order to achieve results
• Proactive, independent worker able to work well alone and as part of a team

Desirable:

• Experience of working successfully within a remote decentralised team
• Experience of using Salesforce in order to track and analyse data
• Experience of building relationships with stakeholders of all levels

Applications close 5pm 23rd December 2020

Candidates who will be invited to interview will be notified on 8th January 2021

Interviews: 14th and/or 15th January 2021 (whether in person or via videolink tbc)

To apply, please fill out the form linked below, part of which will require a covering statement asking for details of your suitability for the role.

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday (ability to work outside of `core’ hours, including before and after school)

Location: Brent

Salary: Circa 30K

Role Overview:

This is an exciting role for an experienced Senior Youth Engagement Worker who is passionate about helping children and families achieve their full potential. 

You will be joining the UP Team as well as playing a key role in the team at Roundwood, we are utterly committed to transforming life chances of children through preventative work that supports children with social, emotional and mental health needs.

You will line manage two other UP Schools Programme staff and hold a caseload of children and young people with complex, multiple needs, delivering early intervention work, through tailored 1:1 support and group work, to support them to attend and engage more effectively in a learning environment, as well as undertake preventative work addressing issues such as youth violence, vulnerability and exploitation. These children may be on the role of a mainstream school with the plan of a phased return, or they may be staying at Roundwood to complete the rest of their education, so interventions will need to be targeted and both short and longer-term.

Working alongside the dedicated Roundwood team, and in partnership with statutory agencies, in particular health and educational professionals, the Police, CAMHS, and social care, you will be equipping our children, young people and their families with the tools, knowledge and support to engage and thrive in a learning environment, as well as address their safety and wellbeing to prevent involvement in gangs and youth violence.

How to Apply (& view other vacancies- Family Engagement Worker & Child Therapist/Team Manager vacancies)

Please visit our website to see a full job description and to make your application by submitting your CV along with a covering statement which clearly demonstrates how you meet the person specification (we will be reviewing shortlisted candidates closely against the job and person specification).

Closing date: 10am on 18th December 2020

Interviews will take place Monday 21st or Tuesday 22nd December 2020  via zoom.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles are subject to safer recruitment practices, and this position will require an Enhanced Disclosure with Barred list check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Our children and families and staff come from a wide range of backgrounds and we value the unique contribution that each individual can bring to UP. We strongly believe that a diverse and inclusive team is vital to our work, and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We are especially interested in hearing from individuals who are Black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background

For further information or if you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the application process, please contact HR.

The post will connect both local people and the local groups who are interested in improving the health of their community by working through the Thames Ward Locality Board to jointly create health programmes with LBBD Public Health, social care and lifestyle teams; NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), primary care networks (PCNs) and local provider trusts (including BHRUT and NELFT); and the community and voluntary sector (including local groups and regional / national organisations).

The postholder will support and enable the mobilisation, development and implementation of the project. They will play a catalysing role, helping to deepen and embed the emerging model of care, working alongside residents, community groups, commissioners and health professionals

Job summary

Reporting to RSN’s Head of Programmes, the Head of Educational Wellbeing will, as a member of RSN’s senior leadership team (SLT), play an important role in leading RSN, and the Educational Wellbeing programme in particular, into and through an exciting new season.

The role will line-manage the Educational Wellbeing team’s three Support Workers and the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Lead Practitioner who, between them, provide intensive casework and support to some 80 young asylum seekers and refugees, all of whom face particularly acute and complex challenges which make it hard for them to get into, stay in and flourish in education. The postholder will demonstrate a deep understanding of the needs and challenges of working with a client group with complex needs to develop their agency and resilience while, as an experienced manager, setting and nurturing a boundaried and healthy team culture which mitigates the risk of burnout.

Working closely with RSN’s Safeguarding and Wellbeing Lead Practitioner to respond to safeguarding concerns and build the team’s expertise and ability to manage complex cases, the Head of Wellbeing will oversee referrals to the programme: communicating with referral partners, conducting initial assessments with the allocated support worker and triaging contact from self referrals.

In addition to ensuring the quality of support work provided and the health of the team, this post holder will be responsible for ensuring that the programme meets its targets, both in terms of numbers reached and outcomes achieved. Working closely with the Head of Finance and Operations and Head of Programmes they will oversee and manage the programme budget, write funding applications to trusts and foundations for their programme, and lead on reporting and donor liaison for their programme’s funders.

The postholder will develop and undertake their role through the lens of our organisational ethos, seeking to embed and uphold RSN’s values across all their work streams.

Job outcomes and person specification

Please refer to the applicant pack for details of the role. 

Application process

Please apply through CharityJob. The closing date for applications is 9am Monday 4th January 2021.

Your application should comprise

• a full CV including a full employment history showing responsibilities held and relevant achievements
• a letter (maximum two sides of A4) telling us where you heard about this role and explaining:
• Why you would like to work for RSN (1 paragraph)
• How your experience, skills and character are a good fit for this particular role (main focus)
• Any contextual recruitment factors you would like us to be aware of (as appropriate, and please see the applicant pack for more information)

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate in an initial phone call and/or undertake a short task and provide references, following which interviews will be held. Please note that you must have a visa that allows you to work in the UK for the duration of your contract.

Any questions about the role should be sent by email to Emily Bowerman at [ jobs @ refugeesupportnetwork . org ]. PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH CHARITYJOB.

Contextual recruitment and reasonable adjustments

Exam grades and job titles are not the full picture - the context in which achievements were gained also matters. At RSN, we actively seek to recruit with the right mix of talent, skills and potential, considering the impact of the context in which a candidate has worked or studied.

We are an equal opportunities employer, and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with lived experience of forced migration, and from other backgrounds that are currently underrepresented on our team.