Student Insight Researcher Jobs in Watford, Hertfordshire
Reports to: Head of Inclusive Leadership Course
Start date: ASAP or mid-August 2024
Location: London / Hybrid - minimum 3 days per week in office (The Difference’s office in
Bethnal Green). Willingness to travel for programme delivery across Nottingham, Manchester,
Newcastle 3 days per half term.
Contract: Permanent, full time/flexible working considered
Salary: £55k - £65k per annum (+6% employer pension contribution and sector-leading parental
leave policy shared with all applicants)
Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 21st April 23:59
Person Specification
The Difference are seeking an outstanding school leader to take on the role of Programme Lead
through an exciting period of growth and development, with a particular focus on developing
our People and Practice work. The successful candidate will be instrumental in the delivery of
our various programmes, actively engaging in its implementation and engaging with valuable
insights for continuous improvement. This role offers a distinct chance to make a significant
impact on The Difference's overarching strategic goals. As the Programme Lead, you'll have the
opportunity to shape our programmes, ensuring they align with our mission and vision. Your
contributions will not only drive tangible outcomes but will also shape the future direction of
our organisation. You will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the outcome of
children who experience vulnerability and disadvantage by working closely with school leaders
to develop school practice and systems.
You will have real ownership over your area of work, be happiest in a flexible and ambitious
environment, and enjoy testing out new ideas. You will have experience in professional
development design, delivery, project management and supporting school staff and leaders
through professional coaching.
Essential knowledge, experience and skills
● Demonstrated Alignment with The Difference’s values. A history of actions and decisions that
align with The Difference's values, showcasing a personal commitment to the mission of
improving life outcomes for vulnerable children
● Credibility as a proven school leader of inclusion as a Trust middle leader, Headteacher, Deputy
or Assistant Headteacher in a Primary or Secondary setting in contexts of high disadvantage and
vulnerability
● A record of impact for children experiencing vulnerability including designing and delivering
work that led to reduced harmful behaviours, repeat suspension or persistent absence
● A record of empowering work with children and families
● Evidence of designing and delivering impactful professional development, high quality
learning sessions, fostering sustained staff development and contributing to a culture of
continuous learning
● Understanding of Relational Practice within Education: A track record of utilising or implementing practice aligned with the relational approaches to deliver improved student
outcomes.
● Aiming high and holding people accountable through visionary leadership: Ability to
articulate an ambitious vision, inspiring and motivating others to meet high standards. A proven
ability to hold individuals accountable for their contributions.
● Flexibility and a willingness to travel, including overnight stays, particularly within London,and
across the North East, North West, and Yorkshire & Humber. A likely travel pattern of 2-3 days
travel per fortnight
Desired knowledge, experience and skills
● Stakeholder management & relationship-building: Proven experience in managing
relationships with various stakeholders, including navigating HR processes, demonstrating
effective stakeholder engagement skills. Experience of sales and a business to business sales
process would be advantageous.
● Adaptability: Track record of prioritising and creating clarity in ambiguous, challenging, or
fast-paced situations. Experience in working directly with colleagues, implementing strategies
such as coaching and structured reflection to establish clear and effective plans.
● Research Engagement: Engagement with research and evidence-based strategies for school
improvement. Demonstrable quantifiable impact using evidence-informed approaches.
● Contextual Awareness: Varied experience in different schools, showcasing an understanding of
how contextual factors impact schools and teachers, and an awareness of the wider educational
landscape.
● Teaching Qualification: Possession of Qualified Teacher Status, demonstrating the foundational
qualification for the role.
Why Work for The Difference?
Schooling isn’t working for the children who need it most. Every week in England 109 children –
equivalent to three full classrooms – are permanently excluded. This is just the tip of the
iceberg. Since the pandemic, school suspensions have risen significantly, as has persistent
absenteeism. 1 in 5 children are missing more than 10% of their time in school. Children who
are excluded or persistently absent are much more likely to already be experiencing
vulnerability or disadvantage. They are more likely to live in poverty, have additional learning
needs, suffer mental health challenges, or experience a lack of safety outside school. Certain
ethnicities are also disproportionately affected, notably Gypsy Roma Traveller and black
Caribbean children.
Exclusion and high rates of absence can have a dramatic effect on life chances. These young
people are more likely to drop out of education or employment, become vulnerable to
long-term mental ill health, or be at risk of criminal exploitation. The Difference believes that
children and young people deserve better and that the education system has to change.
Our Organisation
The Difference is a young education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning. By
2030, we want rates of exclusion and absence to be falling nationally and for schools to be better
equipped to support all children, including those who may be vulnerable.
The Difference was born out of a year of research into school exclusions with think-tank IPPR.
This research identified a lack of inclusion expertise in schools and proposed a new leadership
development programme to fill this gap. In 2018, Difference founder Kiran hired the team who
took this idea from concept to reality, beginning work with our first schools.
The Difference is now a 22-strong team delivering multiple school leadership programmes,
alongside a growing research and policy arm. The team is supported by our Youth Advisory
Board, made up of young people who have experienced exclusion and who provide their
expertise and insights on how school inclusion work should be done. This work is needed more
than ever. Effects of COVID-19, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, have substantially
increased levels of vulnerability. Schools serving excluded pupils face under-funding. The
Difference has had excellent early impact but there is work ahead to scale this impact through
our programmes, share learning with schools and policy-makers, and grow our capacity to
lower exclusions across England.
The Task Ahead: Programme Lead
In 2019 The Difference launched their programmes working with 22 school leaders in
London. Since then we have worked with 447 school leaders nationally. We want to continue
to scale our programmes and reach more school leaders to help shape their schools practice
and systems to improve pupil wellbeing, safety and belonging. We intend to further develop
our programmes to improve inclusion in schools and successfully changing the story for
students currently struggling in school.
Key tasks for this role include:
● Deliver The Difference’s Inclusive Leadership Course to senior leaders from a
range of school settings. This takes place in venues across the country including
but not limited to the North East, North West, and the Midlands. Confidence
and passion to deliver the course to the high standards required.
● In-school support for The DIfference’s School Partnership (DSP). Delivering
across a variety of schools including mainstream secondary, mainstream
primary and Alternative Provision settings. Supporting the implementation of
key themes and content from The Difference’s Inclusive Leadership Course.
● Working closely with The Differences Research, Impact & Influencing team
members to capture case studies, research and impact metrics that demonstrate
the impact of the Difference’s programmatic work.
● Input to the evolution and development of the Difference’s programmatic offer
using insight from delivery and feedback from programme participants
● Working closely with the The Difference’s Partnership and Sales team to
support the reach and impact of the programmatic work.
Our Values
● High Expectations - We are ambitious for excellence from young people, colleagues and
ourselves. We don’t believe in writing off someone’s potential because of their identity or
experience of crisis.
● Strong Relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions,
and know that this requires deliberate relational practice. We see colleagues and partners as
people first and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks,
gain more feedback and have greater impact.
● Internalised Locus of Control - We work hard to reframe difficult situations to discover
what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk
towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agency in our work/
● Pragmatism - We believe leadership means recognising current limitations and striving for
improvements within and beyond them. We develop consensus and chart new ways
forward, challenging false and extreme positions like “zero exclusions” or “no excuses”.
● Scientific approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We
are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast and often is key to finding the
best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make
adjustments and choose new directions.
● Not Squeamish about Structural Inequality - We believe patterns of inequality can and
should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about these inequalities, and both the
individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to
overcome awkwardness in talking about this; and begin by acknowledging our own biases
and blind spots.
● Asset-based - We work hard to avoid deficit thinking and aim to start with what’s strong, not
what’s wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly
young people and families – as victims but instead to recognise their agency.
● Wise selves - To both enjoy work and do their best, we want to make decisions and work
with others in our “wise” - or regulated - selves. We also want to bring our compassionate
self to those we work with, externally and internally, to support one another through
challenging times.
How To Apply
To apply, please complete all sections of the application form by midnight on Sunday 21st April.
First round interviews will be held during the week beginning 6th May, over video call.
Please indicate if you would not be available to attend an interview during this week.
If successful in this stage, second round interviews (including a task to be completed the same
day) will take place on the week beginning 13th May, at our office in Bethnal Green.
We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from
under-represented groups in the charity sector such as people from black, Asian and minority
ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the
care system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates.
As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names
and any protected characteristics redacted.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO?
We are the UK’s student mental health charity. We challenge the higher education sector, health sector, and government to work with students when making decisions that impact them, and make them accountable for prioritising student mental health. In collaboration with students, we show sector professionals what effective student mental health looks like, and bridge the gap between students and the communities around them to ensure their voices are always heard.
By creating and curating resources, stories and tools, we empower students to build their own mental health toolkit to support themselves and their peers through university life and beyond. We want to empower and inspire students to use their voice to share their stories and advocate for themselves.
ROLE PURPOSE
The Programme Support Officer (full-time, fixed-term contract for 18 months, with possibility to extend) will join the expanding Sector Improvement Team. They will provide vital logistical, financial and administrative support and coordination required to successfully run and deliver the University Mental Health Charter Programme and Award, achieve the Sector Improvement Team’s key objectives, and contribute to the whole charity’s mission and goals. This is an exciting opportunity to help the team scale the University Mental Health Charter, with the potential to impact 2.5 million staff and students across the UK.
From booking travel and accommodation, holding responsibility for the planning and administration of the Purchase Order sheets, to liaising with the many stakeholders involved in the assessment and programme processes, you will have an opportunity to be involved in an interesting, fast paced and exciting role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Logistical support
- Provide effective logistical and administrative support to the Sector Improvement Programme(s), working closely with the Sector Improvement Lead and Programme Managers to ensure the successful delivery of the programmes
- Support the the planning and delivery of key Sector Improvement Programme activities including online and in-person events, handling the administrative and logistical tasks e.g. venue booking and travel arrangements
- Support the Charter Award Process by managing logistics for assessors during Award site visits and handling related bookings
- Use of our Project Management tools to set and receive work, manage deadlines and workflows alongside colleagues to complete projects and Programmes in a timely manner, ensuring high quality of work
Financial support
- Assist in onboarding the University Mental Health Charter Programme by managing administrative tasks such as purchase orders and processing documents (e.g. MOUs, new supplier forms etc.) and outstanding payments
- Administer finances for our Sector Improvement programmes; issuing purchase orders and ensuring timely payments
- Work with finance colleagues to ensure correct processes and procedures are followed accurately and compliant with finance requirements, and identify areas for process improvement
- Act as a cardholder for the team, making online purchases such as accommodation and travel bookings and following policies, procedures and guidance in the correct and responsible use of the Student Minds card
Data and process administration
- Administer data processes for the University Mental Health Charter Programme and Award process, in line with Data Protection Guidelines
- Collate and analyse evaluation data from Sector Improvement events (online and in person), generating timely reports and make recommendations for programme improvement
- Create essential documents requested by the Sector Improvement Programme team to support programme delivery and scalability
- Provide support to the Sector Improvement Team and Award Managers to enable efficient Award Assessment accreditation processes
- Maintain key working relationships with our network of Assessors and University Award Leads, addressing queries, scheduling and minuting award panels, sharing actions with the team
Working together
- Work closely with the Programme Liaison Officer to successfully deliver all aspects of the role, including managing university relationships, ensuring tasks are picked between roles and when required
- Attend programme-related meetings, and maintain communications with programme participants and key stakeholders through maintaining and use of up-to-date database(s)
- Actively participate in the testing and embedding of new digital systems to improve programme efficiency and engagement
- Stay updated on developments in Higher Education and gather insights from sector partners to feed into team decisions
- Look for opportunities to develop systems and processes to improve ways of working and participate in discussions on the Sector Improvement Team development and improvement
Other duties
- Such other duties as may be reasonably prescribed by the organisation, appropriate to the grade and responsibilities of this post
- Attend regular team meetings with the Student Minds team and colleagues throughout the year as required
- Ensure compliance with Student Minds’ internal procedures and all external legal requirements
- Undertake training and attend conferences in a support capacity when Student Minds is delivering, and attend external conferences as a delegate where required
- Engage with and provide feedback on projects and strategic reports developed by other members of the team
- Work flexibly and undertake tasks to support Student Minds colleagues as needed
BENEFITS
- Generous annual leave allowance - 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus a 2-week winter closure
- Flexible working - we encourage all employees to reflect on when and where they work best and how they need to fit work around caring or other commitments.
- Wellbeing is at the heart of what we do - we support staff to implement Wellness Action Plans and offer 10% of weekly working hours for you to invest in your wellbeing.
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme - we also offer wellbeing support through an Employee Assistance Programme which provides a wide range of resources as well as confidential counselling.
- For other benefits and more information please see our website.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO?
We are the UK’s student mental health charity. We challenge the higher education sector, health sector, and government to work with students when making decisions that impact them, and make them accountable for prioritising student mental health. In collaboration with students, we show sector professionals what effective student mental health looks like, and bridge the gap between students and the communities around them to ensure their voices are always heard.
By creating and curating resources, stories and tools, we empower students to build their own mental health toolkit to support themselves and their peers through university life and beyond. We want to empower and inspire students to use their voice to share their stories and advocate for themselves.
ROLE PURPOSE
The Programme Liaison Officer (full-time, fixed-term contract for 18 months, with possibility to extend) will join the expanding Sector Improvement Team. They will provide vital administration, communication and digital liaison and support required to successfully run and deliver the University Mental Health Charter Programme and Award, achieve the Sector Improvement Team’s key objectives, and contribute to the whole charity’s mission and goals. This is an exciting opportunity to help the team scale the University Mental Health Charter, with the potential to impact 2.5 million staff and students across the UK.
This role will include responding to queries, liaising with assessors, universities and general enquiries. The post holder will be responsible for working with the team to develop and monitor our HUB and digital platforms, for developing regular newsletters and working with colleagues to liaise with the many stakeholders involved in the assessment and programme processes.
Key responsibilities
Liaison support
- Provide effective liaison and administrative support to the Sector Improvement Programme(s), working closely with the Sector Improvement Lead and Programme Managers to ensure thesuccessful delivery of the programmes
- Support the planning and delivery of key Sector Improvement Programme activities such as the Winter Panel and the recruitment of the Award Assessors, CPD training and responding togeneral enquiries
- Act as the first point of contact for key stakeholders’ inquiries through the Charter Inbox and Student Minds’ Hub
Digital and resources support
- Utilise project management tools to manage work, deadlines and workflows alongside relevant colleagues to ensure timely and quality programme delivery
- Support the development of resources and documents for the charter, including newsletters, HUB announcements, Charter Handbook etc.
- Work closely with the Comms and Digital Team internally to develop and communicate clear timelines and resources needed throughout the year
- Support the annual onboarding of the Charter Programme, supporting the administrative tasks for the process, including some financial support. Lead on bringing together and distributing key documents such as welcome packs, Charter Framework documents etc.
- Support the coordinator (Programme and HUB) to onboard universities and Assessors to the HUB, and develop and grow the platform for members
- Update and oversee the Sector Improvement annual calendar of events and key activities/deliverables and share with the wider Student Minds team, identifying where dates may need to be moved
- Actively participate in the testing and embedding of new digital systems being led by the Digital
- Product Manager to increase efficiency and engagement for the Sector Improvement Programme and organisation as a whole for example collating product requirements
Financial support
- Work with the Programme Support Officer and finance colleagues to ensure correct processes and procedures are followed accurately and compliant with finance requirements
- Act as a secondary card holder for the team, making online purchases such as accommodation and travel bookings and following policies, procedures and guidance in the correct and responsible use of the Student Minds card
Data and process administration
- Administer data princesses for the University Mental Health Charter Programme and Award process, in line with Data Protection Guidelines
- Collate evaluation data from Sector Improvement events (online and in person)
- Create essential documents requested by the Sector Improvement Programme team, to support programme delivery and scalability
- Use our database(s) to manage relationships and communications with programme participants and key stakeholders, ensuring it is always up-to-date
- Support the Sector Improvement Team and Award Managers to enable efficient Award
- Assessment accreditation processes
- Maintain key working relationships with our network of Assessors and University Award Leads, addressing queries, scheduling and minuting award panels, sharing actions with the team
Working together
- Work closely with the Programme Support Officer to successfully deliver all aspects of the role, including managing the relationships with universities and logistical aspects (e.g. bookings, finances), ensuring tasks are picked between roles and when required
- Work closely with colleagues in the Student Space team and Training teams to embed cross- programme working within Student Minds.
- Attend various programme-related meetings, actively contributing ideas to continually develop our Programmes
- Stay updated on developments in Higher Education and gather insights from sector partners to feed into team decisions
- Look for opportunities to develop systems and processes to improve ways of working and participate in discussions on the Sector Improvement Team development and improvement
BENEFITS
- Generous annual leave allowance - 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus a 2-week winter closure
- Flexible working - we encourage all employees to reflect on when and where they work best and how they need to fit work around caring or other commitments.
- Wellbeing is at the heart of what we do - we support staff to implement Wellness Action Plans and offer 10% of weekly working hours for you to invest in your wellbeing.
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme - we also offer wellbeing support through an Employee Assistance Programme which provides a wide range of resources as well as confidential counselling.
- For other benefits and more information please see our website.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO?
We are the UK’s student mental health charity. We challenge the higher education sector, health sector, and government to work with students when making decisions that impact them, and make them accountable for prioritising student mental health. In collaboration with students, we show sector professionals what effective student mental health looks like, and bridge the gap between students and the communities around them to ensure their voices are always heard.
By creating and curating resources, stories and tools, we empower students to build their own mental health toolkit to support themselves and their peers through university life and beyond. We want to empower and inspire students to use their voice to share their stories and advocate for themselves.
ROLE PURPOSE
As our Executive Assistant (Maternity Cover, 0.8 FTE, Fixed term for 12 months), you will play a crucial role in developing and supporting our charity and strengthening our administration and governance. You will be providing flexible assistance primarily to our CEO, in the planning and delivery of their workload. You will also provide administrative support to the Senior Leadership Team, Trustee Board and other structured groups which shape the charity’s strategy and activities, for example our Clinical Advisory Group. As such, you will have the opportunity to work with the entire Student Minds team and a variety of stakeholders across the health and higher education sectors.
Key responsibilities:
Chief Executive Officer assistance
- Email and calendar management: helping to prioritise demands, responding to correspondence on behalf of the CEO and following up with contacts post-meetings.
- Arrange meetings and itineraries and coordinate travel as required.
- Stakeholder management support: utilising CRM to maintain updated databases for organisational contacts; support with the completion of contracts and registering purchase orders with suppliers,where the CEO is the lead contact.
Meeting management
- Plan and coordinate relevant meetings to ensure they are purposeful and relevant. These will include Board meetings, Senior Leadership Team Meetings, Leadership Group meetings and any other general committee meetings.
- Provide logistical and administrative support for all meetings, arranging suitable meeting premises or software, preparing and circulating agendas and meeting papers in consultation with the relevant participants (e.g. Chair of the Board, CEO and Senior Leadership Team).
- Coordinate catering requirements and liaise with the finance team to make purchases.
- Take high-quality and accurate meeting minutes and circulate them for appropriate approval and sign-off.
- Ensure prompt follow-up with agreed action points and follow through with ongoing delivery of commitments.
Governance support
- Provide administrative support where applicable to meet the charity’s requirements with
- Companies House and the Charity Commission.
- Support with Trustee recruitment, induction and training.
- Support the charity’s continuous improvement and compliance using tools such as the Governance
- Code.
Senior Leadership Team coordination
- Support with coordinating multi-stakeholder meetings, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders.
- Support members of the Senior Leadership Team or their guests with the use of our core systems and software (Google Workspace, Google Meet, Slack, Mural, Zoom).
- Process any travel expenses for the Senior Leadership Team.
- Manage charity records: provide historical reference by supporting procedures for the retention and disposal of records.
- Welcome guests and provide tours of facilities or support guests to use online meeting software where required.
Other duties
- Such other duties as may be reasonably prescribed by the organisation, appropriate to the grade and responsibilities of this post.
- Provide cover for other team members as necessary to ensure seamless operations and support across the organisation.
- Work to agreed charity and personal targets.
- Attend regular team meetings with Student Minds colleagues.
- Ensure compliance with Student Minds’ internal procedures and all external legal requirements.
- Ensure equality and inclusion responsibilities for your area of work.
- Undertake training and attend conferences as appropriate.
- Engage with and provide feedback on projects and strategic reports developed by other members of the team.
- Work flexibly and undertake tasks to support Student Minds colleagues as required.
BENEFITS
- Generous annual leave allowance - 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus a 2-week winter closure
- Flexible working - we encourage all employees to reflect on when and where they work best and how they need to fit work around caring or other commitments.
- Wellbeing is at the heart of what we do - we support staff to implement Wellness Action Plans and offer 10% of weekly working hours for you to invest in your wellbeing.
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme - we also offer wellbeing support through an Employee Assistance Programme which provides a wide range of resources as well as confidential counselling.
Reports to: Director of Research, Impact and Influence
Start date: ASAP
Location: London or Flexible Working (remote with weekly travel to London)
Contract: FT or 0.8FTE, Permanent
Salary: £50-57k per annum, skills and experience dependent (+6% employer pension contribution and sector-leading parental leave policy shared with all applicants)
Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 21st April 23:59
Person Specification
The Difference is looking for someone who can lead the team’s impact function as the charity goes through a really exciting period of growth and development. You will refine our monitoring and evaluation work in order to drive continuous improvement across the charity, and to shape future programme design. You’ll feed into the development of new tools for use by schools to better understand and respond to their own inclusion data. You’ll also play a key role in helping The Difference and its partner schools to understand the mechanisms for change in our programmes, and identify what supports and hinders change. Our programmes work with schools as they become more inclusive, support all of their students to succeed, and reduce the amount of learning lost to exclusions and absence.
You will have real ownership over your area of work, be happiest in a flexible and ambitious environment, and enjoy testing out new ideas. You will have experience in working on programme evaluation, impact measurement or applied research, and will combine strong data and project-management skills.
Essential knowledge, experience and skills
-
Experience of designing and carrying out both formative and summative evaluation understanding how to appropriately design, collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data.
-
Organisation & project management skills, demonstrable through past work whether this was delivering a project independently or coordinating a team. You feel confident planning multiple workstreams, working to timelines and juggling deadlines.
-
Strategic communication – Confident in organising ideas and information to highlight the more salient and strategically significant elements, with internal and external audiences. Experienced in communicating with stakeholders from different backgrounds, from CEOs to service-users or young people.
-
Experience in contributing to organisational change processes - working with senior leadership to utilise insights from programme evaluation to support the evolution of programme design and using evaluation to identify areas for continuous improvement.
-
Values – A career (or voluntary experiences) which evidence shared values with The Difference - see these values below - plus a personal commitment to our mission to improve life outcomes for vulnerable young people.
-
Self-directed – Evidenced capacity to take high levels of ownership in your work and over your own development, proactively diagnosing skills and information gaps, and making use of others’ expertise.
-
Agile & solutions-focused – Ability to thrive in a fast-paced start-up environment, comfortable with making decisions in ambiguous contexts and casting a critical eye on systems, processes and practice.
Desired knowledge, experience and skills
-
Knowledge of the education sector and school data systems.
-
Experience in the start-up or small charity sector. An ability to thrive in the flexible, fast-paced and sometimes ambiguous context of start-up.
-
Quantitative data analysis skills. Experience using software to analyse large datasets (e.g. R, SPSS, Stata), and ability to interpret results, plus confidence in using Excel and other programmes to present this.
-
Insight through work or life into school experiences of over-excluded young people, including young people with experience of the care system, of mental ill health, of special educational needs, or racism.
Why Work for The Difference?
Schooling isn’t working for the children who need it most. Every week in England 109 children – equivalent to three full classrooms – are permanently excluded. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Since the pandemic, school suspensions have risen significantly, as has persistent absenteeism. 1 in 5 children are missing more than 10% of their time in school. Children who are excluded or persistently absent are much more likely to already be experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. They are more likely to live in poverty, have additional learning needs, suffer mental health challenges, or experience a lack of safety outside school. Certain ethnicities are also disproportionately affected, notably Gypsy Roma Traveller and black Caribbean children.
Exclusion and high rates of absence can have a dramatic effect on life chances. These young people are more likely to drop out of education or employment, become vulnerable to long-term mental ill health, or be at risk of criminal exploitation. The Difference believes that children and young people deserve better and that the education system has to change.
Our Organisation
The Difference is a young education charity, founded to change the story on lost learning. By 2030, we want rates of exclusion and absence to be falling nationally and for schools to be better equipped to support all children, including those who may be vulnerable.
The Difference was born out of a year of research into school exclusions with think-tank IPPR. This research identified a lack of inclusion expertise in schools and proposed a new leadership development programme to fill this gap. In 2018, Difference founder Kiran hired the team who took this idea from concept to reality, beginning work with our first schools.
The Difference is now a 22-strong team delivering multiple school leadership programmes, alongside a growing research and policy arm. The team is supported by our Youth Advisory Board, made up of young people who have experienced exclusion and who provide their expertise and insights on how school inclusion work should be done. This work is needed more than ever. Effects of COVID-19, coupled with the spiralling cost of living, have substantially increased levels of vulnerability. Schools serving excluded pupils face under-funding. The Difference has had excellent early impact but there is work ahead to capture this, share learning with schools and policy-makers, and grow our capacity to lower exclusions across England.
The Task Ahead: Head of Impact
In 2022, The Difference established a Research, Impact and Influencing Directorate, indicating the growing importance of this work to our mission. We’re doing more to understand (and evidence) how school leaders who take part in our programmes are driving impactful inclusion in their schools. And we intend to use this to have a national impact on how schools are measured and driven to put pupil wellbeing, safety and belonging at the heart of their work. Improving our understanding of the impact of inclusion is key to successfully changing the story for students currently struggling in schools.
Key Tasks for this role include:
-
Strengthen our monitoring, evaluation and impact systems: using methods that are both qualitative (interviews, case-studies, roundtables) and quantitative (staff and student surveys, school data tracking), and collating and analysing the data collected to diagnose successes, challenges and opportunities within our work streams.
-
Act as an internal consultant with the team: bringing stakeholder feedback together in clear presentations for other staff members and acting as a “critical friend” during delivery and strategy planning. Identify insights that point to continuous improvement of our programmes and work with Programme Team to utilise insights.
-
Develop our qualitative framework to better track and measure whole-school inclusion. This framework will aim not just to support improved work for children in our schools, but to define what good looks like in the sector.
-
Progress our ambition to make inclusion more tangibly measurable: plan user-research with school partners to identify inclusion data needs and use these findings to develop impact tools that collate exclusion, attendance and demographic data. Work with others in the sector using innovative methods to measure inclusion through national datasets.
-
Expand our work on measuring school inclusion through student experience of safety, wellbeing and belonging. Grow the reach of our current survey tools and collaborating with others in the sector doing innovative work on student voice and inclusion.
Our Values
-
High Expectations - We are ambitious for excellence from young people, colleagues and ourselves. We don’t believe in writing off someone’s potential because of their identity or experience of crisis.
-
Strong Relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions, and know that this requires deliberate relational practice. We see colleagues and partners as people first and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks, gain more feedback and have greater impact.
-
Internalised Locus of Control - We work hard to reframe difficult situations to discover what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agency in our work.
-
Pragmatism - We believe leadership means recognising current limitations and striving for improvements within and beyond them. We develop consensus and chart new ways forward, challenging false and extreme positions like “zero exclusions” or “no excuses”.
-
Scientific approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast and often is key to finding the best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make adjustments and choose new directions.
-
Not Squeamish about Structural Inequality - We believe patterns of inequality can and should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about these inequalities, and both the individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to overcome awkwardness in talking about this; and begin by acknowledging our own biases and blind spots.
-
Asset-based - We work hard to avoid deficit thinking and aim to start with what’s strong, not what’s wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly young people and families – as victims but instead to recognise their agency.
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Wise selves - To both enjoy work and do their best, we want to make decisions and work with others in our “wise” - or regulated - selves. We also want to bring our compassionate self to those we work with, externally and internally, to support one another through challenging times.
How To Apply
To apply, please complete all sections of the application form by midnight on Sunday 21st April.
First round interviews will be held during the week beginning 13th May, over video call.
Please indicate if you would not be available to attend an interview during this week.
If successful in this stage, second round interviews (including a task to be completed the same day) will take place on the week beginning 20th May, at our office in Bethnal Green.
We are committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups in the charity sector such as people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people with experience in the care system, non-graduates and first-in-family graduates.
As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications will be assessed with names and any protected characteristics redacted.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About us
UCL is a radically different university. Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, we were the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. Today UCL has over 50,000 students and 16,000 staff and is one of the world's top 10 universities.
The department of the Vice President External Engagement coordinates UCL's engagement with a range of audiences, raising the university's profile and influence, and managing its reputation. It promotes the public value of UCL's research and partnerships to the future of Britain and globally. It is a service-driven function made up of communications and marketing professionals who deliver sector-leading media relations, public affairs, institutional communications, brand and integrated marketing, student recruitment, and events.
About the role
Undertake analysis of external and internal data sets to identify insights and trends.
Build dashboards to visualise data.
Present and communicate findings to colleagues across VPEE and the wider UCL community through data visualization, report writing and disseminating insight through relevant channels.
Undertake data analysis and desk research to support and inform portfolio development and review.
Build effective networks with colleagues at all levels and assist them to use market intelligence to support customer focused and data-driven decision making and evaluation, including programme teams and the central strategy function.
Commission research from internal and external partners.
Support a learning and development culture by regularly sharing expert knowledge with our communities of practice.
Work across functions to provide high quality horizon scanning to help inform better contextual understanding of audience needs.
Develop audience segmentation and personas to help aid better understanding of our audiences and their needs.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, measure comms/engagement performance, reporting back to senior leaders regularly.
About you
Qualifications, experience and knowledge
Experience of delivering reporting and insight, drawing on a range of data sources, including providing commentary on business performance. (Essential)
Qualification or experience in communications, data science or an equivalent numerate subject. (Essential)
Excellent working knowledge of Excel and BI tools (e.g. Tableu or PowerBI) with experience of using data science techniques to model and analyse data. (Essential)
Experience working in a communications or Higher Education setting. (Desirable)
Skills and abilities
Evidence of the ability to create reports to measure complex data for consumption by non-technical audiences. (Essential)
Strong communication skills, in person and in writing, with the interpersonal skills and ability to explain complex data and concepts to non-technical audiences. (Essential)
Excellent organisational skills, time management and project management skills, including the ability to work effectively on numerous projects simultaneously, and to deliver to deadlines. (Essential)
Able to work prioritise and delegate tasks in line with operational objectives. (Essential)
Able to lead on areas of work, and to measure and assess outcomes. (Essential)
Able to deliver analysis to help product owners make decisions based on evidence. (Essential)
UCL Ways of Working for professional services
Committed to providing a helpful and responsive service. (Essential)
Documenting and sharing solutions. (Essential)
Using evidence and quality data to support approaches. (Essential)
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
- 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
- Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
- Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
- Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
- Immigration loan
- Relocation scheme for certain posts
- On-Site nursery
- On-site gym
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
- Discounted medical insurance
Visit to find out more.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce.
These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
In2STEM Programme Officer
Salary: £27,000-£30,000
Length of Contract: Permanent, Full time
Start date: From May 2024
Location: Remote, with occasional travel to events and face-to-face meetings
Reporting to: In2STEM Programme Manager
About us:
In2scienceUK’s aim is to promote social mobility and diversity in science, technology, engineering and maths. We do this by leveraging the skills and passion of researchers and STEM professionals to support young people from low socio-economic backgrounds to achieve their potential and progress to careers in STEM.
We are in a pivotal moment of our development. With a bold five-year strategy launching this year, led by our new CEO and Board of Trustees, we are set to grow in size and profile. The team is dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic about empowering young people.
What we are looking for:
We are looking for a Programme Officer to support the delivery of the In2STEM Programme (formerly the In2science summer programme). You will support all stages of the programme including recruitment, planning, delivery, participant and volunteer management, and evaluation.
We want to hear from people who can passionately represent the interests of the diverse young people that we serve. We are not asking for particular qualifications. We care about your character, your skills and potential. If you can turn strategic aims into impactful programmes and can see yourself making an impact in our organisation, we want to hear from you.
This role is a career accelerator. At In2scienceUK we are champions of people and we are here to support you to achieve your career goals - however ambitious they may be.
Duties and responsibilities:
The purpose of the Programme Officer role is to support the successful delivery of the In2STEM Programme. You will be responsible for recruitment, managing a caseload of students and volunteers (work experience hosts), and managing relationships with supporters and funders. You will also support the planning, delivery and evaluation of programme activities including training and inductions, placements, online workshops, competitions and celebration events.
Your specific duties will include:
Programme Delivery
- Managing a caseload of students and volunteers (work experience hosts) from application stage to successful completion of the programme, including recruitment, matching, onboarding, troubleshooting throughout the programme and evaluation.
- Creating and developing engaging communication materials about the programme including video presentations, posters/flyers, case studies and website text and images.
- Monitoring student and volunteer (work experience host) applications to ensure targets and milestones are met.
- Maintaining up to date records via the programme database and ensuring data protection.
- Managing relationships with existing donors and supporters and networking to develop new relationships with prospective donors and supporters.
- Organising online skills workshops and careers panels, recruiting and coordinating volunteer speakers and panellists.
- Planning and delivering in-person student inductions and celebration events.
Evaluation
- Evaluating programme activities, using student and volunteer evaluation data and staff insights.
- Supporting the creation and dissemination of case studies, working closely with the fundraising team to ensure funder requirements are met.
- Supporting team members to create evaluation and student data reports.
As duties and responsibilities change, the job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post holder. The postholder will carry out any other duties that are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.
Person specification:
Essential:
- Experience working with one or more of the following groups: young people, teachers or school administrators, volunteers, universities or STEM professionals/employers.
- Knowledge and understanding of the STEM sector, including higher education, apprenticeships and STEM careers.
- An understanding of the social and economic barriers that prevent some young people accessing STEM careers and an ability to recognise the importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM.
- Experience developing and maintaining strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at various levels.
- Experience planning and delivering training, events and workshops.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong presentation skills and an ability to adapt to a range of audiences.
- Flexible and adaptable, with an ability to pick up new tasks quickly, showing resilience when faced with challenges.
- Experience delivering programmes or projects for young people.
- Knowledge, understanding or experience of programme or project evaluation.
Desirable:
- Excellent IT skills including experience of Gmail, Google Workspace (or Word, Excel and Powerpoint) and Monday com.
- Experience of student or volunteer recruitment and caseload management.
- Knowledge or an understanding of safeguarding practices.
- Experience working with databases.
Benefits:
At In2scienceUK we practise what we preach by giving all staff opportunities to progress in their careers. You will have the opportunity to develop your own bespoke training and career development plan with guidance from your line manager to get you to the next level from day one.
Although we take our career development seriously we also value work-life balance. You will have the opportunity to work flexibly from home, balancing your caring responsibilities, volunteer commitments, hobbies and anything else that makes you happy.
In2scienceUK is a remote based organisation, that requires occasional travel across the UK for events and staff co-working days.
You will have 28 days of annual leave per annum, plus bank holidays.
Commitment to Safeguarding:
In2scienceUK is committed to our responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults as outlined in Working Together to Safeguard Children. We are committed to recruiting candidates who share this commitment to safeguarding, and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job, and that all candidates are appropriately screened prior to appointment.
The following pre-employment checks will be undertaken as applicable:
• References
• DBS check and/or Overseas criminal records check where applicable
• Self-Disclosure
• Identity check
• Right to work in the UK
• Evidence of qualifications applicable to the role
• Confirmation of registration with applicable registered body where applicable
Many of our roles involve working with children and we will therefore take up references prior to your appointment. You should provide details of referees including your current and previous employers, covering the last 5 years. Your current or previous employer will be asked about disciplinary offences relating to children, if the role involved working with children, including any in which the penalty is time expired. We will also ask if you have been the subject of any child protection concerns and if so, the outcome of any enquiry or disciplinary procedure.
Application procedure:
Please apply via Charity Job by uploading your CV (2 pages maximum) and a cover letter (2
pages maximum). Please use your cover letter to demonstrate how you meet each of the Person Specification competencies outlined above.
The deadline for applications is 11:30pm on Sunday 14th April 2024. Interviews will likely take place the week commencing 22nd April 2024.
Please note, this advert may close earlier than the indicated deadline.
In2scienceUK exists to unlock the potential of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and boost diversity and inclusion in the STEM sector.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Campaigns Manager
Salary: Salary: £34,237 - £38,325 (depending on experience and with potential for progression)
About Voice 21
Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity. We exist to empower every child to use their voice for success in school and life. Our work transforms learning and life chances through talk by increasing access to a high-quality oracy education for those that need it most.
Voice 21 is leading the conversation to prioritise oracy within schools and teaching. In July 2023, the Labour party announced its commitment to prioritise oracy and speaking lessons as part of its future mission for education. As a result oracy has become a major talking point, with the topic and Voice 21 appearing on the front pages of the national newspapers and leading discussion on TV and radio.
Your opportunity
Tackle a vital challenge, with great people. Voice 21 exists to transform young people’s learning and life chances through talk and we are aiming to be working with 2,000 schools a year by 2025. To reach this goal we recruit great people and give them real responsibility, training and support.
Output-focused culture, with flexible working opportunities. We have an agile and flexible approach – our team can work when and wherever works best to deliver the requirements of their role. For staff working at home, we support them to create a workspace and provide technology that enables them to work effectively.
Real development opportunities. We believe in supporting people to develop the skills they need to be excellent – whether this means funding external training, finding a mentor to support them or giving them the time to learn from others in the organisations through our regular CPD sessions. We also offer paid study leave for team members taking part in formal studies outside of work.
For more information on why we think you should apply for the role, see the “Why work for us” section at the end of this job description.
Your purpose
This year Voice 21 are recruiting to a newly formed Communications, Campaigns and Public Affairs department to help address these challenges. As Campaigns Manager, you will support the Head of Communications, Campaigns and Public Affairs to make oracy education ordinary, co-ordinating and project managing communications campaigns as well as leading content delivery. In doing so, you will play an integral role in ensuring all children, regardless of their background, find their voice for success in school and in life.
Your responsibilities
● Play a senior role in the Communications, Campaigns and Public Affairs team, as part of the wider Learning, Impact and Influence directorate
Campaigns (70%)
● Responsible for developing and delivering integrated campaigns working closely with Fundraising, Marketing, Customer Service and Service Delivery teams.
● This will include, but is not limited to: growing charity awareness, recruitment and retention, growing our advocacy base and policy change campaigns
● Taking a lead role in development and project management, you will deliver our national campaigns and business as usual communications projects
● Utilising matrix management, you'll bring internal and external teams and freelancers together to oversee all aspects of our campaigns.
● Engaging the entire marketing mix, you'll develop, implement, integrate, and evaluate campaigns across various channels, including PR, digital, advertising, and influencer amplification
● Planning, delivering and leading purposeful and planned communications cycles & campaigns
● Delivering and using implementable insights from analysis and user intelligence
Content and brand (30%)
● Creating, co-creating and commissioning communications materials and content and proactively spotting new opportunities to raise awareness of our work across the sector
● Implementation of the communications strategy and ensuring content constantly delivers against strategic needs
● Spotting reactive opportunities for content creation in line with the communications strategy
What the role might look like:
Within 3 months, you’ll have:
● Become embedded in the organisation’s systems and processes
● Built strong relationships with key members of staff
● Started leading the coordination of communications across the institution
● Contributed to our brand development
● Contributed to our public affairs campaign strategy and delivery
Within 6 months, you’ll have:
● Deliver project management template for campaigns delivery
● Built strong relationships with colleagues from around the organisations including in Fundraising, Marketing, Customer Service and Service Delivery teams
● Make recommendations for improving coordination systems and processes to better grow awareness of oracy and capacity to make policy changes
● Deliver strong analytics and insights systems
From 6 months onwards, we expect for you to be fully embedded in the organisation, delivering sector-leading campaigns and enjoying your working life!
This job is for you if you…
Have experience in these areas
● Project managing campaigns and business as usual from conception to delivery and evaluation
● Matrix managing projects with staff from across various departments
● Co-creating content with staff from various departments and personally creating multi-channel content in multiple formats
● Using analytics and user intelligence to deliver insights which meaningfully shape campaigns
● Strong eye for detail, including in copywriting and proofreading
● Ability to form excellent working relationships, internally & externally
You may also have experience in these areas
● Relevant experience in and a strong understanding of the education sector
● Experience project managing in an organisation with staff with content creation responsibilities dispersed across various teams
Reporting lines
Reporting to: Head of Campaigns, Communications and Public Affairs
Managing: None
Where you’ll work: Remote, with travel to our London office and elsewhere for meetings. Occasional overnight stays may be required depending on where you are based.
Contract: Permanent, subject to successful probation review at 3 months.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Purpose of the position
The primary role of the Governance Assistant is to provide administrative support to the workstreams under the Head of Governance, which include but are not limited to, annual work plan, royal charter, bylaws, elections, policies and procedures and GDPR compliance.
The Governance Assistant will act with integrity, positivity, energy, and adaptability, using their skills to build effective relationships and work within a shared vision.
The Governance Assistant will be a member of the Business Administration Team and will focus on supporting the Head of Governance to ensure the maintenance of high-quality governance processes within the organisation.
Key relationships
The Governance Assistant will be expected to establish and maintain effective working relationships with these key positions within the College of Paramedics including:
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Head of Governance;
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Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive;
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Other members of the Business Administration Team;
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President and Vice President;
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Chief Operating Officer;
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Chief Executive Group;
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Chairs and Members of the Paramedic and Student Councils;
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Administrative, membership, marketing, IT, and finance staff;
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Board of Trustees
The Governance Assistant’s duties and responsibilities include:
Governance
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Work closely with the Head of Governance to ensure the charity is compliant with regulatory requirements
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Maintain a good understanding of the governance processes and requirements, and work closely with the Head of Governance to ensure they are efficiently and effectively managed
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Maintain a good understanding of the implications for the role and organisation of the requirements of GDPR and other relevant legislation
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Maintain a good understanding of the need for effective policies and procedures, sustained within a robust review process
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Support the efficient and effective day-to-day functioning and co-ordination of the administrative activities associated with governance within the College of Paramedics
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Prioritise and time manage the administrative workload appropriately to meet specific deadlines.
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Support the Head of Governance on the election of trustees and member representatives as required, working with the Membership, Marketing and Engagement team and liaising with candidates, election services and incumbents.
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Provide administrative support for various governance aspects around the Board, Councils, member meetings, reporting and the Chief Executive Group
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Provide administrative support for aspects of Board Meetings/Committees and resources in the absence of the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive
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Support with timely production of relevant minutes, reports, action summaries and follow ups alongside the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Head of Governance
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Coordinate travel, venue bookings and accommodation for Board, Committees and Councils where appropriate
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Provide administrative support to the Royal Charter project
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Work closely with the Head of Governance to ensure relevant information is shared with third parties or stakeholders
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Oversee the formatting and editing process associated with key documents, in line with branding guidelines;
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Develop and maintain effective electronic filing systems ensuring that information is kept securely and is accessible as appropriate;
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Attend physical meetings at locations within the United Kingdom, as required;
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Undertake other tasks or projects that may arise;
Business Administration
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Providing cover and administrative support to the Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Personal Assistant in any absence or when the needs of the business demand
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Coordinating electronic diaries;
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The coordination and business arrangements for College of Paramedics meetings, including serving as a Secretariat for meetings, various established or short-term functions of the College. This includes but is not limited to preparing agendas, taking minutes, action logs, sourcing venues, liaising with delegates, booking travel and accommodation, catering, sourcing audio visual equipment and facilitating remote attendance, collating meeting documentation, recording minutes and /actions;
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Assist with the co-ordination of General Enquiries received by the College of Paramedics over the phone or via email/dedicated mailbox, including tracking responses to ensure all enquires are dealt with in a timely manner;
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Undertake and complete an ongoing development review process, set by, and reviewed on an ongoing basis.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Ygam is seeking a proactive, adaptable, creative, resilient individual, who has the ability to work remotely, autonomously and as part of a team. They must have outstanding communication skills, be highly organised, and an excellent team player.
The post holder will be an active member of our programmes team and will work across our portfolio of programmes, particularly focusing on our Parental Engagement Programme.
They will be responsible for regional stakeholder engagement, developing relationships and promoting Ygam training across the UK. They will recruit suitable delegates to workshops, working closely with a range of organisations and families.
They will provide training both face to face and online and will be responsible for the delivery of our assured workshops and promoting the work of Ygam at conferences and events.
They will be able to demonstrate the impact of this work by working with organisations to collate case studies and evidence to support the programmes achievements.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.