Student Education Service Higher Education Access, Rewarding, Transforming (HEART) Partnership

HEART Outreach & Activity Coordinator Fixed term to December 2016

Secondment opportunities will be considered

The University of is the managing partner for the Higher Education Access, Rewarding, Transforming (HEART) partnership. The partnership comprises twelve higher education providers in , namely , , College, , Leeds College of Art, Leeds College of Building, , , , University of , and College. HEART aims to support the ongoing development of partnership approaches to both outreach/widening participation in higher education and engaging successfully with employers.

This is an exciting opportunity for you to join the partnership following our successful application for status as a Single Point of Contact awarded by the Higher Education Funding Council for (HEFCE) as part of the National Network for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO). You will act as the Single Point of Contact for 11- 18 state funded schools across West Yorkshire and be pivotal in managing communications and relationships with the schools ensuring they have easy access to the range of activities offered by our partners, liaising with partners and representing HEART across West Yorkshire.

You will be a key and active member of multiple communities including HEART, our partners, schools and local authorities. With an undergraduate degree or relevant work experience you will also have excellent interpersonal, communication and organisation skills. Experience of working with schools and colleges and knowledge of the widening participation, schools liaison and safeguarding agendas are also essential.

University Grade 6 (£25,513-£30,434)

Informal enquiries may be made to Ian McGregor Brown, tel +44 (0)113 343 2312, email [email protected].

Ref: SESAR1015

Click here for further information about working at the University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk/info/20025/university_jobs Job Description

The role holder will report to the HEART Manager.

Main duties and responsibilities

To deliver the objectives of the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) and contribute to the National Network of Collaborative Outreach (NCO)

 Provide an identifiable Single Point of Contact for 11-18 state funded schools across West Yorkshire.  Develop appropriate communications and relationships with West Yorkshire 11-18 Schools and Colleges to promote and operate the SPoC including: o Data entry and communication tracking via a customer relationship management (CRM) database o Liaison with partners and your line manager to inform development of appropriate communications and to ascertain a full suite of outreach activities available. o Liaison with the HEART Assistant to ensure information on outreach is displayed accurately on the HEART Single Point of Contact website.  Contributing to arrangements in relation to overlaps and gaps between regional SPoC operators to ensure these are managed appropriately.  Attending schools and colleges across West Yorkshire to deliver information and to support in the delivery of collaborative activities relating to the NCO.

Monitoring, evaluating and reporting outcomes and impact  Capture and report as appropriate data relating to all schools/colleges engaged via the SPoC/NCO, reporting to your line manager, partners and other agencies as and when required.  Support the HEART Manager and Assistant in respect of the pilot operation of a new evaluation toolkit for assessing outreach activities.

Communicating progress and developments  To be proactive in sharing experience and good practice across the HEART partnership and when appropriate to other regional SPoC operators.

Develop multi-disciplinary partnerships and responsibility  To contribute to the development of the HEART SPoC/NCO programme across the partnership and with all state funded 11-18 schools/colleges.  To play a key role in developing external partnerships and projects across the HEART NCO partnership in line with the agreed SPoC/NCO HEFCE guidance.  Actively contribute to HEART Widening Participation Planning Group meetings and actions and specifically in relation to activities carried out under the auspice of the SPoC/NCO  Support development and implementation of collaborative activities in agreement with partners.  Play an active role in the development and implementation of policy and procedure, liaising with key stakeholders and sharing best practice with other teams.

Other  To ensure a level of professional expertise and understanding is maintained across the SPoC/NCO agenda which may also include elements of marketing, data-protection, activity development and delivery, equality and diversity and safeguarding.  To demonstrate a commitment to personal and professional development.  The job description provides a framework for this role and should not be regarded as a definitive list of duties and responsibilities. These will develop and change over time according to the evolution of the SPoC/NCO and changes to the outreach landscape.

Career Expectations

The University of Leeds is committed to developing its staff. All staff participate in the Staff Review and Development scheme and we continue to work with individuals, supporting them to maximise their potential.

Progression to a higher grade is dependent on an individual taking on an increased level of responsibility. Vacancies that arise within the area or across the wider University are advertised on the HR website - http://jobs.leeds.ac.uk - to allow staff to apply for wider career development opportunities.

University Values

All staff are expected to operate in line with the University’s values and standards, which work as an integral part of our strategy and set out the principles of how we work together. More information about the University’s strategy and values is available at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/comms/strategy/.

Person Specification

Essential Personal qualities/skills  Ability to develop a ‘one team’ ethos in addition to working on own initiative  Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to manage internal and external relationships to meet objectives  Proactive and able to assume responsibility – taking appropriate action, when required  An ability to communicate across a wide ranging stakeholder group, from school students to senior managers in schools, colleges and universities  Good communication abilities, both written and oral, and the ability to tailor communication relevant to the audience and address issues in a succinct manner  Well developed administrative and organisational skills with excellent attention to detail and ability to prioritise and deliver against deadlines  An ability to contribute effectively to team objectives and monitor progress against plans  IT literacy including the Microsoft Office suite and database usage  Ability to continuously review and enhance quality standards of personal and team outputs  Ability to seek and collate feedback and data from activities, analyse key findings and summarise recommendations  Capacity to be flexible and adaptable to a changing external environment Knowledge, expertise and qualifications  Have knowledge and experience of working with schools and colleges  Sound knowledge of the widening participation and outreach agendas  An undergraduate degree/relevant professional experience Special requirements  A willingness to travel throughout West Yorkshire

Desirable  Knowledge of data protection, safeguarding and health and safety agendas  Experience of collaborative/partnership working  An ability to develop web based materials

Additional Information

The University offers generous terms and conditions of employment, a wide range of benefits, services, facilities and family friendly policies. Full details are available on the Human Resources web pages accessible at www.leeds.ac.uk/hr

The Partnership

The Partnership has been developed by students and staff and describes the mutual expectations of us all as members of the University of Leeds community. More information about the Partnership is available at http://partnership.leeds.ac.uk

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check is not currently required for this position. However, applicants who have unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, including any pending criminal proceedings must indicate this in the ‘other personal details’ section of the application form and send details to the Recruitment Officer at [email protected].

Due to the possible future nature of this role, Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) may be required for this position. The successful applicant may be required to give consent for the University to check their criminal record status through independent verification (from the DBS). Information will be kept in strict confidence. Your continued appointment will be subject to the University being satisfied with the outcome of these checks.

Disabled Applicants

The post is located in the Educational Engagement offices and currently in 18 Blenheim Terrace although an office move is pending. Disabled applicants wishing to review access to the building are invited to contact the department direct. Additional information may be sought from the Recruitment Officer, email [email protected] or tel + 44 (0)113 343 1723.

Disabled applicants are not obliged to inform employers of their disability but will still be covered by the Equality Act once their disability becomes known.

Further information for applicants with disabilities, impairments or health conditions is available in the applicant guidance.