In2STEM Senior Programme Officer

Senior Programme Officer, In2STEM

Salary: £32,000 - £34,000

Length of Contract: Permanent, Full time 

Start date: ASAP

Location: Remote, with occasional travel to events and face-to-face meetings 

Reporting to: In2STEM Programme Manager

Direct reports: The Senior Programme Officer will deputise for the In2STEM Programme Manager one day per week and on occasion, when the In2STEM Programme Manager is on leave. This team consists of 4x Programme Officers and 1x Programme Assistant.

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.

The In2STEM programme is a fantastic opportunity for 16-19 year olds to gain insights directly from STEM industry and research professionals. The programme provides over a thousand students each summer with a blend of online and in-person activities, equipping participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to excel in STEM. 

 

What we are looking for

We are excited to be recruiting a Senior Programme Officer to join our growing In2STEM Programme team. The focus of this role will be to support delivery and ensure that our young people have an exceptional experience on the programme. You will also be kept engaged through deputising for the In2STEM Programme Manager one day per week.

You will have a good understanding of the challenges today’s young people from less privileged backgrounds may face and bring a proven track record of supporting vulnerable young people and/or adults with a range of support needs, including mental health needs, learning difficulties and disabilities. You will be good at building trust and rapport with young people and have practical experience of appropriately, calmly navigating situations involving safeguarding and signposting for young people and adults.

We want to hear from people who 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.

 

Duties and responsibilities

The purpose of the Senior Programme Officer role is to support the successful delivery of the In2STEM Programme and ensure our young people have an excellent experience.

Your specific duties will include:

Programme Delivery

• Managing a caseload of students and volunteers from application stage to successful completion of the programme, including recruitment, placement matching, onboarding, event planning and programme delivery (in-person and online), troubleshooting throughout the programme and evaluation.

• Where appropriate, supporting the Programme Manager as the first port of call for programme staff with enquiries or needing advice relating to pastoral care for our beneficiaries.

• Developing and maintaining excellent working relationships with partners and funders to further the delivery of our work. This will include for example, working with schools, colleges, academic and professional services staff at universities.

• Creating and developing engaging resources to support the programme including video presentations, posters/flyers, case studies and website text and images.

• Monitoring student and volunteer applications to ensure targets and milestones are met.

• Maintaining up to date records via the programme database and ensuring data protection.

• Ensuring all operations are in line with Health and Safety and Safeguarding policies and procedures.

 

Evaluation

• Developing programme activities, using student and volunteer evaluation data and staff insights.

• Optimising systems, processes and ways of working, to ensure delivery models are scalable and achieve intended outputs and outcomes to the highest degree of quality, effectiveness, and efficiency.

• Maintaining a comprehensive overview of programme activities, among both staff and partners, and reporting on progress at regular intervals as defined internally and contractually.

• Supporting team members to create evaluation and student data reports.

• Supporting the creation and dissemination of case studies, working closely with the fundraising team to ensure funder requirements are met.

 

Deputy Managing

• Managing the In2STEM team when the Programme Manager is not working, including preparing and running programme update meetings from time to time.

• Supporting and assisting the Programme Manager to ensure organisational and delivery targets are achieved.

 

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 as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager.

 

Person Specification:

Essential

• Track record of experience directly supporting vulnerable young people and/or adults with a range of support needs, including mental health needs, learning difficulties and disabilities, facilitating access to other support services as needed.

• 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.

• Knowledge and understanding of the STEM sector, including higher education, apprenticeships and STEM careers.

• Experience of delivering projects for young people including recruitment and caseload working.

• Experience developing and maintaining strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at various levels.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong presentation skills and an ability to adapt to a range of audiences.

• Good understanding of safeguarding in practice when working with young people.

• Flexible and adaptable, with an ability to pick up new tasks quickly and keep a level head when faced with challenges.

• Knowledge, understanding or experience of programme or project evaluation.

• Experience of deputy managing or managing staff or volunteers.

Desirable

• Experience of leadership and people management including motivating, coaching and developing team members to achieve results, fostering positive, collaborative working relationships with colleagues.

• Excellent IT skills including experience of Gmail, Google Workspace (or Word, Excel and Powerpoint) and Mondaycom.

• 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 career with 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 supporting statement (2 pages maximum). Your supporting statement must demonstrate and evidence how you meet each one of the competencies outlined in the above person specification. 

The deadline for applications is midday on 24th July 2024. Interviews will take place on Thursday 1st August and Friday 2nd August 2024.