Senior Programmes Manager: University Access

The Senior Programmes Manager: University Access will play a pivotal role in the University Access and Digital team, overseeing and managing the delivery of high-impact interventions, including UK Summer Schools, The Sutton Trust Fulbright US Programme and Teacher Champions, that support young people from underrepresented backgrounds in accessing highly selective universities. The role requires someone with a strong understanding of the barriers faced by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and a commitment to supporting them in reaching their potential.

With strong project management skills, key responsibilities include managing the programme partnerships, overseeing the marketing and applications process, monitoring and evaluating the impact of our programmes, continuously refining processes for improvements, and ensuring that the evolving needs of the target demographic are met. The post holder will also be expected to share best practice across the organisation and be a key contributor to the development of the Trust’s strategy for engaging schools, teachers, and students.

Main duties

Ongoing Programme Management

• Leading on the day-to-day project management and delivery of the Trust’s Higher Education access programmes with oversight and support from senior staff, including UK Summer Schools, The Sutton Trust Fulbright US Programme and Teacher Champions.
• Oversee the performance of 12 UK universities delivering the Sutton Trust’s Summer School programmes, the US-UK Fulbright Commission, Causeway Education, and other external partners. This includes:
  • Managing partner performance against contractual obligations, including reporting and invoicing.
  • Building and maintaining effective and enduring relationships, including the onboarding and training of new partners.
  • Establishing a culture of collective learning through planning and delivery of events and best practice sharing.

• Overseeing the monitoring and evaluation of university access programmes in collaboration with external evaluation partners and internal teams; collating data and producing reports, ensuring the effective dissemination of findings and using these to refine programme design.
• Ensuring effective tracking, reporting, and management of programme data for university access. This includes using Salesforce (our CRM) for tracking partner performance, participant data, and programme outcomes.
• Managing programme budgets and reporting on financial status internally.

Programme innovation/development

• Proactively developing strategies to enhance programme delivery, ensuring programmes maintain their quality and reach, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Managing the development, implementation, and evaluation of special projects designed to evolve and improve university access programmes. 
• Development and implementation of the school and teacher engagement strategy to support our programme aims and contributing to trust-wide strategy in this area, with support from senior leadership.
• Helping to develop new programmes, including contributing to the drafting of funding bids by Development colleagues.

Team Management & Organisational Duties

• Line management of the Senior Programmes Officer: Marketing and Communications and the Programmes Assistant: University Access and Digital
• Contributing to the leadership of the University Access and Digital team, working closely with the Head of University Access and Digital and other senior programme managers to ensure effective and coherent management of all access-focused programmes
• Representing the Trust at external speaking engagements, as well as contributing to fundraising and donor-related activities when required
• Other duties as necessary from time to time

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have experience in:

• Strong project and stakeholder management skills, with experience in managing partnerships, overseeing programme delivery, and financial control.
• Experience line-managing staff and motivating and supporting teams to deliver successfully
• Proven experience in designing, managing, and delivering high-quality programmes ideally with a focus on young people facing barriers to Higher Education.
• A strong understanding of the widening participation sector and the challenges faced by young people in accessing top-tier universities.
• Experience working with schools, colleges, or universities,
• Demonstrated ability to analyse data to inform decision-making and to use insights to improve programme delivery.
• Experience of working with CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to effectively represent the Trust at all levels.
• Strong budget management and numerical skills.

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Is sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage;
• High attention to detail, initiative, and the ability to take responsibility for multiple tasks.
• Personable, flexible, and discreet, with the ability to thrive in a small team environment
• Is eligible to work in the UK (see here for information about right to work)

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Full-time, Permanent
• Salary: £46,500-£49,500
• Working location: Minimum of 2 office days per week
• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.
• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and may also be required to attend events / meetings outside of their normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends
• DBS check will be required

Interviews

Applications should reach us by 9am, Monday 2nd December, with first round interviews held over Zoom on Wednesday, 11th December , and second round interviews held at our London offices on Tuesday, 17th December.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.