Community Organiser (Newport Parent Power)

We are excited to recruit a Community Organiser for our Newport Parent Power project. This role offers a meaningful, paid professional development opportunity. The Brilliant Club will work in partnership with Jesus College, University of Oxford and King’s College London to engage with parents in Newport. The parental engagement model used will be based on the successful Parent Power South London and Oldham Parent Power projects. 

• Jesus College, University of Oxford is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college combines the highest standards of academic excellence in teaching and research with a vibrant, inclusive and supportive community. Our 650 undergraduate and graduate students come from a wide range of backgrounds, countries and cultures. We aim to attract the brightest minds, and are committed to raising aspiration and improving social mobility through a programme of bursaries and outreach. The College was founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth 1, at the request of a Welsh lawyer and clergyman called Hugh Price, and our beautiful Dining Hall, Chapel, and Principal’s Lodgings are still used for their original purposes today. The historic Fellows’ Library houses our collection of early printed books, and our stunning quadrangles provide an oasis of green; bustling with life in the summer months. We embrace all the wonderful Oxford traditions, and also celebrate many unique to Jesus College itself, such as our annual St David’s Day celebrations to mark our Welsh origins.
• King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. We are dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Through our commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, we are creating positive change in our communities, both in London and on the world stage. Our Vision 2029 looks forward to our 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out our ambitious plans in five key areas: 

                   •    Educating the next generation of change-makers;

                   •    Challenging ideas and driving change through research;

                   •    Giving back to society through meaningful service;

                   •    Working with our local communities in London;

                   •     Fostering global citizens with an international perspective.

Parent Power supports parents and carers to develop skills in community organising and advice and guidance on accessing higher education, empowering them to make change to support their children’s future and ensure that they have a fair chance in education and their future careers.    

 Working with us, the Community Organiser will:  

•     Support local pupils from underrepresented backgrounds by empowering their parent/carers to become higher education experts  
•     Receive community organising training from Citizens UK and develop transferable skills  
•     Build campaigns to combat local educational barriers with parent/carer communities.
•     Join a nationwide community of community organisers making a significant impact on university access.

Person specification 

Time and Resource Management

•    Essential – Able to plan sessions in an organised and efficient manner and adhere to agreed deadlines.
•    Essential – Excellent timekeeper, ensuring prompt arrival to meetings and 1-1s; well organised within 1-1s and sessions.
•    Essential – Capable of adapting quickly to new systems/ processes.
•    Desirable – Confident in using digital systems for delivery of online sessions, consistent record-keeping and monitoring.
•    Desirable – Experience of creating resources.

External Stakeholder Knowledge and Management

•     Essential – Ability to work in a way that promotes the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
•     Essential – Professional approach to problem solving with a range of stakeholders involved in the project.
•     Essential – Awareness of role as a visitor within a school and parent/carer community; understanding of the other commitments held by professionals within a school and by parent/carers.
•     Essential – Understanding of, and commitment to furthering, The Brilliant Club mission.
•     Desirable – Prior experience of community focused work.
•     Desirable – Ability to understand and relate to the barriers faced in the local community.
•     Desirable – Ability to understand the barriers young people face to university access and some of the ways these might be overcome.
•     Desirable – Ability to understand the current climate in the UK school system and some of the challenges young people and parent/carers might be facing.

Communication

•    Essential – Awareness of how to engage parents and adapt university style learning for a school setting.
•    Essential – Able to communicate in a timely and professional way with all project stakeholders.
•    Essential – Able to take a relational approach to communication with parent/carers, especially in 1-1s.
•     Desirable – Experience of group facilitation.

Developing Self and Others

•     Essential – Able to identify strengths and areas of development, open to feedback.

Role Specific Knowledge and Skills

•    Essential – adhere to information security policies included in the charity’s ISO 27001 manual and complete information security training

Role specific Experience and Qualifications

•    Desirable – Holds a qualification at Level 4 or above (as listed here) or has prior experience of community focused work.