Network Manager North East

Recently featured as an Escape the City Top 100 Places to Work, The Girls’ Network is an award-winning charity with a large and growing network of supporters, mentors and schools across eight regions of England.

We are now looking for a Network Manager to join us in the North East.

FUNCTION: Delivering our successful mentoring programmes in Tyne & Wear, Tees Valley and across the wider NE area.

WHERE THE ROLE FITS: Reporting to: North Senior Network Manager

SALARY: £27,825 per annum

CONTRACT: Fixed Term Contract - 12 months with possibility of extension

HOURS: 5 days per week, 37.5 hours (with some evening work)

LOCATION: Home based with weekly travel to schools and partners across the NE region. (Access to own vehicle required)

WHAT WE DO

Young people from lower income families are 40% less likely to go to University than wealthier peers (Dept for Education, 2020) which can have a lifelong impact on earning potential. Covid-19 has deepened inequalities (Social Mobility Foundation, 2022) and negatively impacted on young people's wellbeing (GirlGuiding, 2020). We believe that no girls should have their futures limited by their gender, sex, ethnicity, background, or parental income and they should be supported to realise their ambitions, to discover their self-worth, and to develop their capacity to shape their world and their futures.

We work in communities of least advantage across England to deliver two core programmes to achieve this vision. Through our mentoring programme we connect 14-19 year old girls with a mentor and a wider network of role models who are women and deliver opportunities which help them to build life skills and nurture their ambitions. Based on the idea that 'you can't be what you can't see', our mentors often help girls to broaden their horizons and create a more positive vision of their futures. After the programme, the mentees can join a free, lifelong network of support - our Ambassador Community, which offers further opportunities to reach their goals, build their confidence and to share their voices and experiences.

Our programmes help girls and young women to develop the knowledge, skills, self-belief and opportunities to thrive, and to be supported as part of a network that champions them and ensures their voices are heard.

THE ROLE

This is an exciting role joining a Programme Team of 15 staff based throughout the UK. There is a small team of 3 based in the North East. You will work closely and collaborate with the other Network Managers and share some priorities across the region, working to develop the region as a whole. This is a role reliant on good relationships. 70-80% of the role is about relationship building (with schools, mentors and partners), coordination and the tracking/ administration of those relationships. Only 15-20% of the role is direct delivery with the girls in the region.

Mentoring programme

• Manage overall success of the cohorts (groups of mentees and mentors) in your region, including coordinating and administering events and communications for cohorts in your area.
• Deliver engaging on-boarding sessions for mentees
• Design and deliver events and workshops for mentees
• Deliver matching of mentees and mentors at in-person events or virtually
• Work with the wider programme team to train mentors
• Support mentors once matched through regular check-ins, monthly emails and ad-hoc conversations
• Collect data to track the progress, and impact of, mentoring relationships
• Support mentors with safeguarding concerns, following The Girls’ Network process in line with our child protection policy
• Develop effective relationships with schools, on-boarding, supporting and retaining the partnerships

Partnerships

• Work with the Senior Network Manager in your area to identify professional partnerships and sponsorship with local and national businesses
• Work with the Senior Network Manager in your area to actively recruit mentors to the programme, especially by engaging in community networks.

The Girls’ Network reputation and network

• Advocate The Girls’ Network at every opportunity, through local media, PR activities and social media
• Identify opportunities to build the reputation of The Girls’ Network in the North and through events and networking
• Report significant successes and achievements to relevant staff members

Ongoing success of The Girls’ Network

• Work with the Programme Team to identify key areas for programme development
• Opportunities to get involved in programme and wider organisational projects
• Understand the development of school initiatives nationally and in your region, and understand their impact and implications for The Girls’ Network programmes
• Attend programme and whole team meetings and team days
• Maintain and champion a girls-centred way of working

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ROLE

Essential skills, knowledge and attributes

• You are deeply passionate and driven to achieve equal opportunities for all and will keep the girls we work with at the heart of your work
• You are able to build and manage a number of relationships with a variety of different people and are confident speaking to both young people and adults within schools and businesses
• You are comfortable with delivering set training sessions in person or online
• Project or programme management experience and able to prioritise conflicting priorities
• You are target oriented and will work towards achieving objectives and key results (OKRs) for the region

Desirable skills, knowledge and attributes

• You are flexible in your approach to working with a small organisation and understand the time and resource limitations
• You have safeguarding knowledge and experience
• You have experience of Salesforce or another CRM system

OUR BENEFITS

We want to help everyone achieve more at work as well as in their personal lives and in their wider career, so that they feel proud of the part they play at The Girls' Network. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity in employment and to developing working practices and policies that support work-life balance.

Benefits

• Pension scheme; employer contribution of 3% and employee of 5%
• 27 holiday days per year, plus public holidays (pro-rata)
• Extended and comprehensive sick pay policy
• Enhanced Family Leave pay policy

Learning & Development

• Annual training budget upon completion of your probation period (pro rata)
• Professional development support and allocated time off for training
• Continual learning and development through team days and whole staff training.

The Way We Work

• Flexible working policy: we respect that people have commitments and provide flexible working hours through discussion
• A positive and supportive team culture, regular check-ins and optional social events
• Working from home allowance to support you with essential tech needs
• We support you with a Girls’ Network buddy who you can reach out to beyond the induction period.

OUR VALUES

• We are young-person centered: our work and our decisions are centered around the girls and young women that we serve
• We are curious: we listen, we learn, and we do something about it
• We are unashamedly ourselves: we are authentic and celebrate each other for who we are
• We are ambitious and courageous: we know that might mean doing things differently or taking a risk. We acknowledge our strengths and when we need help
• We believe in the power of connection: that we can achieve more by working together.

YOU CAN'T BE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE

We want to ensure that our team is inclusive and representative of the girls we work with, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals who have experienced of one or more of the following: being from a low-income family; have received free school meal; being the first in your family to go to University; identify as Black, Asian or another ethnic minority background. We have an active and cross organisational Equity, Diversion and Inclusion Strategy in place. We are a proud supporter of Show the Salary and The Halo Code.

HOW TO APPLY

Please visit our website for further information, the candidate pack and details on how to apply.

Closing date is 9am Monday 29th July.

Interviews will be held online on Friday 2nd and Monday 5th August.

Good luck with your application.