Learning and development manager jobs in manchester, greater manchester

About us 

The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, early years professionals and the wider business community, working together for investment and reform of early education and childcare in England. 

We believe that we all benefit from investing in early education and childcare, and we all have a role to play in shaping a system that delivers for children, families and the economy. 

We are backed by some of the most high-profile campaign and research organisations in England. Our members include early years provider membership bodies, parent campaign groups, early childhood experts, trade unions, the business lobby, anti-poverty campaigners and NGOs. Together, we use our collective voice and research to build public and political support for early education and childcare.

And it’s worked. Thanks to the dedication of our members, early years is now one of the top six priorities for the new government’s Plan for Change, but our work isn’t done – we have an ambitious agenda to ‘rescue and reform’ the system, ensuring that: 

• every child can access high-quality education and care that their parents can afford and that will support them to thrive 

• every provider is funded fairly for the places they offer 

• every early years professional is rewarded and recognised for the skilled work they do 

About the role

We are now recruiting a Senior Research and Policy Officer on a fixed-term contract to help drive our aims during this exciting period. 

• Hours: 37.5 hours (5 days per week). Some out-of-hours work may be required for which TOIL will be given. 

• Duration: One-year contract with possible extension subject to funding. 

• Location: Home-working but located in Greater Manchester 

• Salary: £44,755 per annum 

Your time will be split between two key strands of work: 

• Our core research and policy function which responds to emerging early years policy, government consultations and shapes our own original research 

• A ‘test and learn’ pilot on workforce development. 

The former will require you to have a good grasp of mixed research methods, some understanding of the challenges facing early education and childcare, as well as a good understanding of the political and economic climate we’re working in. Naturally, you should be able to produce clear and compelling briefings that can be of use to policymakers and our members. 

The latter is an exciting new project that is a key output in our three-year programme, ‘Building the Early Education Workforce in England’. It will see you partner with combined authorities, think tanks and coalition partners. You will need to be comfortable handling data in this role.

We are a fully remote organisation, but ideally you should be based in Greater Manchester where the ‘test and learn’ pilot is being conducted. This will be important in building relationships with providers and local authorities that are participating in the project. 

We work flexibly and it won’t come as a surprise to you that we understand the challenge of caring commitments. We trust you to manage your time, but as a minimum requirement, we expect you to be available on Thursday mornings for our staff meeting. As a remote team this helps us to stay in touch and connect. 

The Coalition has experienced significant growth over the last two years and with early years firmly on the political agenda, we expect this to continue. Our hope is that this role will evolve and the successful candidate will continue to progress within this growing and impactful organisation. 

For the last two years, the Coalition has been incubated by the Women’s Budget Group, the UK’s leading feminist economic think tank. Our growth means that we are now ready to spin out into a separate and independent legal entity. That means that your employment contract will initially be with WBG on behalf of the Coalition but will then transfer across to the newly constituted organisation. This won’t change your role, your terms or your pay, but we want to tell you now. We are happy to answer questions at interview about that. 

What you can expect to be doing 

• Use detailed knowledge of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to produce policy papers  and reports on topics relevant to the Coalition’s aims 

• Work closely with our Associate Director of Research and Coproduction, to deliver our ‘test and learn’ pilot analysing data from local authorities and early years providers and codesigning the final outputs with stakeholders. 

• Support our response to key fiscal events including the Spending Review 

• Work with Coalition members to promote shared learning of innovative practices and coordinate joint research 

• Maintain awareness and knowledge of research and policy literature related to early education and childcare 

• Support the advocacy and communications team with the dissemination of research and policy 

About you 

You will have experience in a research or policy role where you’ve been responsible for responding to government policy, producing briefings and reports, and shaping future research. Given the nature of coalition-working, experience of working with a broad range of stakeholders would be beneficial, as would any experience of codesigning policy solutions, although this is not essential.

We are looking for someone who is comfortable handling data and using data to make policy recommendations. Experience of working on public service reform would be a bonus. 

Person specification 

Essential 

• Educated to degree level in social sciences and/or demonstrable research experience in public service reform issues 

• Experience of data collation and statistical analysis, working with large datasets and data analysis packages 

• Experience of working in research within an applied setting 

• Knowledge and experience of analysing and summarising quantitative and qualitative research 

• Comfortable with remote-working with the ability to work on own initiative 

• Commitment to the aims of the EECC and our principles. 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to write reports for a policy audience 

• Ability to communicate effectively in writing and in person with a range of different audiences 

• Experience of liaising with a wide range of stakeholders in the context of a research and policy project 

Desirable 

• Experience of leading on research projects 

• Experience of working on codesigned projects 

• Some knowledge of the challenges facing the early education and childcare system 

• Experience of stakeholder engagement or engaging research participants

The application process 

Please apply with CV and cover letter by the listed closing date. No agencies please. We are using anonymous recruitment via Charity Jobs so please apply via that process.

The EECC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We use anonymous recruiting during the application process and we use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the disabled or Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidate in order to diversify our staff team. 

Please note we can only consider applications from candidates with the right to work in the UK.

We regret that our small team does not have capacity to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually. 

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 12th May

Interviews: w/c 19th May 

Start date: ASAP 

Salary: £31,133.37 per annum (plus London Weighting of £5,023.71 if applicable)

Location: Flexible – Homeworking or office based (you will be required to travel to London Old Street for events as part of the role)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: 8th May 2025 at 11:30pm

Do you have some experience of working in a charity, fundraising or events environment, plus a real desire to learn more about charity events and develop a career in fundraising? Then join Shelter as a Mass Participation Events Coordinator and you could soon be playing a vital role at the heart of our Community and Events team, helping to deliver our flagship Walk for Home event this winter in London, and supporting Shelter’s participation in some of the UKs leading challenge events.

About the role

This coordinator role sits within our Mass Participation team in our Income Generation directorate. The role supports participants in mass participation events – both organised by third parties including the London Marathon or bespoke Shelter events that you will have responsibilities for.

The main objective of the co-ordinator role will be to deliver challenge and bespoke events, from planning and set up, pulling together financial budgets to meeting supporter recruitment and income targets through to the delivery of event day and evaluating results.

This role will give you the exciting opportunity to work on our busy third party programme, enabling delivery of events including London Marathon, London Landmarks Half Marathon and the Hackney Half and support the development of new bespoke products.

This role is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience across a variety of mass participation events with the chance to be involved in event delivery, supporter stewardship and volunteer management for some of the most prestigious events in the charity calendar.

About you

You will be someone who enjoys collaborating and communicating with a variety of people, whether face-to-face, over the phone, by email, letter or via social media channels, you will have great attention to detail and a proactive approach to everything you do.

Good time management and organisational skills are important for this role as there’s a lot to do, it’s important to be able to manage your time effectively. The team has a great positive attitude in supporting with this and can suggest different tools and methods to help you stay on top of your work.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team 

This role sits within our Mass Participation team, which supports participants in challenge events organised by third parties (e.g., the London Marathon) and bespoke Shelter events (e.g., Walk for Home).

We’re part of Community and Events, which in turn is part of a wider department - the Income Generation directorate - which focuses on a variety of types of fundraising. The team is welcoming, supportive, and keen to meet you. We work hard but try to have fun as well.

How to apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a one-page expression of interest confirming you can start in post for the date required. The expression of interest should be relevant to the points in the ‘About You’ section of the job description attached to this advert.

Any applications submitted without an expression of interest will not be considered.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

KEY INFORMATION

Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Hybrid - minimum of 2 days per week in the office)

Start date: July 2025 (we are happy to work with you and your notice period)

Duration: Permanent

Salary: £29,150 per annum if based in London. £26,575 per annum if based in Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle or Bristol, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.

Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 23rd May 2025

ABOUT UPREACH

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report. 

ROLE SUMMARY

The Student Administration Officer will work with the Associate facing Programmes team to support the successful delivery of the upReach programme, focused on the programme operations of onboarding new Associates.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

You will contribute to upReach's mission by working with our programme team to facilitate the onboarding of new Associates.  You will be responsible for key processes and tasks on the Associate Tracking System, to enable upReach to deliver effectively and to meet objectives and key results (OKRs). These include:

• Associate Tracking System: steward applicants through the pipeline; confirm student eligibility; answering applicant and Programme Coordinator queries; track and report on pipeline progress; help Programme Coordinators with reporting on programme application progress;

• Ensuring our communications to applicants and prospective applicants are accurate and effective including email templates and call scripts;

• Assisting the student attraction team to deliver effective campaigns promoting our programmes;

• Assisting with other programme delivery activities as needed;

• Researching process improvement projects as needed.

Please note it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit.

COLLABORATION AREAS

Collaboration is a key part of upReach’s culture, and as a Student Administration Officer you’ll have the opportunity to work with a range of teams across our organisation, including: 

• Programme Coordinators - coordinating the onboarding of each Associate. 

• Fundraising & Partnerships - meeting the onboarding expectations of our funder / partner relationships.

VALUES 

At upReach we uphold the following values for our team and volunteers, and will be looking for candidates who display these in our application process:

• Advocacy: We expect those involved with upReach to be advocates for everyone realising their full potential, regardless of social background.

• Aspiration: We empower our Associates to aim high and achieve their ambitions. 

• Integrity: We expect everyone involved with upReach to work collaboratively and with honesty, and to fulfil their commitments.

• Perseverance: We are adaptable when overcoming challenges, and encourage Associates to persevere similarly.

• Proactivity: We are proactive in our work, and inspire Associates to demonstrate this too.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate for Student Administration Officer will bring with them the following skills:  

• Attention to detail

• Planning and organising

• Proactivity and Perseverance

• Communication 

• Collaboration

To be successful in this role you will bring with you the following experience: 

• Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage a varied workload;

• Solid communication skills with the ability to communicate with students, team members and partners either in writing or verbally;

• The ability to learn quickly how to utilise a range of tools, including Excel and Google suite;

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and working independently to find solutions to problems; 

• Self-motivation and an ability to work in a small team as well as independently;

• Commitment to social mobility - Knowledge of the UK social mobility landscape, and demonstrates a willingness to deepen their knowledge.

Desirable:

• Experienced in confidently contacting applicants and resolving their queries over the phone.

TEAM CULTURE AND BENEFITS

By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture. 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.

• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 

• Birthday leave and volunteer leave

• Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members. 

• 3% Pension Contribution, this increases to 5% after 5 years of working with us. 

• Cycle-to-work and tech buying schemes.

• Monthly socials.

• Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training and annual Wellbeing Days

• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.

• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 

  • Disability and Inclusion Network

  • Diverse Roots Network 

  • Green Network 

  • LGBTQ+ Network

  • Mindfulness Network

  • Parents and Carers Network 

  • Socio-economic Background Network

READY TO APPLY

We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible.

Applications close at 12 noon, Friday 23rd May  Early applications are encouraged as we will be scheduling interviews on an ongoing basis. 

Equal Opportunities

At upReach, we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We celebrate and value the diverse perspectives that people from all backgrounds bring to our team. We are passionate about creating a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of communities across the UK. Diversity in the workplace creates dynamic and effective organisations and we are actively working to build a more inclusive workforce by continuously improving our recruitment, retention, and development practices. We  encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities , those who are care-experienced, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those who are LGBTQIA+.