Salary: £30,505 to £31,387 with progression to £33,882 per annum Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. Closing Date: 08 January 2025 The Role Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people? Realising Opportunities (RO) is an award-winning national partnership of leading, research-intensive universities dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups in accessing and succeeding in higher education. Based within the RO Central Team at Newcastle University, you will play a pivotal role in the coordination of a range of activities, services, and programme materials to support the development and delivery of this impactful project. To be successful in this role you will have: Passion and Understanding: A deep awareness and enthusiasm for issues related to the progression, recruitment, and admission of young people into Higher Education, especially from underrepresented groups Engaging Communication Skills: Experience in writing captivating information material for young people and/or an understanding of how to appeal to a younger audience Event Planning Expertise: Proven experience in planning and organising intensive, complex, customer-oriented events (both virtual and in-person) with exceptional attention to detail If you’re eager to join a dynamic, forward-thinking team and build your experience in widening access to higher education, this is your chance to make a real impact. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Hilary Wilkinson, Project Manager, at hilary.wilkinsonnewcastle.ac.uk. To apply to be part of our collaboration of leading research universities working to promote fair access for students from underrepresented backgrounds, please complete an online application and upload your CV and cover letter. Your cover letter should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role, supported by relevant examples. Important Dates: Interviews: Scheduled for mid-January 2025 Start Date: Late January/early February 2025 This post is initially offered until 31 July 2025, with potential for extension based on future funding being confirmed in Spring 2025. Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require a DBS before you can commence in the role Key Accountabilities Under the direction of a Project Manager, plan, organise and deliver a National Student Conference to ensure a high quality, interactive programme which meets the needs of both students and RO Partner universities. Responsibilities include design of the programme; liaising with Partner universities service providers; promotion to students, monitoring and evaluation of the event Line manage the RO Project Assistant (Programme), particularly overseeing their involvement in the development and delivery of the National Student Conference, online and printed communications, programme materials and online support activity Develop and produce appropriate RO digital communication and information materials for use with key audiences at various stages of programme delivery for students, teachers and parents/carers. This will involve developing content, liaising with design companies and proofing work Coordinate the schedule of communications for students, teachers and parents/carers to ensure that all stakeholder groups are informed and updated about the RO programme. Liaise closely with colleagues to ensure relevant, useful and timely content Plan, develop and deliver online support to students throughout their time on the programme. Ensure online support meets the needs and priorities of RO students by covering key areas. Act as the lead contact and project liaison with online support platform providers Under the guidance of a Project Manager remotely recruit, train and supervise a national team of ambassadors to provide online support for RO students. This will include developing and delivering training sessions and supervising ambassadors as they support RO students throughout the programme Support the colleagues with appropriate preparation for the Realising Opportunities governance meetings including delivery of papers and reports as required Contribute to the wider team efforts with financial processing, forecasting and reporting, supporting the RO Senior Project Manager with their budgetary oversight Supporting with the development of the RO database; for example user experience testing and making recommendations to improve functionality Support the ongoing evaluation of the programme; for example, student surveys and the RO Student Voice group Contribute to other relevant duties and activities as directed by the Project Managers and Senior Project Manager The Person Knowledge, Skills and Experience An awareness, passion and understanding of issues relating to progression, recruitment and admissions of young people into Further and Higher Education, especially from under-represented groups Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Excellent verbal and written communication ability to appeal to a wide range of audiences Experience of writing engaging information material for young people and/or an awareness of how to appeal to a younger audience Experience of planning and organising intensive, complex, customer-oriented events (taking place both virtually and in person) with outstanding attention to detail Experience of handling difficult and often sensitive situations Excellent team working skills Excellent attention to detail Experience of presenting to a wide range of stakeholders Commitment to excellent levels of customer service Excellent level of competence with all aspects of Microsoft Office An understanding of data protection, child protection and internet safety issues Direct experience of the UK school and HE system. Desirable Experience of line management Experience of budget management An awareness and understanding of evaluation Experience of co-ordinating online support such as mentoring programmes Experience of print production and working with designers Attributes and Behaviour Flexibility and a positive approach to tasks, activities and situation A commitment to continuous professional development Initiative and a creative approach to problem solving A willingness for occasional national travel A willingness to occasionally work outside of standard office hours Flexibility and a positive approach to working both remotely and in person Qualifications Degree or equivalent Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. Requisition ID: 27835 LI-LF1