Head of Education and Youth - Field Based

YHA is a not-for-profit trading charity. We work with 500,000 children and young people a year through stays in our 150 hostels; adventure in our activity centres and through our leading work in volunteering,  traineeships,  apprenticeships and youth employment. We have a thriving schools programme and work with partners to support access for those children and families who have challenging lives.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Strategy and Engagement Directorate as our Head of Education and Youth.  This newly created role is part of YHA's investment in supporting more children and young people to benefit from YHA's unique offer. 

We are looking for a strong communicator with specific experience and skills within the Education/Youth networks.  Ideally a qualified Teacher or Youth worker with a good understanding of contemporary education and/or youth work evidence and practise (equivalent experience considered). As Head of Education and Youth you will work closely with all departments across YHA but particularly with our Head of Programmes and Partnerships to lead on the charity's educational programmes.

The Head of Education and Youth is a field-based role and we can offer an element of flexibility such as part time, flexible working and even job share considered.  Your home location is not a concern to us, however, there will be a need for travel throughout the network (England and Wales) including the occasional overnight stay and a requirement to attend National Office in Matlock, Derbyshire at least once a week.  The organisation makes good use of various communication opportunities such as conference calling to manage dispersed teams.

The Head of Education and Youth key role responsibilities will be:

• To develop the charity's education and youth work approach building on our 90 years of experience, our current excellent provision for over 500 000 children and young people a year and our aspirations as we form our 10 year strategy.
• To represent the charity in the youth work and education sector with a particular focus on understanding how YHA's approach can respond to the needs of all children and young people; particularly those who may have had adverse childhood experiences and/or those who are less likely to access the services that we offer.
• To increase reach and impact of our existing programmes but also developing new evidence informed programmes that respond to need and make best use of our assets.
• To work closely with Volunteering and HR functions to design the 'YHA Academy' an approach to how we use YHA's volunteering, staff, traineeships, apprenticeships and staff opportunities to build the skills and life chances for young people who could benefit the most.
• To take the lead on our youth engagement work including considering how user voice is influential in all aspects of YHA's work.
• To Work with Evaluation and Impact Manager to support the development of evaluation and impact tools and reviewing resulting data.
• To work with Fundraising Function to develop successful fundraising approaches

The ideal candidate for the role of Head of Education and Youth will have:

• Experience of programme development
• Experience in supporting young people's engagement in governance, service design and service delivery
• An understanding of how to support broader access to services with a particular view to expanding reach of YHA's services to a) more young people b) more young people who traditionally have not access residentials, outdoor learning and other YHA opportunities c) more young people who have experienced adverse childhood experiences
• Experience of evaluating impact of education and/or youth work
• Connections into education and youth work networks
• Experience of working with Fundraising functions to support successful fundraising bids
• Evidence of Project and budget management
• Previous staff management experience - particularly managing through matrix structures where management may be discharged through project management rather than direct line management

What can we offer in return for your expertise as Head of Education and Youth?

• Car or Car Allowance (where annual mileage will consist of 10,000 miles or more)
• Generous holiday entitlement - 29 days + Bank Holidays.
• Auto enrolment into the YHA Pension Scheme.
• BUPA Healthcare Cash Plan
• 'Reward Me' incentive scheme for purchases with many retailers including Holiday, Insurance and much more
• YHA Membership, which gives