Skip to main content

This job has expired

Partnership Manager (fixed-term maternity cover)

Employer
Challenge Partners
Location
London (Greater)
Salary
● £35,368-£41,632 pa + 5% pension contribution + benefits
Closing date
16 Aug 2019

View more

Function
Management
Sector
Education
Hours
Full Time
Contract Type
Permanent

About Challenge Partners

Who we are: Challenge Partners is a practitioner-led education charity that enables collaboration and challenge between schools to enhance the life chances of all children, especially the most disadvantaged.

How we do it: The Challenge Partners central team works closely with school leaders and other education professionals to facilitate a variety of programmes and services for schools in our partnership. We ensure the knowledge and skills of the best in our network are available to everyone, reducing the variability in education provision whilst improving the performance of all schools, leaders, and pupils in the partnership.

Our team: There are currently just over 20 people in our growing team. We are dedicated to working hard for our schools whilst enjoying what we do and who we work with. You will be working in a friendly and dynamic group with backgrounds in education, the wider social enterprise and charity sector, and the corporate world. The majority of roles are school-facing, and team members work closely with leaders in our schools to generate and refine ideas and create maximum value for the network.

Job purpose

The Partnership Manager (maternity cover) has strategic oversight of our Network of Excellence and the Quality Assurance Review programme. They will take responsibility for:

  • the development and maintenance of positive relationships with all schools and multi-academy trusts in our Network of Excellence;
  • the organic growth of our Network of Excellence; and
  • delivery, ongoing improvement and sustainable growth of the Quality Assurance Review programme.

Key responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Partnership and Programmes, the Partnership Manager (maternity cover) will have the following key areas of responsibility and be expected to undertake other responsibilities as requested, which are commensurate with the role:

Strategic leadership and management

  • Develop and maintain effective relationships with our Senior Partners and Hub Managers, ensuring that regular dialogue with them informs continuous improvement in our service and offer to schools and multi-academy trusts
  • Lead, manage and support around 6 staff, bringing together two teams who have previously worked closely but not as one team
  • Take responsibility for our partnership and Quality Assurance Review budgets, ensuring that these are deployed efficiently and effectively so that we are able to secure maximum positive impact
  • Lead on ensuring all partner schools get an excellent experience from their local hubs, particularly through the leadership of the Gold Standard for hub collaboration project
  • Facilitate effective knowledge transfer across the Network of Excellence by ensuring strengths and areas for developed are captured through our QAR programme and taxonomy process, and used well to support improvement in our partner schools
  • Advise on the revision of the Pricing Strategy for the Network of Excellence and undertake Pricing Governance review work

Partnership development

  • Oversee the development and maintenance of positive relationships with all schools and multi-academy trusts in our Network of Excellence
  • Ensure that intelligence gleaned from ongoing dialogue with our schools, multi-academy trusts and hubs is used to both meet their individual needs and inform continuous improvement in our Networks of Excellence services and the Quality Assurance Review programme
  • Promote the growth of Challenge Partners’ reach and impact by 1) working with hubs and partner schools to attract new members in areas of the country where we already have a presence; and 2) initiate and support successful local introductory and induction events
  • Working alongside the Leadership Team, further develop and lead on the Growth and Retention strategy and the Knowledge Management strategy for the Network of Excellence
  • Provide ongoing support to a number of local area Hub Managers to undertake their role to as high a standard as possible
  • Work with the Hub Managers to ensure that every school within the hub is engaged in the local and national partnership

Quality Assurance Review programme development

  • Lead delivery and continuous improvement of our Quality Assurance programme, ensuring the programme continues to meet the needs of our schools and multi-academy trusts
  • Lead the Quality Assurance Review team in providing outstanding support to individual schools and key stakeholders
  • Support the QA Review team to ensure that all Network of Excellence members fulfil their commitment to, and benefit from, the QA Review process

Communications and engagement

  • Act as an ambassador for Challenge Partners, representing the organisation externally, including at Senior Partner and Hub Managers’ meetings
  • Work with the Head of Communications and Engagement to oversee regular and relevant communications to our Network of Excellence
  • Identify and capture examples of practice, case studies, areas of excellence and support their dissemination through various channels e.g. Hub-led events, Leadership Development Days, Challenge Partners website

Person specification

Specific skills and experience: We are looking for an ambitious and driven individual able to play a leading role in the next stage of Challenge Partners’ development and growth. You will have:

  • Commitment to our vision, mission and values
  • A sound understanding of the English education system, its challenges and opportunities
  • A track-record of successful people and strategic leadership
  • The ability to move seamlessly between strategic thinking and operational delivery and contribute to both
  • Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to form positive relationships with colleagues and school leaders from a range of backgrounds
  • Experience of delivering programmes and services which enable school improvement (desirable)

How to apply and our recruitment process

Challenge Partners is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you would like to be part of our team, then please send the following:

  • A CV of no more than two pages which includes your current salary
  • A statement of no more than two pages demonstrating how you meet the  requirements of the role and the person specification

This is a demanding full-time role. Applications are welcome from individuals or existing full-time equivalent job shares. The post is offered on a fixed-term basis and is open to applicants looking for a secondment.

We will be interviewing on a rolling basis and looking to appoint someone to start in September. Please apply promptly to be considered for this role. We will close the application process when we appoint.

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert