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Digital Inclusion Manager

Employer
Children's University
Location
Currently Remote then Manchester or Flexible
Salary
£30,000 plus 5% employer contributions to pension
Closing date
28 Jan 2022

Job title: Digital Inclusion Manager

Location: Currently home-based with potential for travel

Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week, though open to discussion around flexible / part time hours

Contract: This is a two-year fixed term salaried role

Remuneration: £30,000 p.a. (+ 5% employer pension contribution)

Deadline: Friday January 28th

How to apply: CV and cover letter to liam.nolan@childrensuniversity.co.uk

Enquiries: liam.nolan@childrensuniversity.co.uk or 07532 802 298

*NO AGENCIES*

 

About Children’s University

Children’s University is a charity that works in partnership with schools to develop a love of learning in children. We do this by encouraging and celebrating participation in extracurricular activities in and outside of school. The impact of these activities is proven to be positive which is why we’re committed to creating a level playing field of opportunity and opening access to children of all backgrounds.

You can read more about us here

Children’s University Online

Children’s University has historically been a traditional paper-based programme that sees children collect stamps in a paper Passport to Learning for each hour of participation in activities. In 2019 we launched Children’s University Online (CUO), a new digital platform that’s a fun, safe and secure online space for participants to record what they’re doing. Children use this alongside their Passport to Learning, collecting stamps in their passports that can then be posted online where they'll unlock additional information about their activities. CUO is great for children, families and schools, and makes it easier for learning providers to get their activities validated.

How we’re using CUO

CUO is great for all Children’s University stakeholders. Importantly, the data it generates about activity provision and participation helps inform and shape provision, by highlighting areas of success and cold spots of engagement. So far, we’ve used CUO to help us analyse skills use and development in children aged 11+, and also collated a unique contemporary picture of the State of the Nation when it comes to learning beyond the classroom. This latter report involved data from over 22,000 children participating in more than 8,000 activities for over 51,000 hours.

You can read more about these impact reports here. 

About this role

Launching Children’s University Online represented an exciting leap forward for Children’s University. Going digital hugely increased the value we’re able to offer children, schools and families. The data it generates is actionable management information that helps inform practical access to learning opportunities for thousands of children. CUO importantly gives us potential to influence policy in the longer-term.

Right now, we are at an exciting point in CUO’s development. Through our existing network of partners, we have over 30,000 children set up with accounts from over 900 schools. It has already proved its value in the reports that Children’s University Trust has been able to publish based on the data it generates. Yet this is just the beginning.

In 2022 we will be starting a second phase of development which will see additional users added to the platform. For the first time, children outside of our current network structures will be able to access Children’s University via a new individual subscription model. This will have the dual impact of opening access to Children’s University like never before, as well as opening up an important and significant income stream. We are looking for a Digital Inclusion Manager to work with us as we take this forward.

Ideal Candidate and Skills required

This is a unique role that requires a breadth of skills. The successful candidate will be joining a small team and so the ability to be flexible and manage an array of project elements is incredibly important. For example…

  • This is a digital role, but with much engagement with non-digital staff and those who may be averse to technology.
  • This role includes training, so experience presenting complex ideas simply is key.
  • The successful candidate will need to be able to liaise directly with digital developers, but maintain a focus on the non-digital driver behind the platform.

We are looking for someone with a passion for people, a sense of social justice and commitment to inclusion, as well as a keen understanding of the exciting potential represented by digital transformation. 

Key skills needed for success include:

  • The ability to communicate with schools and education organisations

An understanding of the challenges faced by teachers and the structures of schools would be desirable. The successful candidate will need the confidence and experience of working directly with schools, from support staff through to senior leaders.

  • Digital skills and understanding

We are looking for someone with the understanding of how digital products like Children’s University Online are developed, the basic principles of user experience and the ability to explain and support digital onboarding in layman’s terms.

  • The ability to marry the offline and the online and understand why

Essential to this role is understanding why we’re doing what we do. This is about getting people to understand that by taking on the use of a new digital platform they are offering increased value to the social and educational missions that their organisations are already committed to. It is a key role in a period of change that will require tact, diplomacy and being empathetic to objections. Being clear on why this is important and of benefit will be key to keeping change smooth. This is about embedding a new digital tool in organisations to generate real-world change.

  • The ability to maintain good relationships and manage expectations between users and digital staff

We want CUO to be all things to all people, but realistically we have limited time and resources. The successful candidate needs to be able to recognise UX need and the reality of what can be delivered by a small but committed team.

The ideal candidate will:

  • be a highly organised self-starter
  • be able to work independently and manage a varied workload
  • need to be an excellent communicator, with good interpersonal skills
  • have strong IT and digital capabilities
  • experience of writing and delivering high quality training

It would be desirable to have:

  • a background/expertise in digital technologies
  • previous experience of working with or within schools
  • experience liaising with a digital agency as client

All candidates will be expected to share the values and the ethos of Children’s University and have an interest in working in the third sector. This is a unique and challenging opportunity to contribute to the development of a national charity at an exciting stage in its development. The successful candidate will play a supportive role for a varied and geographically disparate network and have a key part to play in helping Children’s University Trust reach our charitable goals.

Main Tasks

  • Work with our Children’s University delivery partners to digitally upskill them and support them in their work with schools
  • Deliver regular training sessions offering quality CPD to ensure all CU partners deliver at consistently informed level
  • Ensure training materials remain relevant and inline with changes to CUO and CPD accreditation is maintained
  • Manage relationship with CPD Standards Office
  • Work directly with schools to run walk-throughs of Children’s University Online and respond to both technical questions and the challenges of embedding Children’s University Online into the culture of the school
  • Deliver regular training sessions offering quality CPD for school staff
  • Create resources (written guides, videos, audio guides) that will support users with technical issues or questions
  • Create resources (written guides, videos, audio guides) that will support schools with embedding Children’s University Online in the culture of their school
  • Run workshops for Children’s University Managers and / or teachers
  • Use emerging technologies to document, archive and share learnings and resources
  • Act as a contact point between Children’s University Trust and the Children’s University network for queries regarding Children’s University Online
  • Work with third party organisations to promote activities and partnerships as part of Children’s University Online
  • Support validation of activities through CUO
  • Manage Children’s University Trust’s ongoing relationship with the digital agency behind the development of the platform
  • Act as ‘product manager’ of CUO – ensuring it is in working order, UX needs are met, and developments are made and communicated to all users
  • Manage relationship with digital developers as individual subscription model is built – ensuring smooth development following agreed statement of work from client-side and maintaining developments are in line with existing platform functionality
  • Managing QA sign off of ongoing developments
  • Maintain accurate bug tracking through DoneDone and other relevant systems
  • Manage oversight of training records for CU network, ensuring all CUs take part in training
  • Run annual Skills Impact Report using CUO functionality – managing all engagement with schools and subjects and
  • Support with the writing and compiling of annual Skills Impact Report for publication
  • Work with CEO and HOC on annual State of the Nation report – taking responsibility for compiling raw data from CUO
  • Support with the writing and compiling of State of the Nation report for publication
  • Undertaking other general administrative duties as required.

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