Widening Participation Manager (Pre-16)

About Us  

The King’s community is dedicated to the service of society. King’s Strategic Vision 2029 sets out our vision for the future, shaped around five priority areas: educate to inspire and improve; research to inform and innovate; serve to shape and transform; a civic university at the heart of London; and an international community that services the world. Our ambitious Education Strategy sets out the actions that we must take to transform how we teach, how and where our students learn and how we support them during their time with us. 

At King’s College London, in Social Mobility and Widening Participation Department we believe that all young people should be able to have high expectations for their future. This means equal access to education and career opportunities. We run programmes that aim to empower young people from under-represented backgrounds to access and succeed at university.  

We are part of the Students & Education Directorate, a collection of wide-ranging professional services in place to support King’s students and their education. As a directorate we manage the student lifecycle from application to graduation and beyond, to ensure a coherent and seamless student experience and effective administrative processes, working closely with King’s faculties to do so. 

About the Role

​​The Widening Participation Manager (Pre-16 Programmes) is an integral member of the department’s Pre-16 Team, which works with learners in from KS2 through to KS4.  

​The post-holder will have strategic oversight of a range of programmes, including a year 6 transition programme Step Up Scholars, our flagship pre-16 programme King’s Scholars, and our raising attainment scheme Scholars +.  They will also have strategic management in our parental engagement programme Parent Power which is delivered in partnership with Citizens UK. The postholder will also oversee our work within the government’s opportunity area, Hastings. The Pre-16 Manager will also oversee the strategic development of the pre-16 digital platforms (onyourmarks and gameplan.ac.uk) and ensure that these strategies are aligned with the overall departmental strategy and Access and Participation Plan.  

They will also lead the Pre-16 Programmes team, comprising 4 members of staff.   

​This is an exciting opportunity for candidates looking to progress into a management position focused on social impact, and who wish to utilise their skills and expertise in project management and strategy implementation. This is an opportunity to grow your skills in leadership. 

We encourage applications from candidates who have experience from both within and outside of the Higher Education sector where they can demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in this role.

This post will be offered on a fixed term contract ending on 31st October 2024.

This is a full-time post, but we welcome applications from candidates seeking a flexible work pattern within our 10am-6pm.

1.      Oversee a suite of widening participation programmes within the Pre-16 Life Cycle for young people and their parents/carers.

2.     Lead on the management of the pre-16 strategic partnerships including its associated governance.

3.     Oversight of all evaluation within the pre-16 team to monitor its effectiveness and overall impact.

4.     Line manage the Pre-16 team comprising 4 members, supporting and directing the planning and implementation of their work objectives.

5.     Responsible for a budget, including reporting and annual monitoring of expenditure in line with department financial procedures.

6.     ​Be an active member of the Widening Participation Department’s management team, contributing to discussion and decision-making.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Please clearly address how you meet the
essential criteria in your application, and where possible how you meet the
desirable criteria as well.

Essential criteria

Relevant work experience and/or education: We think a wide range of different work and educational experiences could support you to be successful in this role. Relevant work experience might include work in education , or charity setting. Relevant educational experiences might include higher education in a related discipline, professional qualifications or other training

Experience working with children and/or young people.

Experience of leading a team to deliver projects or events

Experience of developing and nurturing relationships with stakeholders

Ability to communicate complicated and specialist information orally and in writing

Ability to make collaborative and independent decisions that have far-reaching and long-lasting impact

​Ability to use judgement to resolve complex problems

Ability to analyse and interpret data for inclusion in reports and to clearly disseminate to others

Ability to plan and lead on significant projects or areas of work

Ability to give a team clear direction and guide it to the successful completion of a task, and to identify and manage the objectives, performance, and development needs of others

​Ability to identify operational areas for development, propose and implement solutions, in co-ordination with others

Extensive knowledge of the widening participation agenda and/or the role of higher education in social mobility  and the barriers WP students might encounter, especially for pre-16 learners

Desirable criteria

Educated to degree or foundation degree level

​Experience overseeing budgets and undertaking financial administration

Please submit a personal statement when applying for this vacancy, clearly setting out how you meet the essential criteria, as this is how we shortlist applications. Learn more about how we recruit, including tips on writing your application and supporting statement on our website:  

https://jobs.kcl.ac.uk/gb/en/applying

Interviews will be held using Microsoft Teams and will consist of competency-based questions linked closely to the essential and desirable criteria mentioned here.

Although we have made improvements over the last number of years, our team is still under-represented in terms of staff from global majority ethnicities, LGBTQ+ identities, and from people with disabilities. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities.