upReach is an award-winning social mobility charity supporting less-advantaged students to secure graduate jobs in sectors including Consulting, Government & Public Sector, Law and
Technology. We deliver a comprehensive programme of professional development to over 2,000 students, working in close partnership with leading employers such as Civil Service,
Deloitte, FactSet, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and Slaughter and May.
In October 2019, upReach won the Charity of the Year Award (income < £1m) in the prestigious Charity Times Awards, and the charity also won the “Embracing Digital” award in the 2020 Charity Governance Award.
upReach are seeking to hire a University Partnership & Impact Manager responsible for the execution of our university partnerships strategy and delivery of sustainable income growth
from new and existing partners in the higher education sector. This is an exciting opportunity to directly contribute to the growth of the charity through growing and maintaining university
partnership relationships. This role would suit individuals with 3+ years’ experience in developing & managing partnerships and thought leadership on university impact measurement, who have a passion for social mobility and are used to operating in a fastpaced environment. The successful candidate will take responsibility for the university partnerships strategy, including the development and management of the partnerships and the related impact reporting on the Rise Programme to university partners. They will be a key member of a dynamic and growing national team.
Key Information
University Partnership & Impact Manager: This individual will be responsible for the university partnerships strategy; including the development and management of the partnerships and the related impact reporting on the Rise Programme to university partners. Reporting to the Director of Programmes & Impact, they will grow income from new and existing university partners, collaborate with the partner on Associate recruitment, evaluate and demonstrate the impact of the Rise Programme in collaboration with the Rise Programme Manager. They will work alongside the Head of Finance & Operations to form plans and strategies for upReach’s sustainable income growth.
Location: Bristol, London, Manchester, Nottingham or Newcastle (initially on a remote basis)
Hours: 40 hours per week, 9am – 6pm (with some flexibility)
Start date: July 2021
Reporting to: Director of Programmes and Impact
Salary: £27,500 – £33,000 per annum, including London weighting if based in London
Application deadline: 9am on Monday 7th June 2021
Early applications are encouraged as we may interview and/or appoint before the closing date.
About upReach
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects? upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their
full career potential. We help young people from less-advantaged backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socioeconomic
barriers to graduate employment.
Our work is important because right now a student from a disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more
privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. Building on the success of the past five years, upReach’s current
partners include Allen & Overy, Bank of America, the Civil Service Fast Stream, Deloitte, McKinsey and Slaughter and May. We also partner with universities including Exeter, King’s
College London, Liverpool, Warwick and Manchester.
This academic year, over 2,000 undergraduates (we call them upReach Associates) are being supported through our unique programme of application support, soft skills workshops, video
forums (small group, online seminar-style sessions), mentoring and professional experience.
To find out more about upReach and how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report.
About the Role
University Partnership & Impact Manager: This individual will be responsible for the university partnerships strategy; including the development and management of the partnerships and the related impact reporting on the Rise Programme to university partners.
Core delivery responsibilities will include:
Managing and developing existing university partnerships
- Managing upReach’s portfolio of existing university partners, stewarding relationships to ensure the partnerships remain strong and mutually beneficial.
- Managing and developing existing university partnerships
- Developing existing university partnerships and identifying new opportunities to expand our programme of support.
- Execute on a partner communication strategy to ensure university partners are kept up to date with upReach news and events.
- Plan and lead on student attraction & onboarding activities in collaboration with Rise Programme Manager.
- Contribute to strategic decisions concerning the design and delivery of the Rise Programme to meet the needs of University students and complement & enhance University offerings.
- Ensuring all outputs are delivered effectively and on time, in collaboration with the Rise Programme Manager and the PC University Leads.
- Collaborate with the Rise Programme Manager and PC University Leads to ensure the smooth running of all university-based events and follow through on identifying and
communicating impact. - Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the programme and prepare and deliver quarterly/annual impact reporting reviews for each university partner.
- Act as university impact reporting ‘subject matter expert’ to set impact measurement strategies for university partnership reporting and impact reporting in collaboration with Impact & Data Senior Officer.
Growing the number and value of university partnerships
- Researching and developing a new pipeline of university partners to expand the sector reach and create opportunities for Associate growth.
- Identifying gaps in the market and developing ideas for new university partners, cohort focused programmes and types of partnership.
- Identifying, initiating and securing new high-value long term partnerships with universities to grow income and provide more opportunities to students.
- Preparing and delivering compelling and evidence-based pitches and presentations.
- Maintaining the organisation’s presence in the social mobility sector through thought leadership articles/blogs and networking at relevant events.
- Work with Rise Programme Manager to agree programme of support and support in
the transition to deliver agreed programme of support.
Team Management
- Manage two FCLP rotations (20% of Programme Coordinator’s time) – setting rotation objectives and providing project guidance.
- Meet monthly with university leads (Programme Coordinator responsible for day-today university activities) to set partnership priorities and monitor stakeholder KPI progress (onboarding, engagement).
Person Specification
This position would be suited to individuals who are committed to upReach’s mission. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about social-mobility and believe that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment.
To be successful it is anticipated that you would have at least 3+ years’ experience developing partnerships and providing strategic impact measurement guidance. You should be proactive,
resilient and used to managing competing priorities within a varied workload. You should be flexible and willing to perform varying duties depending on the shifting needs of the charity.
Essential Skills/Experience:
1.Experience working in a fast-paced environment and working independently to find solutions to problems.
2. Ability to engage and flex communication style confidently with a variety of stakeholders, such as beneficiaries, upReach partners and all levels of employees across the organisation.
3. Excellent influencing, facilitation and communication skills (both oral and written) and be comfortable preparing and presenting reports and proposals to senior management and external stakeholders.
4. Target driven and demonstrate experience of achieving financial objectives.
5. Strong project management and problem solving skills, in addition to superb organisational skills to manage a varied workload.
6. Self-motivation and an ability to work in a small team as well as independently, with a creative and a proactive attitude.
7. Experience working directly with key stakeholders to manage and grow a relationship and/or partnership.
8. Experience in or knowledge of the usual ways of working within Universities.
9. Experience monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of a programme.
10. At least a Grade ‘B’ in Maths and English GCSE (if you have extenuating circumstances, let us know)*.
11. University degree (2:1 or higher)* in any discipline, or equivalent experience.
* The nature of the role requires a high standard of Maths and English, and the ability to quickly review a large amount of information and identify and communicate key themes
clearly. Applicants may demonstrate this through the academic qualifications shown above and/or other relevant experience. As our beneficiaries are all undergraduates, a good understanding of the university experience is essential, although it is not necessary that this was acquired through personally gaining a degree.
Desirable Skills/Experience:
1. Understanding of social mobility issues in the UK, the university landscape and graduate recruitment.
2. Experience in qualifying, scoping, and pricing client / partner projects in the charity sector.
3. Experience delivering all aspects of a project end to end, from design to reporting and evaluation.
4. Line management or team leadership experience.
Values & Competencies
upReach upholds the following values:
- Perseverance
- Integrity
- Advocacy
- Aspiration
- Proactivity
We are looking for candidates to display the following competencies during the application stages:
- Problem solving and decision making
- Planning and organising
- Collaboration
- Passion and motivation
- Communication skills
Application Process
Please email your CV and a covering letter (in PDF format) to Stephanie Lieber at HumanResources@upReach.org.uk by 9am on Monday 17th May 2021.
In your covering letter, please explain your motivation for applying to this role, and why you are interested in working at upReach, giving further details about your interest and ambitions.
Early applications are encouraged as we may interview and/or appoint before the closing date.
If you have any questions about the role or application process, please reach out to Sam Gill at HumanResources@upReach.org.uk.
Please Note: upReach has a responsibility under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that, at the time of starting their employment, successful candidates have
permission to work in the UK.
If you have a right to work in the UK, you will be required to bring proof of this to your online interview (by providing your original passport or other right to work documents). If your
permission to work in the UK relies on a job offer, please bring written details including evidence of any existing visas or work permits. A photocopy/ scan will be requested of your
right to work document(s) and stored securely. If you are unsuccessful at interview the copy will be destroyed. Unfortunately, upReach is unable to financially sponsor Visas or work
permits.
Equal Opportunities
upReach is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, social
background or any other protected class. We support workplace diversity and believe it creates dynamic and effective organisations. We are working hard to increase diversity in our
team and would particularly welcome applications from BAME candidates.
We are committed to making our roles and culture inclusive. We can make reasonable adjustments throughout the application process and on the job. If you have particular needs
or requirements, please get in touch using HumanResources@upReach.org.uk.