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Widening Participation Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Widening Participation and Outreach team as a Widening Participation Manager. The aim of this role is to develop and deliver outreach and access programmes to support learners from widening participation backgrounds to successfully transition to study at Cardiff University. The role holder will work with Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and learners from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Groups in particular, but will also develop and deliver activity to support learners from widening participation backgrounds more broadly.
The role forms part of the Widening Participation management team, and the postholder will provide specialist strategic, planning, and analytical support for the Head of Widening Participation, as well as offering strategic oversight across outreach and access.

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications for job share, flexible working or reduced hours. Please state any preferences in your covering letter.

The role is based at McKenzie House in Cardiff city centre. The team work in the office on Monday and Tuesday and from home for the remainder of the week. However, there are regular occasions when the team are required to be on campus Wednesday – Friday (e.g. to support event delivery) so a flexible approach is required.

This post is available on a full-time basis (35 hours a week) and is open-ended.

Due to the nature of this project and the diversity of the local community we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidates and those from other under-represented groups.

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Rachel Leighton, Head of Widening Participation, on [email protected].

Salary: £36,333 - £43,155 per annum (Grade 6)

Date advert posted: Thursday, 20 April 2023

Closing date: Thursday, 18 May 2023

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

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Key Duties

• Plan and deliver specific projects, co-ordinating and supervising project teams created as required
• Support WP students to transition to university, underpinning the implementation of our Widening Participation Strategy and Fee and Access Plan
• Manage the performance, induction and development of any team members
• Support and guide team members in welfare issues, escalating as necessary to specialist support areas
• Provide effective and strategic support for the University’s Widening Participation provision, including the development of new provision to support specific WP groups in response to the Widening Participation Strategy 2020-2025
• Take responsibility for resolving issues independently within Widening Participation, working across the institution and leading cross-disciplinary teams as appropriate to achieve the desired outcomes within agreed deadlines
• Investigate and analyse specific issues within higher education, creating recommendation reports
• Ensure that we are implementing robust and effective processes and policies to better understand and meet the needs of individuals who come from under-represented groups, including implementing suitable safeguarding procedures.
• Ensure that widening participation activities are appropriately monitored and evaluated, proactively changing the delivery according to customer requirements
• Establish working relationships with key contacts, developing appropriate communication links with the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required
• Create specific working groups from colleagues across the University to achieve institutional widening participation objectives
• Attend key meetings with relevant teams to ensure initiatives and programmes are on track to deliver on their objectives
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the Department
• Support the Head of Widening Participation and Outreach in the planning, management, control and reporting of Widening Participation outreach, access and transition activities and expenditure

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role
• Flexible working is essential for this role, as there are often events taking place during evenings and weekends which the post holder will be required to support. Overnight stays are sometimes required as part of this role when supporting residential summer schools.

Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable criteria. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a Supporting Statement.

Please ensure when attaching it to your application profile that you name it with the vacancy reference number 16339BR.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education
1. Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. A commitment to and awareness of the importance of widening participation and the equality, diversity, and inclusion agenda
3. Able to demonstrate professional knowledge of key widening participation matters as well as UCAS, student finance and university processes and procedures in order to give advice and guidance to internal and external customers
4. Excellent attention to detail and proven experience in developing new processes and procedures. This includes, for example, managing budgets, compliance and safeguarding.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5. Ability to communicate conceptually detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people and tailor the delivery appropriately for different audiences. This includes written and verbal communication in 1:1’s and in groups, presenting to senior management, and direct communication with WP students.
6. Proven ability to develop networks in order to contribute to long term developments
7. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
8. Evidence of the ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity to identify and propose both practical and innovative solutions
9. Substantial experience of managing a team, including the ability to effectively plan a team’s work, and deal with performance and welfare issues
10. Evidence of demonstrable knowledge of key advances within widening participation.

Desirable Criteria

• Substantial knowledge of the Widening Participation landscape within Higher Education and related policies and frameworks
• Postgraduate/Professional qualification in relevant field (e.g. Social Sciences)
• Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

Widening Participation is about supporting the access, progression and success of students from groups that are traditionally under-represented in higher education and support them throughout the student lifecycle.
Through a range of activities, the Widening Participation Team and colleagues throughout the University support over 30,000 learners from across the UK to break down the barriers to higher education and help them to reach their potential.

A satisfactory Enhanced DBS check is required for this post.

It should also be noted that it will not normally be possible to take annual leave during Summer Schools (July), on undergraduate and postgraduate open days, and over A-level Results week in August.

About the Department
The Communications and Marketing Department is responsible for the University’s reputation and branding as well as UK/International student recruitment operations. It covers six areas: communications, marketing, student recruitment, digital communications, international and public affairs.

Communications plays an important part in building and maintaining the reputation of the University through effective communication to the public and to external and internal stakeholders. It communicates the achievements and aspirations of the University through a variety of media and includes a film unit. The team represents the University on a corporate level.

Digital Communications is responsible for the design, development and content of the external website and the intranet.

Marketing is responsible for developing a strong brand identity for the University at the corporate level, with an emphasis on better visual branding and market research.

Student recruitment plays an important role in attracting the University's undergraduate and postgraduate students from throughout the UK and Internationally in addition to managing the University’s widening participation activities.
The International Office drives the University’s international recruitment strategy and advises on all areas related to international recruitment and development.

Public affairs leads on stakeholder relationships locally, nationally and internationally.

36,333

43,155

Education, Management & Executive

Grade 6