University Access Officer - West Mids Full Time

We have a new vacancy for a University Access Officer to work in two schools in Birmingham and the Black Country. The University Access Officer works in the school from Monday to Thursday with Friday based working from home or in the office.

The main purpose of the role is to mentor students and deliver group workshops, and coaching them on how to access and transition to university. 

The University Access Officer works with school staff at all levels, volunteer tutors, and with the rest of The Access Project’s team to ensure that the delivery of the programme is optimised.

About the organisation

The Access Project is an education charity, and we believe that every young person can make the most of education, unlocking their potential and creating a fairer society.

Our mission is to work with high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them gain access to selective universities.

The Access Project collaborates with universities on shared priorities to improve attainment and close the access gap for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The programme combats educational inequality and improves social mobility by raising students’ grades and supporting them to understand the pathway to a top university.

About our values

Community - We build a community of schools, volunteers and partner organisations that share a common vision.

Motivation - We harness and reward motivation.

Development - We promote a culture of excellence, improvement and innovation.

Academic Excellence - We help students achieve their potential by matching them with tutors who have been given excellent resources and training.

Role responsibilities

• Engage with students in school and enrol them onto the programme
• Match students with volunteer tutors
• Monitor student attendance to tutorials and devise innovative solutions to encourage attendance
• Assess student progress towards being able to make successful university applications
• Upload information onto the Salesforce database (training is provided)
• Monitor the impact of tutorials, and intervene as appropriate
• Build and manage relationships with volunteer tutors to ensure they have a positive experience of the programme
• Manage tutor attendance to tutorials through weekly monitoring systems
• Work with school staff to ensure their cooperation and timely completion of activities contributing to the smooth running of the programme
• Chair and present at termly school meetings with Senior Management to report on programme progress.
• University Access Officers support the volunteering team by helping to deliver tutor training sessions, and attending university site visits, which take place on occasional Saturdays and weekday evenings (paid time off is provided).
• Any other responsibilities reasonably deemed necessary by The Access Project’s Programme Manager or Director.

Person specification

• Able to communicate and influence with impact at all levels
• Able to deliver projects and manage administration accurately
• Able to effectively time manage
• Able to lead and manage change to embed the programme in school
• Resilient and adaptable
• Skilled in building and maintaining excellent relationships
• All applicants need to have a degree or suitable experience.

Training and Development

You will be provided with regular monthly training so that you can develop your skills and succeed in the role. There is support from your line manager (Programme Manager), as well as guidance from a Senior University Access Officer and the wider University Access Officer team across The Access Project.

We encourage you to apply now if you are interested in the vacancy, as we will be shortlisting candidates when applications are received, and we may close the advert before 15th August.