University Access Officer

Vacancy Summary

University Access Officer

Salary: £23,000

We have a vacancy to support students at Dixons Allerton Academy in Bradford, providing guidance and mentoring so they can access top universities. You will be given training and lots of peer support as part of our friendly Programme team. 

Vacancy Information

At The Access Project, we believe that every young person should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and make the most of their education. We’re passionate about reducing the educational barriers our students face, helping them to pursue a career in their chosen field and follow their dreams.

Our mission is to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access top universities, through a unique combination of tuition and in-school mentoring. We work with them to make good applications, get the grades and transition to university.

The programme combats educational inequality and improves social mobility by raising students’ grades and supporting them to understand the pathway to a top university. Students who receive support from our programme are more than twice as likely to attend top universities as statistically similar students, according to UCAS.

Why work at The Access Project

People who work at The Access Project are motivated by the desire to create a fairer society. We all play an active part in achieving the mission to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds access top universities. At The Access Project, we’re a friendly, collaborative, supportive and inclusive team, with passionate people working together in Programmes, Strategy & Impact, Volunteering, Fundraising & Communications and Operations to achieve our mission.

The vision of our people strategy is to enable and inspire all employees to achieve, grow, succeed and thrive. We regularly have opportunities for people to share their ideas in various working groups, generating strong teamwork across the organisation.

In the last year we engaged with staff across our organisation and co-created an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion vision and strategic objectives. Our work on this will develop throughout 2023 to ensure The Access Project can foster an equitable place to work.

We value every individual who works at The Access Project and we have a wide range of benefits that make this a rewarding place to work. In our last staff engagement survey, 90% said they’re proud to tell people they work at The Access Project.

About our values

1. Empowerment - We support students and our people to develop the skills and knowledge to accomplish their goals.
2. Courage - We encourage our students and our people to be authentic, innovative and ambitious in order to reach their full potential and deliver our mission
3. Impact - We evolve our programmes through an evidence-led approach, supporting our students to achieve their best outcomes
4. Inclusion - We respect and value individuality and engage diverse voices to achieve our mission.
5. Ownership - We hold ourselves accountable in all our actions and efforts. We ask “What can I do to improve my results?”

About the role

This vacancy is for a University Access Officer to work in Dixons Allerton Academy, Bradford.

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.

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 Managers 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

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.

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure.
• PerkBox – offering nationwide shopping discounts, gym memberships, holidays, learning and much more.
• Employee Assistance Programme, a 24-hour helpline for staff
• Online Medical assistance – access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.
• Interest-free travelcard loans
• Cyclescheme loans
• 3 paid Volunteering Days
• Employer’s pensions contributions (3%)
• CPD options
• TAP welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements

Safeguarding Statement

The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Contact information

Please direct any queries to our email via: info@theaccessproject.org.uk

For further information about The Access Project, please see our website via: www.theaccessproject.org.uk or contact The Access Project on 020 4513 5999.

Please ensure that you complete all of the application form questions to enable us to shortlist your application for an interview, otherwise it will be disqualified automatically. Resumes and CVs will not be considered.

Closing Date: Friday 24th March 2023