Project Officer (60% FTE)

Applications are invited for the part time (21.75 hours per week), fixed term post working on a national mentoring programme, responsible for recruiting, delivering, and promoting a national mentoring program for the academic year 2023 to 2025, using an existing online mentoring platform. The post holder will be working on the Reaching Wider Project within the Directorate of Marketing, Recruitment and Communications at Bangor University.

Candidates should be educated to degree standard (or equivalent) in a relevant subject area and have experience of outreach engagement and or mentoring programmes with Reaching Wider target cohorts in an educational context.

The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this role.

This post is subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The successful candidate will be expected to commence as soon as possible and the post is available until 31st August 2025.

This role will be located on campus at Bangor or Wrexham. Through our Dynamic Working framework , there will also be the option to spend some time working remotely (although remaining in the UK) to support work life balance, which will be discussed further with candidates at interview.

Applications will be accepted via Bangor Universities on-line recruitment website, jobs.bangor.ac.uk.  However, in cases of access issues due to disability, paper application forms are available by telephoning 01248 383865.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Ms Paula Griffiths, Partnership Manager at email: [email protected]

Closing date for applications: 17 May 2024

Committed to Equal Opportunities

Reaching Wider aims to facilitate the entrance of people from under-represented backgrounds into Higher Education.

The North and Mid Wales Partnership will be managing a national mentoring programme across Wales, in partnership with the Southwest Wales and Southeast Wales Reaching Wider partnerships.

The project officer will recruit, train, and coordinate HE undergraduates to be mentors to learners engaged in 16-19 education, offering a package of mentoring support for the academic year 2023 to 2025. This exciting opportunity will target Reaching Wider priority cohorts across Wales.

The post holder will take a leading role in the recruitment and engagement of the mentors and mentees working with key partners, to deliver a successful programme. Supporting the project managers to deliver the aims and objectives of the project within the time projects timelines

The RWNMWP is a partnership of higher education and further education in the North and Mid Wales region. Our Executive Steering group members are Bangor University (Lead Partner), Aberystwyth University, Wrexham Glyndwr University, , Coleg Cambria, Coleg Ceredigion, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, Grwp Llandrillo Menai, and NPTC Grwp.

The purpose of this partnership is to widen access to Higher Education for underrepresented groups identified by HEFCW. Responding to the region's widening access priorities and requirements, we will support our learners at various stages and transition points on their individual educational journey, working with learners more intensively over a longer period wherever possible.

The mentoring project sits under the broader Reaching Wider programme, which contributes to HEFCW’s response to widening access to higher education by supporting priority schools, colleges, communities and learners. The national offer has five priorities [1] :

• Supporting the transition to higher education increase confidence, progression, lifelong learning, and success.
• Supporting educational aspiration raising to increase motivation, retention and progression.
• Enhancing educational skills to enable learners to fulfil their academic potential and be prepared for further and/or higher education.
• Promoting vocational and employability skills to encourage upskilling and career aspirations, including access to apprenticeships and professions.
• Promoting equality of opportunity and inclusive approaches for care-experienced people, carers, and people with disabilities.

The online mentoring project is an initiative designed to widen access to higher education (HE) in Wales. The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) awarded grant funding for this targeted intervention, aimed to deliver a package of mentoring support for learners in Year 12 and Year 13 (aged 16–19) in education within priority groups identified by HEFCW.

Using an online mentoring platform, Brightside, the programme has delivered online one-to-one mentoring, pairing mentees with undergraduate and postgraduate mentors studying in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Wales. The extension of funding is to expand the delivery to more of Reaching Wider's priority learners.

• Support the Project Manager to establish good working relationships with the stakeholders to deliver the project, developing appropriate communication links with the Reaching Wider institutional and non-institutional partners.
• Work with the stakeholders in the recruitment of mentees and mentors to the programme.
• Supporting partners to manage the conversion process from sign-up to joining and engagement throughout the project.
• Work with school 6 forms and colleges to determine their specific needs in respect of the mentoring programme
• Support the Project Manager gather information for the effective evaluation of programme
• Proactively work within a small team to deliver high quality and impactful programme across Wales using the mentoring platform.
• Be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the project to ensure milestones are being met.
• Deliver online mentor training sessions and online mentee inductions ensuring the team are trained to support and induct mentors onto to the online mentoring project.
• Ensure the safeguarding and welfare of all participants is always adhered to, and that participants are appropriately trained and vetted.
• Deliver in person mentor and mentee training sessions about the online mentoring platform.
• Deliver recruitment lunch and learn events and sessions to promote and recruit the mentors and mentees onto the programme.
• Ensure the project resources, equipment, and information are readily available for partners, mentors, and mentees.
• Support the Welsh Medium and bilingualism for the project, ensuring translation is completed in accordance with the lead institution language policies.

• Carry out any other duties that the Project Manager considers to be required.
• Pro-actively promote all Reaching Wider activities, referring any inquiries to the appropriate colleagues and supporting with delivery when required.
• The post holder will be expected to participate in performance review and developmental activities.
• The post holder will be expected to comply with the University equal opportunities policies, Dignity at Work and Study Policy and the University’s Welsh Language Scheme.
• The post holder has a general and legal duty of care in relation to health, safety and well-being and must take all reasonable steps to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for themselves and for other members of staff, students and visitors affected by his/her actions or inaction's.
• The post holder is also required to comply with all applicable health and safety policies, procedures, and risk assessments.
• Ensure safeguarding, pastoral care and welfare of all participants on the programmes by ensuring that safeguarding, vulnerable adult and health and safety procedures are always adhered to and that all delivery staff on these programmes are appropriately trained and vetted.
• The post holder must comply with relevant legal and financial policies and procedures and be aware of their responsibilities in terms of the legal requirements of their posts.
• Promote Welsh medium activities and the development of bilingual materials, to include bilingual resources and delivery.
• Raise awareness of activities & achievements on social media platforms
• Ensure effective delivery of the project in the designated area(s).
• Develop strong communications and close working relationships with partners in the area(s) and delivering the project in partnership with them.
• Contribute to and carry out marketing activity as required leading where appropriate Measure, evaluate, and promote the outcomes of the project.

Qualifications/Training

Essential

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent) in relevant subject area.
  • Professional qualifications or accreditation relevant to the role.

Desirable

• Postgraduate degree or teaching based qualification.

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

• Extensive experience of outreach engagement with Reaching Wider target cohorts in an educational context
• Experience of working with Further Education and Higher Education.
• Experience of leading and developing activity with Reaching Wider target cohorts.
• Demonstrable experience of organising and coordinating outreach events for Reaching Wider target cohorts.
• Experience of delivering training online training sessions via Teams, Zoom and other online platforms.
• Experience of recruitment and training of FE/HE students to deliver to community groups and schools.
• Proven experience in working directly with target individuals / groups / sectors as identified by HEFCW.

Desirable

• Understanding of local communities and marginalised/disadvantaged groups.
• Knowledge and understanding of the background to Reaching Wider and the widening access agenda in Wales.
• Developed activities for Reaching Wider target cohorts without a level 4 qualification.

Skills/Abilities

Essential

• Computer literate and a proficiency in the use of the internet (web browsers, search engines, etc.) Microsoft software packages (including Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint).
• Self-motivated, with a positive outlook, and possess the ability to assess one’s own performance.
• The ability to act as ambassador for Reaching Wider and can communicate at all levels in a range of organisations.
• Ability to work with others and be a team-player.
• The ability to plan, organize and deliver effective workshops, seminars, and training events. Good organisational skills with an ability to manage a variety of tasks at the same time and to organise and prioritise own work and that of others including coping with unpredictable volumes of work and busy periods.
• Ability to work autonomously and explore new challenges and responsibilities.

Other

Essential

• The person must be prepared to travel across the designated region(s) and occasionally to other parts of Wales and the UK with transportation organised by the role holder.

Desirable

• The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this post. If applicants are not able to speak / write in Welsh at present, there are many opportunities to learn if the successful candidate wishes to do so.

The 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.  We strive to develop a workforce from all sections of the community regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language through our progressive Welsh Language Policy. We comply with the Welsh Language Standards and are committed to equality of opportunity. You are welcome to apply for any job in English or Welsh and all applications submitted will be treated equally. 

We are a member of Advance HE's Athena SWAN Gender Equality charter and hold a Silver award in recognition of our commitment to and progress towards gender equality within the University's policies, practices, and culture. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. 

All members of staff have a duty to ensure their actions are in line with the overall environmental aims of the University and minimise their environmental impact. 

All offers are made subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK and receipt of satisfactory references.  

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK before you can start working for us.  When you apply for this post you will be required to explain the basis upon which you believe you will able to live and work in the UK legally on the commencement date of the role should your application be successful.   If you do not have the right to work freely in any position in the UK already, any offer of employment we will make to you will be subject to you obtaining a right to work visa.   The following link provides information on the various visa routes into employment and the eligibility requirements (including switching visa status where permissible) https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas .   If you are successful in your application we will discuss visa options with you at the time of making the offer of employment.     

Please note that, in the event of applications being received from candidates on the University's Redeployment Register with a reasonable skills match to the post specification, these applicants will be given prior consideration. 

Disclosure & Barring Service

This post is subject to a satisfactory SPECIFY: standard/enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check.
As Bangor University meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions. DBS checks will be updated every 3 years. 

Candidates should note that the University uses an external Umbrella body to process  DBS checks.   As such you should be aware that, if successful in your application, your name and e-mail contact details will be shared with the Umbrella body in order that they may contact you to start the application process.