FURTHER PARTICULARS: SCHOOLS LIAISON OFFICER
Job Title:
Schools Liaison Officer
Department:
College Office
Responsible to:
The Senior Tutor, through the Academic Administrator
Job Purpose:
To develop and manage an outreach programme designed to encourage
applications to undergraduate courses from all who have the potential to
benefit from them, especially from communities underrepresented within
the Oxford undergraduate body; to be a point of contact for school teachers
in the College’s link regions and to support schools and potential applicants
through programmes of sustained contact, visits, workshops residential
schools, Open Days and other related activities. To work with College’s
Admissions Officer to ensure the smooth running of the College’s annual
admissions exercise and to be responsible for admissions-related
publications.
Lincoln College seeks to appoint an imaginative and energetic person to develop and lead its Access and
Outreach activities and invites applications for the full-time post of Schools Liaison Officer (SLO)
available from 1st November 2015, or as soon as possible thereafter. The postholder will be
responsible for developing and managing all aspects of the College’s Access and Outreach
operations, under the supervision of the Senior Tutor, and will collaborate with the College’s
Admissions Officer on the annual undergraduate admissions exercise. The SLO will collaborate with
colleagues across the University and Colleges of Oxford, and with colleagues at certain Cambridge
Colleges, to promote applications from talented students from all social and educational
backgrounds. There is a well-established programme of links with schools in the College’s adopted
regions but the College will expect the postholder to be proactive in shaping new strategies and
initiatives. This post requires a significant amount of travel to schools in Lincolnshire and the West of
England, sometimes for several days at a time, together with some evening and weekend working. It
is essential that the postholder is able to offer a flexible approach to working hours.
The SLO will work within the Admissions Office, which forms part of the small friendly, and busy,
College Office team.
Background information on the College
Lincoln College was founded in 1427 in the University of Oxford and is a self-governing institution in
which the ultimate authority for all decisions rests with the Rector and Fellows. Lincoln has 600
students in residence, of whom around half are graduates. The College is also a popular choice for
both undergraduates and graduate applicants to the University. Lincoln College is located on an
attractive historic site in the centre of Oxford, with excellent access to university libraries and the
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university’s departments and faculty buildings. More information on the College can be found on its
website, www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk.
The College Office is responsible for all academic activity in the College, including the recruitment
and admission of students. The Office, which is situated in the heart of the College, is overseen by
the Senior Tutor, who is a Fellow of the College and consists of an Academic Administrator (the
Office Manager), a Graduate Officer, an Admissions Officer and a Schools Liaison Officer. The
College Office reports to the Governing Body of the College, through the Senior Tutor.
Access an Outreach work at Lincoln College
Lincoln College is committed to promoting access to Oxford for all who have the potential and talent
to benefit from an Oxford education, whatever their background. Since 2000 we have had a
particular mission to work with schools in Lincolnshire and, since the University-wide adoption of
such a regional strategy in 2010, we have expanded our regional links to include the West of
England. The success of access and outreach initiatives depends on close and sustained collaboration
between the College and the schools, teachers, pupils and advisors with whom we work, providing
information, inspiration, encouragement and practical help and counteracting negative stereotypes
of Oxford that might act as a barrier to aspirations. Alumni of the College have further encouraged
this mission through the endowment of a significant number of Bursaries to support students from
less-advantaged backgrounds. Our work with Lincolnshire schools is mature and well developed and
we are looking to further develop our work in the West of England and, through our association with
the Durham-based Lord Crewe’s Charity, we will be expanding our activities in the near future to
include work with certain schools in the North East of England.
Job Description: Schools Liaison Officer
The Schools Liaison Officer will work in the Admissions Office and will be responsible to the Senior
Tutor via the Academic Administrator. He or she will liaise regularly with the other members of staff
in the College Office, with the Fellows, especially the two Fellows for Schools Liaison, with the
Domestic Bursary and the Lodge, with student members of the College involved in outreach work,
and with the Development Office. The SLO will also work closely with schools liaison officers in other
Oxford Colleges, and with the central Oxford University Admissions and Access Office, on
collaborative outreach projects, as also with Schools Liaison Officers at certain Cambridge Colleges.
The post will require significant amounts of travel, often for several days at a time.
Duties and Accountabilities
Access and Outreach
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To lead Lincoln College’s access and outreach initiatives in Lincolnshire, Bristol, Bath, North
Somerset, South Gloucestershire, including programme of visits to and from schools in these
regions and to develop good relationships with key teachers and advisors.
To develop links with a small number of schools in the North East of England, in association
with Lord Crewe’s Charity.
To act as a point of contact for enquiries on Oxford admissions procedures from school
teachers, advisors and potential applicants.
To be proactive in the continuous development and improvement of the College’s outreach
strategy
To administer and host visits to the College by schools and prospective applicants from other
regions.
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To have responsibility for running and participating in the College’s Open Days programme,
working in collaboration with the Admissions Officer
To be responsible for the recruitment to, and operation of, the College’s undergraduate
Outreach Ambassadors scheme and to involve other students in outreach work, working
closely with the undergraduates’ elected Access and Academic Affiar’s Officer
To take an active role in the work of the cross-College Pathways programme and to
participate in other University-wide access activities.
To collaborate with Outreach Officers at certain Cambridge Colleges on shared events and
on exchange of information.
To liaise with colleagues in the Oxford University Admissions and Outreach Office
To attend and participate in cross-College and University Committees and working parties
concerned with access and outreach work.
To maintain the Outreach Database recording all activities and contacts with schools,
teachers and pupils and to track progress of contacts.
To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the College’s outreach activity and supply
regular written reports to the Governing Body, and to manage the annual budget for these
activities.
To maintain a good understanding of College and University admissions requirements and
bursary schemes and of national policy relating to qualifications frameworks and university
admissions, especially as developed by the Office of Fair Access (OFFA).
To assist the Senior Tutor with the administration of the College’s undergraduate Bursary
scheme
Admissions
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To collaborate with the Admissions Officer on the annual undergraduate admissions exercise
in November and December of each year.
To recruit and lead the team of undergraduate Admission helpers.
To be responsible for the development and production of all the College’s admissionsrelated communications, including website, prospectuses, social media.
Any other tasks as may be reasonably requested by the Senior Tutor.
Person specification
Knowledge and Abilities - Essential
The successful candidate will have:
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A good first degree
Recent experience of working in higher education and/or of teaching at secondary school level
Experience of working with young people
An understanding of undergraduate education in the Oxford collegiate system (desirable)
An understanding of the issues facing higher education in general, and Oxford University and its
colleges in particular.
A confident and friendly approach, and the ability to build relationships with people at all levels,
both internally (Fellows, staff and students) and externally (school teachers, advisors, parents
and potential applicants).
Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to give engaging and inspiring
presentations to school teachers and pupils.
The capability to represent the College externally in a variety of situations.
The ability to work calmly under pressure, to manage several projects at any one time, to
prioritise work and meet tight deadlines.
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Strong organizational skills and a high level of attention to detail.
Excellent IT skills appropriate to a Windows-based office, including word-processing,
manipulating spreadsheets, handling databases and preparedness to learn new applications as
required.
Experience of maintaining websites and using social media (desirable)
The ability to work independently as well as within a small team
A flexible attitude towards working patterns
Willingness to undertake a significant amount of travel to schools in the College’s link regions.
Possession of a clean current driving licence (desirable)
NB: An enhanced DBS check is a requirement for this post.
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate how their experience equips them to meet these
requirements.
Terms and Conditions
Appointment:
The post is to be filled from 1st November 2015, or as soon as possible
thereafter. The appointment will be for four years in the first instance,
with the possibility of renewal, subject to satisfactory performance and
continued availability of external funding. The appointment will be
conditional on verification of the successful candidate’s right to work in
Britain and subject to the receipt of satisfactory checks from the DBS,
satisfactory references and confirmation from the University of Oxford
Occupational Health Service that the candidate is medically fit for the post
(allowing for any reasonable adjustments that may be required, in line
with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010).
Salary:
Equivalent to Grade 6 of the Oxford University Pay Scale, currently
£27,057 to £32,277 per annum, the starting point on the scale depending
on experience.
Pension rights:
The postholder will be enrolled automatically in the Universities
Superannuation Scheme (USS).
Meals:
Free lunch is provided in College when on duty
Hours of
working:
Full time. Standard office hours are 9am to 5:15 pm each day (36.25 hour
week), including a one-hour, unpaid, lunch break. The SLO will be
expected to work such hours as are reasonably required to carry out his
or her duties, including evening and weekend working and off-site travel,
sometimes for periods of several days. Work outside normal working
hours will be compensated for by time off in lieu.
Annual leave
entitlement:
30 days, plus 8 Bank Holidays. Five days of leave entitlement must be taken
during the College’s Christmas closure period. All leave must be approved by
the Academic Administrator, in liaison with the Senior Tutor. Holidays may
not be taken at key points in the annual outreach and admissions cycle. If
the SLO is required by the Tutor for Admissions to work on a Bank
Holiday, two days leave will be given in lieu.
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Notice period:
During the initial probationary period, notice will be one week on either
side. Subsequent to satisfactory review and confirmation in the post the
notice period will be one month on either side.
It is hoped that interviews will be held at Lincoln College during the week beginning 12 October
2015.
Other Information
Data Protection. All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining
their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection
Act 1998.
Equal Opportunities Statement. The policy and practice of Lincoln College require that all staff are
afforded equal opportunities within employment. Entry into employment and progression within
employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are
related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to
perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or
member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of age, disability, gender
reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or
sexual orientation. Where suitably qualified individuals are available, selection committees will
contain at least one member of each sex.
How to Apply
Please submit the following materials by the closing date of midday on 8th October 2015.
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A completed Application Form (attached below) including the names and contact details of two
referees, one of whom must be your most recent employer. We will assume that we may
approach them at any stage unless you tell us otherwise.
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A covering letter, explaining your interest in the post and demonstrating how, by your skills and
experience, you meet the requirements of the person specification.
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An up-to-date CV
These materials should be sent or emailed to:
The Bursar’s Secretary (SLO)
Lincoln College,
Turl Street
Oxford OX1 3DW
(bursarsec@lincoln.ox.ac.uk)
Applications by email are preferred.
Any enquiries related to these Further Particulars should be directed in the first instance to the
Senior Tutor (louise.durning@lincoln.ox.ac.uk)
THIS DOCUMENTATION IS AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT, AUDIO OR OTHER FORMATS ON
REQUEST.
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