Associate Director, School Relations North
(Maternity Cover – 6 month contract with the possibility of extension)
Job Description
About Teaching Leaders
Teaching Leaders is an innovative not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to address
educational disadvantage by growing a movement of outstanding middle leaders in schools in
challenging contexts.
The organisation was set up in partnership with four of the UK’s most forward thinking
organisations: Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), the National College for Teaching and Leadership
(NCTL), Teach First and Future Leaders. We currently realise our mission by delivering three specific
training and development experiences for middle leaders in schools challenging contexts: the
Fellows Programme which is focused on retaining and stretching high potential middle leaders; the
Primary Programme which is focused on developing teams and individuals and has just launched this
year, and Teaching Leaders Teams which is focused on building capacity across groups of middle
leaders in one school or across an alliance of schools.
The Fellows Programme was launched in 2008 with an inaugural cohort of 30 and has grown to
work with over 1,000 Fellows across more than 500 schools in the South, Midlands and North
regions. The North East has launched as our fourth region this year (2014). In 2013 the organisation
secured two year funding from the National College for expansion to all regions of England. Our
Fellowship will be growing substantially year on year, with a projected intake of over 510 middle
leaders for 2015.
The Teaching Leaders Teams programmes are active in over 100 schools nationally, and offer a
bespoke modular development programme for groups of up to 15 middle leaders or those aspiring
to middle leadership in one or more schools. From 2013 schools have been able to choose our
licence package, which gives participants the chance to work towards a professional qualification
(NPQML) and allows senior leaders access to Teaching Leaders facilitation training and the
opportunity to co-facilitate sessions in their school.
The Teaching Leaders Primary programme is being launched this year for almost 200 middle leaders
from primary schools across six locations in the North, South and Midlands. The TL Primary is a new
two-year development programme designed for middle leaders who work in primary schools in the
most challenging contexts. By building the skills of this critical tier of leadership, the programme
aims to have a measurable impact on pupil progress and attainment in English and mathematics.
As the organisation grows, there will be a key focus on ensuring we grow our impact and mission;
this will be done by maintaining programme quality and innovation, building an outstanding team
who deliver according to the Teaching Leaders values, and building lasting relationships with
schools, making Teaching Leaders a ‘rite of passage’ for all middle leaders in schools in challenging
contexts, and thereby influencing national policy.
More information can be found at www.teachingleaders.org.uk
The Role
A fantastic opportunity is available to join the senior team on a maternity contract in one of
Teaching Leaders’ largest regional teams; leading school/ area partnerships, relationships and
recruitment for our three programmes in the region.
Teaching Leaders (TL) launched in the North region in 2011 and was initially focused on Greater
Manchester. However the organisation’s strategy over the last three years has been to broaden the
geographic focus to reach areas of highest need in northern towns and cities, rural and coastal areas.
This has led to the establishment of Fellows delivery hubs in Liverpool, Leeds, Humberside and the
North East, in addition to Manchester. In addition, this year we launched our primary programme in
3 north hubs: Manchester, Hull and Blackpool.
Increasing area-based and local delivery will be a key part of the Teaching Leaders strategy moving
forward. At the same time, we have achieved a critical mass of schools, requiring the creation of this
post to focus on recruiting new schools, managing school and regional partner relations, and
developing Teaching Leaders’ reputation in the region.
The School Relations Associate Director (SRAD) will take overall strategic and operational
responsibility for school relations, recruitment, sales, assessment and selection in the North,
managing the school relations team. Through managing regional relations with schools, education
organisations and corporate partners, the SRAD will, along with the Regional Director, act as the face
of TL in the region. The post-holder will also work closely with the External Relations Team,
supporting on the development and implementation of Teaching Leaders’ communications strategy.
The successful candidate will be well supported and will have input into the development of the
national marketing, school relations and communications strategies, working collaboratively with
colleagues in other regions and the central team.
Key Responsibilities
Marketing, school relationships and partnerships
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Develop Teaching Leaders’ brand in the region, establishing TL as a thought-leader and a
trusted advisor to schools
Develop and implement the regional marketing and school relationships strategy, including
events, PR, presentations, materials and social media
Represent Teaching Leaders at regional presentations, meetings and school visits to recruit
and retain schools for Teaching Leaders programmes
Work with local champions to build and deepen existing area clusters in key strategic areas
of need, bringing together a critical mass of schools to allow TL Fellows and TL Teams
delivery
Work with the North East Associate Director to develop and deliver a school relations
strategy for the North East region, ensuring support is provided from the wider team when
necessary
Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing TL Fellows, TL Primary and TL Teams
schools to increase re-nomination and retention rates
Increase the proportion of schools taking up TL Partner School status
Develop strategic partnerships with regional and area stakeholders including Academy
chains, Teaching School Alliances, local authorities, National Leaders of Education, Teach
First and Future Leaders,
Cultivate productive relationships with regional representatives of key national
organisations, including the National College for Teaching and Leadership, and OFSTED
Increase awareness of Teaching Leaders with key regional corporates and non-profits to
leverage resources and expertise to benefit the programme
Evaluate the success of different approaches and refine plans accordingly, ensure a detailed
analysis is completed at the end of the recruitment season to inform next year’s planning.
Sales, recruitment, assessment and selection
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Be responsible for meeting Fellows, Primary and Teams sales targets
Lead the Fellows and Primary lead call process, including regional training, delivery,
monitoring and reporting
Oversee the regional implementation of the TL Fellows and Primary assessment and
selection processes, including assessor training, deployment candidate feedback and liaison
with the TL assessment and selection team
Monitor and report progress against recruitment and sales KPIs, including to the Director
team
Liaise with the Teams Programme Manager to ensure sales and delivery planning of Teams
programmes meet capacity
Ensure regional data and relationship management information, including Salesforce, are
maintained and deployed effectively
PR, branding and communications
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Work with the External Relations team to build regional marketing collateral (e.g.
newsletters, flyers, web content, case studies and videos) to support regional and national
operations
Identify regional and national PR opportunities (online and offline) and write the relevant
press releases to sell in to media
Deliver exciting and robust regional communications which deliver consistent and effective
messaging across the region and are in line with the national communications strategy
Identify regional speaker slots and public platforms, including writing and delivering
speeches/presentations
Use social media where appropriate to enhance communication
Oversee the brand strategy in the region, ensuring brand consistency and integration
throughout all Teaching Leaders communications
Support the development of the Teaching Leaders website, including making changes and
adding updates where needed
Operational and Team Management
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Lead and build high-performing, mission-led regional School Relations Team in line with
Teaching Leaders People Strategy
Line manage the North School Relations Managers and lead the wider school relations team
including School Relations Associate and PEMs.
Lead each cohort’s new Fellows PEM team, encompassing recruitment, induction, training,
and transition to the Fellows Delivery Team
Work effectively with the regional programme delivery teams to ensure school relations and
communications accurately reflect regional delivery and content
Lead the regional school relations operational planning, budgeting and objective setting
process, reviewing and reporting progress at regular intervals
Ensure staff feel motivated, perform in line with performance management and
development targets, and live the Teaching Leaders values
Liaise with National Office support functions
Facilitate matrix working, particularly with the North East Team
Ensure the regional team maintain effective CRM data, including the use of Salesforce
Manage regional school relations budget and finances in line with guidelines
Personal Qualities and Experience
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Mission: a strong commitment to education, the non-profit sector and raising the
aspirations, achievement and life chances of all children
Essential: a strong interest in or experience of working in the non-profit and/or education
sectors
Essential: experience of developing an operational strategy, engaging an motivating a team
around a vision, and leading operations in a previous role
Essential: experience of successfully leading and managing a team with two tier
management structure
Essential: experience of marketing and meeting demanding sales targets in a previous role
Essential: experience of successfully managing senior external relationships in a previous
role
Essential: Excellent writing and presentation skills, including presenting to large audiences
Essential: strong strategic and analytical skills
Essential: Experience of using different approaches to develop and market a brand/product,
including experience delivering large events
Essential: Experience of monitoring and evaluation in a previous role
Essential: ability to work collaboratively across multiple levels in a matrix organisation
Essential: experience of developing leadership capacity in direct reports in a previous role
Desirable: knowledge of the current educational landscape
Qualifications
University graduate
Reports to
Regional Director, North
Direct Reports
2 x School Relations Managers who in turn manage the PEMs and School Relations Associate
Location
Central Manchester, with regular travel around the region and occasional travel to other regions
required
Duration
Full time, temporary contract
Contract type: Maternity cover
Contract Length: 6 month contract with the possibility of extension
Salary
£38,000
Plus 10% contribution to pension scheme
Application and selection process
To apply, please email a cover letter outlining in detail your suitability for the role and reasons for
applying with your CV to Kathryn Humphreys, Associate Director, School Relations North:
kathryn.humphreys@teachingleaders.org.uk by 9am, Friday 29 August 2014.
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Interviews: 4 September
Assessment centre: 10 September
Questions?
Feel free to contact Kathryn Humphreys 07825 981 296 to discuss the role before applying.