The Opportunity:
The Aspiring Professionals Programme Coordinator (APPC) role will be well-suited to someone who is focused on the best ways they can help the aims of the charity as well as those of our participants and partners. An APPC is responsible for supporting the delivery and development of the Social Mobility Foundation’s programme of activities for young people through their S5-6/sixth form and university years.
The SMF offers in-person and online support and opportunities, so this role will involve providing virtual and in-person support to students and working with employers across the UK.
Key Responsibility Areas:
1. Project Delivery
* Deliver key projects including recruiting and onboarding students, creating digital resources and student events
* Support with programme pilots, scoping (and delivering on) new activity
* Collaborate and build relationships with our employer partners, schools, and universities to support our young people in their applications for university, internships and graduate roles
2. Monitoring and Evaluation
* Maintain accurate records across relevant databases, updating data accurately and in a timely manner
* Contribute to evaluation for key work areas (residentials, events, internships etc), produce high quality evaluation reports where required.
3. Stakeholder Management
* Communicate to internal and external stakeholders in a timely and professional manner
* Proactively update external partners (i.e. employers) on your work areas, flagging risks in a timely manner with relationship managers
* Manage internal student queries and maintain consistent stakeholder (e.g. students) processes through regular communication
4. Activity Delivery
* Coordinate planning and delivery of skills sessions, partner events, university visits, and other activities, both virtually and in person across the Social Mobility Foundation’s target cities across the UK
* Create digital resources to support all provisions
Please see full job description attached for more details.
Person Specification:
We need someone who will demonstrate our organisational skills-based competencies - as listed below:
1. Leadership
2. Communication
3. Adaptability
4. Professionalism
5. Decision-making
Technical knowledge, understanding and experience required:
* Basic Microsoft Office, particularly Microsoft Excel
* A basic understanding of the barriers young people face in accessing university and particular careers
General requirements:
Ways of working:
* Most of our work is office based, but you will spend a lot of time collaborating with other teams and clients via email, telephone and other communications channels such as Teams or Zoom.
* This role requires you to staff residentials for students on our Programme. This means that during the summer period (Jul – Aug) you will be expected to stay overnight on-site (in the UK - exact location to be confirmed closer to the time) for a period of up to two-weeks, help run the residential and be responsible for the welfare of the young people involved.
Travel:
* Please note this role will require some travel to our Newcastle office during our peak delivery period (February-May) which could be up to 4 times per month.
* Travel and accommodation if required will be covered by the SMF.
* TOIL will be given for any work that is completed outside of usual working hours.
Benefits:
* 33/34 days (England & Wales and Scotland respectively - includes bank and public holidays)
* Cycle to Work Scheme
* Employer pension contributions of 5% of ‘qualifying earnings’
* Employee Assistance Programme available to staff and their family
* Flexible work options such as hybrid working, flexitime, part-time
* Regular staff team building and business planning “away days”
How to Apply:
If you are interested in applying for this role, please head over to our website and (via our application portal) submit the following by 23:59pm, on Sunday 31st August 2025:
1. A cover letter outlining your suitability for the post along with specific examples from past experience (500 words maximum).
2. A short statement answering the question: What do you think are the main concerns the young people that SMF target face regarding access to universities and professions? (500 words maximum)
Please note:
* If you use an AI tool such as ChatGPT, please make sure your application still reflects your true skills and experiences.
* Generic or incomplete applications will not be considered.
* Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis however the job advert will not close before the stated date.
The Social Mobility Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity and applications from all backgrounds.
Interviews: First round interviews will take place from between the 8th and 12th September 2025. The interview may be followed by a short-written task, related to the role you have applied for. This will be arranged after interview.