Head of Wessex Inspiration Network (WIN) (CC11779)

Job title Head of Wessex Inspiration Network (WIN)

Department Student Recruitment & Admissions

Salary Starting from £45,585, rising to £54,395

Grade Grade 8

Contract Type Full Time, Fixed Term

Placed on Tuesday 04 June 2024

Closing date Wednesday 19 June 2024

Interview date Tuesday 02 July 2024

Reference CC11779

Special Conditions A DBS check is required for this position

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The Wessex Inspiration Network (WIN) is one of the UniConnect consortia being funded by the Office for Students (OfS) to increase progression of under-represented students to higher education. The focus is in areas where fewer than average numbers of qualified young people continue to further study.

You will work with the OfS and other UniConnect Leads in implementing the policies set by central government the Department for Education at a local level. You will be expected to develop the strategic aspects of the project and work closely with the WIN Operational Manager who will help deliver the strategy through the wider team. You will engage with partner schools and colleges as well as lead the activities of a team of staff located in or across the institutions.

The WIN works across Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and Wiltshire. The WIN is led by the University of Bath but has members from across HE, FE, schools and local employers. The Head of WIN will be responsible for ensuring that the project engages with partners across the region to support to most disadvantaged pupils in accessing higher education. Working closely with senior management at the partner institutions including senior managers at HE, FE and school level, the Head of WIN will ensure that project staff working with those institutions are supported and facilitated to deliver the programme of activity.

The WIN Board is the governing body for the project and you will work with the Chair and Board to ensure they updated on progress and to approve the strategic direction. The Head of WIN will ensure there is evaluation of the impact of the programme and ensure this is reported to the Board and to OfS.

The successful candidate will be a self-starter who is ambitious in addressing barriers to equality of opportunity for under-represented students accessing higher education. You will be a strategic thinker that can engage with the bigger picture and sometimes have to take difficult decisions. You'll be able to manage a team of people some of whom are dispersed across the region, and you'll be able to engage with evaluation data to inform your future plans. You'll be personable and able to develop and maintain relationships with people in different organisations and at different levels of those organisations.

This is a wide-ranging role with many areas of focus. We recognise that not everyone will have had in depth experience in all the areas and there will be support from the wider teams across the Access, UK Recruitment and Outreach teams as well as training offered as required. We are interested in applications from a diverse group of people and will consider applications even if they do not meet all the essential experience criteria, we are focused on whether the successful candidate has the right skills to be successful in the role.

This is a fixed-term role until 31 July 2025 with the potential of extension based upon future funding from the Office for Students.

The successful applicant will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Dr Andrew Ross, Head of Access and Participation on [email protected], however, please ensure that your application is submitted via the University website.

Find out more about our benefits.

We consider ourselves to be an inclusive university, where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on our teams. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us @UniofBath and @UniofBathJobs on Twitter for more information.

We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details will be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.