Partnership Experience Manager (Maternity Cover)

Partnership Experience Manager (Maternity Cover) Employment Type Full time Open to part time (4 days or more)

Location Hybrid London, City of, UK Hyrbid working - split between 2 days per week in the office and the rest at home

Team Partnership team

Seniority Mid-level

• Closing:10:00am, 19th May 2025 BST

Job Description Challenge Partners is a national partnership of schools and trusts who believe the best way to reduce educational inequality and enhance the life chances of children is through collaboration, challenge and leadership development. We work together to ensure every school community can benefit from the combined wisdom of the education system.

Our national partnership currently reaches more than 420,000 pupils in over 540 schools and 137 trusts across the country. All fervently believe that working together is the best way to reduce educational inequality and increase the life chances of all children.

School leadership plays a significant role in pupil outcomes, and our practitioner-led programmes and networks offer unique continuing professional development (CPD) for leaders at all levels - from classroom teachers to CEOs.

And our approach works; pupils in our schools consistently achieve more and progress faster than national averages, despite serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Inspection and peer review outcomes demonstrate how long-term participation in Challenge Partners leads to sustained improvements over time.

By rapidly sharing innovative practices across the country, we ensure that the most effective support reaches the children who need it most.

You can read our 5-year strategy here and our latest impact report here .

Working at Challenge Partners

At Challenge Partners, we invest in our people to ensure they feel valued, supported and inspired to make a real impact on the life chances of children.

Our culture is built on our six core values: excellence, collaboration, innovation, equity, challenge and courageous leadership. We are committed to cultivating a workplace that promotes professional development, where everyone has the opportunity to take on new challenges and contribute to reducing educational inequality through meaningful work.

As a small but effective team with big ambitions, we offer the chance to work across the organisation and collaborate with executive leaders and practitioners - creating an environment where ideas are shared and progress is driven collectively.

Listening to and learning from our staff is important to us and we are passionate about championing diversity, equity and inclusion to create a positive workplace where every individual feels a true sense of belonging and is encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work.

Benefits of working for Challenge Partners

Work-life balance

Annual leave

Employer pension contributions

Health and wellbeing support

Training and development

Family-friendly policies

Connection and celebration

Salary: £38,814 -£44,581 pro-rata (depending on experience and FTE)

Contract: 12 months fixed-term contract (Maternity Cover- might be potentially extended)

Start Date: Date to be agreed (potentially August)

Location: This is currently a blended-working role with two in-office days (Tuesday-Thursday) during term time and the flexibility to work from home during school holidays. Occasional travel to schools and events will be required.

We will consider reduced office days for a successful candidate based in one of our target regions across the North and Midlands. If this might be relevant for you we are happy to explore in a conversation with you before or during the recruitment process.

We are currently based at Resource for London near Holloway Road station, however, our office will be moving to another location in London in the coming months.

Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week.Our core hours are 09:30 - 16:00 from Monday to Friday. This role can be either full-time or part-time (0.8 FTE minimum) and we are open to flexible working requests.

About the role

You will play a key role in driving the continuous improvement and growth of our national partnership through deepening the quality and impact of our local collaboration hubs. You will also oversee the day-to-day running of hubs of our schools and trusts, which includes holding responsibility for the operations of the Partnerships Team and working closely with the Partnership Lead to ensure that all hubs, schools and trusts have an excellent experience with Challenge Partners.

You will also oversee the implementation of the organisation's Account Management strategy, working closely with members of the Leadership Team to implement our strategy for effective partnership experience (our term for account management and customer service) for our partner schools and trusts. This includes holding some key strategic relationships, representing the organisation at external meetings and overseeing partner experience operations.

Key Responsibilities

The Partnership Experience Manager will have the following key areas of responsibility and will be expected to undertake other responsibilities commensurate with the role as requested:

Strategic Leadership and Management - Hub Quality and Impact

Develop and lead our strategy to improve the quality and impact of Challenge Partners' Hubs, continuing to develop high performing hubs and supporting rapid improvement in new and emerging hubs

Deliver, grow and evaluate the impact of our hub-led programmes: Middle Leaders' Quality Assurance Review and Leadership Residency Programme

Oversee the continuous improvement of national Knowledge Exchange and Areas of Excellence

Lead a Hub Quality and Impact team, including all central team hub owners and executive hub links, through providing clarity on the Hub Quality and Impact strategy and operations.

Strategic Leadership and Management - Partnership Experience and Communications

Develop and lead the implementation of our Account Management strategy ensuring that accounts are given the attention needed to ensure a smooth experience and high satisfaction rates

Oversee Customer Care processes across the organisation, guaranteeing that any issues are resolved in a professional and timely manner

Oversee whole partnership communications, including half termly partnership newsletters

Develop and maintain effective stakeholder relationships (Senior Partners, Hub Managers, trust CEOs) with your allocated key accounts to ensure that regular dialogue with them informs the strategy and continuous improvement in our support of hub quality and partner experience

Act as an ambassador for Challenge Partners, representing the organisation externally where required

Lead an Account Management approach through providing clarity on the account management strategy and operations.

Oversight of partner experience and hub management operations

Line management of the Partnership Lead and one or two Partnership Co-ordinators

Team leadership of the Hub Quality and Impact and Account Management teams, delegating tasks appropriately

Work closely with the Partnership Lead to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of all hubs

Act as a point of escalation for any issues across hubs

Identify hubs at risk, and lead on creating sustainable solutions with team members

Work closely with the Finance Team to facilitate our invoicing processes for each academic year

Oversee hub funding processes across all hubs, proactively considering any changes needed in line with Hub Quality work

Oversee Pricing Governance processes

Leadership Responsibilities for all Managers

Foster a collaborative, high-performance team culture.

Provide coaching and mentorship to develop team members' potential.

Drive innovation and professional development, aligning with Challenge Partners' vision and growth strategy.

Collaborate with Managers across teams to align efforts, ensuring a seamless experience for our school and trust partners.

Contribute to organisational strategy, future planning, and priorities as part of the middle leadership team.

General Responsibilities

Champion Challenge Partners' vision, values, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Take ownership of personal development and actively contribute to team learning.

Work flexibly, undertaking additional duties as required.

Maintain high standards of health, safety, and welfare for yourself and others.

Attend events and external meetings, which may require travel and occasional overnight stays.

Person Specification

Strong commitment to Challenge Partners vision and mission.

Proven track record in strategic leadership and managing key external relationships.

Knowledge and experience of the education sector.

Excellent interpersonal skills used to build positive relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Experience in leading teams and developing others (formal line management experience is not required if transferable people management skills can be demonstrated).

Proactive in improving processes, identifying risks and solving problems.

Exceptional organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise and adapt to changing needs

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