Access and Outreach Officer

Access and Outreach Officer

Job details

Here’s how the job details align with your profile.

Pay

- £35,000 a year

Job type

- Permanent

- Full-time

Shift and schedule

- Weekend availability

Location

Oxford

Benefits

Pulled from the full job description

- Company pension
- Free flu jabs

Full job description

Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a constituent College of the University of Oxford and is located in spacious gardens beside the University Parks. The College was founded in 1878 with a dual passion for learning and for equality, making it possible for the first time for women to study at Oxford. Today, the College is a co-educational academic community of over 430 undergraduate and 220 postgraduate students,





committed to research and scholarship and to effective, highly personalised teaching and learning for students from all backgrounds.

LMH combines consistently high academic standards with a long tradition of being a welcoming, stimulating and inclusive environment. We are also the only Oxbridge College to hold the Gold Award from Investors in People for our support staff. For more information visit the College website: www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/

Purpose of role

Access activity is a strategically important area of the College’s work. The aim of LMH’s access activity is to ensure that talented students - especially from groups that are currently under-represented within the College and University community - can be identified, inspired and supported to make successful applications to study at Oxford, in particular at LMH.

LMH delivers a range of digital and on-the-ground outreach and access activities. The latter includes school and college visits (both inbound and outbound), higher education fairs, student conferences, open days,





subject taster days and teacher events. The former is core to our strategy, and we have recently expanded our digital outreach by bringing on board a Digital Content and Communications Officer with responsibility for engaging with prospective applicants using social media and creating high quality video content. We also aim to undertake rigorous evaluation the effectiveness of our activities in order to ensure the best use of our resources as well as contribute to wider knowledge of ‘what works’ in Higher Education outreach.

The LMH Outreach Team current consists of the Head of Access and Admissions Support, an Outreach Manager, and temporary Access Officer.





The team is undergoing some change as our Outreach Manager will be leaving and the Head of Access and Admissions Support will be going on maternity leave for 8 months. We are looking to bring on board an enthusiastic Access and Outreach Officer to take on the day-to-day delivery of the College’s outreach programmes. The Access and Outreach Officer will report to the Head of Access (Maternity Cover) and the Senior Tutor.

The post-holder will also work with colleagues throughout the College and across the University working particularly with our linked colleges. The Access and Outreach Officer also works with prospective applicants, schools, and specialist organisations in the field of widening access, as well as with parents, carers and advisers.

Reporting to: Head of Access (and Admissions Support)

Liaison with: Senior Tutor,





Tutors, Academic Office, Development Office, Communications Office, Student Ambassadors and the JCR.

Responsibilities/duties

The main duties of the post are as follows:

- To take day-to-day responsibility for the organising and delivery of LMH’s in-person outreach, in and out of college with students, schools, teachers and families. These include school visits, subject taster days, virtual schools talks and College Open Days;
- In collaboration with the Digital Communications and Content Officer, to formulate and deliver LMH’s digital outreach and online presence; for example, through social media, online forums, and the direction/creation of digital content;
- To develop and maintain strong links with schools and colleges,





particularly by building relationships with and providing advice for teachers;
- To use schools’ data to target effectively digital and in-person outreach work;
- To support the monitoring, evaluation and reporting on current access work – both digital and in-person;
- To work with the Head of Access to design, develop and deliver new access initiatives as defined in the Include Strategy, including by considering funding opportunities;
- As and when activities and events demand it, guide the day-to-day work of additional junior members of outreach staff;
- To manage the College’s Student Ambassador Scheme, including recruitment and training, as well as close working with the JCR Access Officer;
- To implement child-protection,





risk-assessment and other legal requirements in relation to all events, volunteers and participants;
- To build relations and contribute to networks of widening participation and student recruitment across the collegiate University, and with third parties;
- To collect, process and evaluate data on the College’s outreach and admissions work;
- To represent LMH at talks and panel discussions, where appropriate;
- To collaborate with the Admissions Manager in running a programme of offer holder support;
- To maintain information about the College online, including the College and University websites and publications;
To contribute to the general workings of the Academic Office, primarily during the Undergraduate Admissions round but also, for example, supporting academic recruitment,





college collections and registration of freshers.

Person Specification

Essential

- Educated to degree level or equivalent experience;
- A good understanding of the UK education system and the university application process, with knowledge of (or the ability to learn about) Oxford’s specific context and procedures;
- Knowledge of, and a keen interest in, access and outreach issues and progression routes to higher education;.
- Excellent communication skills (oral, written, presentation) displaying high levels of accuracy and attention to detail;
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a range of colleagues, students, and external organisations;
- Ability to work well under-pressure and manage a busy and pressured workload;






- Excellent judgement and the ability to know when to use initiative and when to seek advice;
- A high level of personal organisation and ability to manage resources and multiple projects simultaneously;
- Excellent and up-to-date IT skills, with a good knowledge of MS Office;
- An awareness of issues of data privacy, security and legal requirements for data protection (e.g. GDPR and CMA guidelines)
- The ability to think creatively, with a proven record of innovation;
- A sound understanding of child safeguarding policy and procedures.

Desirables

- An interest in and understanding of engaging with prospective applicants through social media, ideally with hands-on digital media experience;
- Experience organising events;
- Experience of outreach delivery in Oxford or other university setting;
- Knowledge and experience of the University of Oxford or its colleges.
- Experience of using websites and social media in a work context to communicate news and promote events

Terms and Conditions

The salary will be £35,000 per annum (negotiable) for a 37.5-hour week. Hours and days are negotiable. This role is permanent.

The Academic Office has a hybrid approach to working, and team members may work one day from home per week during University term time. Outside of term time, team members may work more flexibly with up to two days remote. This policy is reviewed termly.

This role involves regular visits to schools, including some evening and occasionally weekend work, most often in the College link areas of Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Haringey, where overnight stays may be required. The successful appointee will also be expected to assist the Academic Office team during the busy Admissions period in December. Therefore, some flexibility is expected to order to cope with fluctuations in workload, unexpected events and travel. For extended periods of out-of-hours working time off in lieu is granted. All Bank holidays during term time are working days and time-off in lieu is granted.

There will be an initial probationary period of six months. Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.

Benefits of working for the College include 36 days holiday (including bank holidays), the option to join a University pension scheme and one free meal per working day.

Additional benefits include a free annual flu jab, employee assistance programme, a parking permit scheme, a childcare salary sacrifice scheme, a bicycle purchase scheme, a bus and Train Season Tickets

To apply for this position, please press the 'Apply Now' button and submit a covering letter explaining why you are suitable for this role and your CV in one single document in the 'resume' section.

Deadline for applications: midday on 11th November 2024

Interviews for this role are expected to take place in the weeks commencing 18 November and 25 November.

Equal Opportunities

A principal aim of this College’s Equal Opportunities Policy is to ensure that in the recruitment, selection, training, appraisal, development and promotion of employees, the only consideration must be that the individual best meets, or is likely to meet, the requirements of the programme or course or post.

Lady Margaret Hall is committed to provide a learning, working and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its members are respected, and which is free from prejudice, intimidation and all forms of harassment, including bullying. We seek to ensure that no-one suffers, either directly or indirectly, as a result of discrimination.

Lady Margaret Hall has a range of family friendly policies.

October 2024

About LMH

LMH began with nine women and is now a vibrant academic community transforming the lives of hundreds of students. We are diverse, open, intellectually curious and pioneering. We continue to break boundaries as the first Oxford College to establish a Foundation Year for under-represented students.

Application Deadline

November 11, 2024

Department

Academic Office

Employment Type

Permanent - Full Time

Location

Oxford

Workplace type

Hybrid

Compensation

£35,000 / year

▶️ Access and Outreach Officer
🖊️ Lady Margaret Hall
📍 Oxford