Job detail for Programme Director: Rights Respecting Schools Award

• Duration: Permanent

• Salary: Circa £71,000 per annum

• Job level: 2

• Hours: 35 hours per week. Other flexible arrangements will be considered.

• Disclosure level: Enhanced. This role involves direct work with children

• Reports to: Director of Programmes

• Location: Hybrid working: from home and at, 1 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ. Flexibility will be considered.

At the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), we pull together to achieve the best possible results for children in danger around the world.  We believe in an inclusive workplace and in the power of fulfilled colleagues who share the same values and goals, enjoy their work, and are motivated to do their utmost for children.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Rights Respecting Schools team works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured, and they are able to thrive. Our Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens. Over 5000 schools and 1.7 million children and young people are actively engaged in the programme.

The team consists of the RRSA Programme Director who line manages three Senior Professional Advisers. These staff manage a team of Professional Advisers, administrative staff and casual staff members. Senior Professional Advisers, Professional Advisers and casual staff are regionally based.

The RRSA programme is one part of UNICEF UK's Influence & Impact Directorate, which works to protect, promote and uphold the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by mobilising multiple stakeholders, influencing key decision makers, and driving direct change to effectively deliver positive outcomes and lasting impact for children in the UK and around the world.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The RRSA Programme Director has overall responsibility for delivering the Rights Respecting Schools Award and associated advocacy objectives and is a key spokesperson for RRSA with public service partners, media, supporters, political stakeholders, and other leaders.

What we will expect you to achieve

• Continually review and refresh the RRSA programme to ensure it remains optimally focused on its vision and targets

• Champion, uphold and develop the RRSA strands to deliver the best possible outcomes for children and young people in education settings. This includes overall quality assurance of all accreditation processes, materials and guidance related to the programme in the UK.

• Provide effective leadership to the RRSA team ensuring that targets are established and communicated in a consultative manner, opportunities and risks are identified, and plans delivered on time against identified KPIs.

• Foster a culture of continuous innovation within the team, including monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and sharing lessons learnt, with the aim of keeping the programme fresh and up to date and relevant to our key supporters.

• Successfully maintain and develop relationships with key supporters working in public services, including the Scottish Government and key local authority leads across the UK.

• Deliver an effective advocacy strategy aimed at national and local government, key public service leaders and other influencers as required.

• Act as the key representative and spokesperson for RRSA, including at relevant conferences, with the media, in meetings with policy makers, civil servants, public service leaders, relevant NGOs and others as required

• Develop, model and promote a positive, engaging and inclusive working culture, by motivating and supporting individuals, encouraging collaboration and integration across the RRSA team and the wider organisation. Nurture a safe, diverse and open working culture where wellbeing is at the centre of what we do.

• Provide guidance and expertise on issues related to child rights education to UNICEF UK colleagues while building strong and effective working relationships.

• Oversee the RRSA budget, maintaining strict financial controls to achieve full cost recovery for the programme.

BEHAVIOURS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Effective Behaviours

Supporter driven and mission aligned

• Is committed to children and their rights and motivated to work towards achieving a world that is fit for every child.

• Communicating, negotiating, and influencing

• Synthesises complicated matters into digestible, actionable briefings, public communications and tangible plans leading to understanding among and action by different audiences.

• Excels at influencing, persuading, and building confidence and trust in a complex stakeholder environment to ensure collaboration, integration and alignment.

Leadership

• Employs a positive, encouraging, open and supportive leadership and management style that motivates the team and key supporters.

• Plans and actively leads change, communicating, listening and engaging with colleagues at all stages.

• Values diversity, respecting and drawing on colleagues’ different perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge.

Relevant experience

• Leadership and management experience in a relevant field relating to child rights education e.g. senior school leadership, local authority education services etc ideally experience in teams that are remote or regionally based.

• Significant experience of working for, or with, relevant public services, including in-depth knowledge and understanding of school and education service structures, culture and significant issues facing these services

• Experience in successfully implementing, monitoring and evaluating large scale programmes of change including applying lessons learnt to achieve continual improvement

• Ability to effectively manage and maintain complex budgets and meet targets

• Experience of dealing with the media and/or acting as an organisational spokesperson and representative

Specific knowledge and skills

• In depth understanding of approaches to child rights education as this applies to UK schools

• Ability to engage, empathise with and motivate school and local authority staff

• Demonstrable skill in assessing strategic priorities and working with others to manage and allocate resources in the most effective way to produce optimum, sustainable results.

• High levels of personal gravitas and presence to promote RRSA and UNICEF UK with confidence and authority