Partnership Coordinator

Partnership Coordinator

Salary: £28,860 per annum (subject to an annual salary review)

Contract: Fixed-term for 12 months (possibility of a contract extension / change to a permanent contract in the future subject to funding and business need)

Start Date: As soon as possible (specific date to be agreed with consideration for your notice period)

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

Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week. Our core hours are 09:30 - 16:00 from Monday to Friday.

About the Role

The Partnership Coordinator role is varied, offering the chance to develop a wide range of skills. Responsibilities include managing local Hubs, delivering programme and network activities, supporting events and meetings, and participating in recruitment and retention activities.

Working closely with school and trust leaders and Hub Managers, you will need excellent relationship management skills, attention to detail, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Strong evaluation and data management skills would also be an advantage.

This position requires individuals who are self-motivated, organised, detail-focused, and strong communicators.

We are looking for a new colleague to focus on account managing some of our local Hubs, and supporting recruitment and retention of schools and trusts. This would account for about 60-80% of your time. The remaining time will be spent on delivering our programmes and networks, ensuring a great experience for our partner schools, supporting knowledge exchange, and handling general partner queries.

Key Responsibilities

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

1. Programme and Network Delivery

• Provide year-round support to local Hub Managers to ensure schools receive necessary support.

• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including resolving operational issues and escalating as needed.

• Support the planning and delivery of programmes and networks, including scheduling dates, organising training sessions, and other activities.

• Support the organisation and delivery of programme-specific and national events.

1. Partner Relationship Management

• Work with the Challenge Partners Central Team to ensure an excellent experience for partners and help schools maximise their partnership value.

• Support the induction and onboarding of new schools to their Hubs and the National Network of Excellence.

• Troubleshoot and respond to school or trust queries through internal customer care systems.

• Utilise and update our CRM system (Salesforce).

1. Data Management

   • Monitor, consolidate and analyse programme, network and Hub data to identify risks and/or trends, providing regular reports and updates to support the continuous improvement of our activities.

   • Utilise our CRM system (Salesforce) to build reporting efficiencies.

1. Communications

• Respond to email and phone queries about Challenge Partners, programmes, networks, and Hubs professionally and promptly.

• Collaborate with programme, network, and partnership leads to provide high-quality communications to partner schools, including renewals, induction, onboarding, engagement emails, and Hub updates.

• Play a leading role in the delivery of the half termly Partnership newsletter, using data to evaluate engagement and make further improvements.

1. Recruitment and Retention

• Support year-round recruitment of schools to the Network of Excellence, working with hubs to deliver introductory events.

• Provide updates on schools in your Hub to inform retention campaigns.

• Manage leads and connect new schools with local Hubs.

• Support the tracking of sign-ups throughout the recruitment period, providing regular data updates to the wider team.

1. 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.

• 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

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage your time effectively.

• Ability to balance competing priorities whilst working across multiple areas of work.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to deal with people diplomatically and appropriately, building rapport with those at varying levels of seniority.

• Solutions-focused approach to problem-solving, demonstrating the ability to identify issues and develop effective strategies to overcome them.

• Strong data management skills and high computer literacy - confidence and competence in using GSuite, Microsoft programmes and Salesforce (or similar CRM system).

• Confidence in using AI effectively would be an advantage.

• Positivity, optimism and flexibility - we are a small organisation and all staff are expected to contribute across the organisation (and sometimes beyond their specific job role) to ensure our success and sustainability.

• A willingness to learn and give and receive feedback.

• A passion for education, and a desire to make a difference.