Programme Officer

WHO WE ARE

We're FIRST UK, a EdTech charity using robots, role models and competitions to make STEM more approachable and inclusive – empowering young people with the technical knowledge and soft skills to thrive. This 3 minute film provides a flavour of what we do.

If you liked that, grab a cuppa and watch this BBC documentary. It’s an exciting time to join the charity as we move from start-up, into scaling mode backed by some of the world’s leading tech enabled businesses including Arm, XTX Markets, Bloomberg, Raytheon, Salesforce, and many more.. As BBC Broadcaster Spencer Kelly summarised.

“It’s easy to see why competitions like this really do help students develop the skills they’re going to need for the rest of their lives. Honestly, I wish I had something like this when I was at school.”

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

A programme officer with a flair for engaging people. Someone who can help grow the UK’s most ambitious student robotics movement through:

• Outreach - increasing uptake amongst schools and youth groups
• Support - ensuring a high-quality experience for partcipants and teachers
• Events – supporting delivery of epic robotics tournaments
• Volunteering - recruiting, upskilling and stewarding event staff and mentors
• Partnerships – fostering a local community of STEM champions and partners   

You’re an all-rounder, motivated by working with young people, educators, and industry to engineer better futures. Reporting to our Head of Delivery (that’s Vicky on our website), you’ll be instrumental in scaling our impact regionally.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

We’re more than a EdTech charity. We’re a careers accelerator – connecting relatable role models from industry with tomorrow’s workforce. We’re an events organiser - putting on dozens of local, regional and national tournaments in schools, universities, sports stadia. We’re a training provider - delivering CPD for teachers, mentors and volunteers. We’re an educational publisher - developing curriculum and online courses. We’re an import business – shipping robotics equipment and resources to hundreds of schools nationwide. We’re a marketing agency raising awareness and making STEM more inclusive and diverse.

Outreach and growth

Through brilliant communication, energy and enthusiasm for STEM you’ll grow participation of schools and youth groups in our core programme FIRST Tech Challenge by:

●     Researching and engaging schools, teachers, youth groups to drive participation

●     Creating opportunities with organisations and networks who can help us grow locally

●     Attending community events, educational fairs, conferences to promote the programme

●     Building and fostering a community of ‘More Than Robots’ STEM champions in your region

●     Gathering community insight and acting on feedback to improve customer journeys, enhance provision, and make our impact greater

Events & Delivery

Deploying effective project management you’ll support all aspects of programme delivery to ensure a safe, high-quality, impactful experience for all participants by:

●     Supporting participating teams and teachers to have a brilliant experience answering queries and signposting support

●     Organising and supporting delivery of robotics tournaments and competitions

●     Updating programme content, educational resources

●     Issuing programme communications and acting as a point of contact and knowledge

●     Maintaining accurate data, records, reporting via our Salesforce CRM and other tools

●     Supporting programme evaluation, surveys and impact monitoring

Partners and Volunteers

Using strong relationship management skills you will work with local businesses educational establishments and other charities to drive volunteerism and partnerships which help us grow:

●     Supporting employee engagement & workplace experientials to drive volunteerism

●     Recruiting, onboarding, and managing event volunteers and team mentors

●     Supporting development and delivery of volunteer training (online and face to face)

●     Identifying and pursuing opportunities to grow partnerships with industry, universities, delivery and outreach organisations – which help the charity raise awareness, grow participation, secure volunteers, and generate income.

WHO IS THIS ROLE FOR?

A people person, who is organised and driven. Someone who can connect as easily with a teacher as they can a young person or volunteer. You've probably worked for a charity before, maybe in a delivery, events or volunteering function and are looking for more responsibilty and opportunity. You take ownership and can work autonomously to a high standard. You do what you say you will and do it well.

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

You are:

• Driven – self-motivated with positive energy
• Solution focused – problem solver, using initiative to seek out answers
• Starter-finisher – committed to delivering end to end
• Curious – ask questions and want to learn
• Team player – always willing to roll up sleeves and muck in
• Flexible – resilient and adaptive to changing demands or priorities

You possess:

• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal
• Flair for project management - highly organised, with attention to detail
• Superb time management – working well to deadlines
• Delivery experience in some form (programmes, events, services, products)
• Familiarity with online tools & technology – Google Drive, MS Office, Adobe

You might also be

• Passionate about STEM, inclusion and diversity
• Experienced working in education or with young people

Location

Supporting growth of our programme primarily in south-west England, the role would favour folk based in, and able to access Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall.

Travel

Programme Officers regularly attend schools and partner locations in our hubs. You will be instrumental in supporting events across the year – robotics tournaments, employee engagement experientials, conferences and wider awareness-raising activities. This will involve some travel and occasional overnight stays.

I'm loving the sound of this is there more I need to know?

If there is we'll chat about it in the interview

What's the process?

• Submit CV and optional cover (absolutely no more than 1 page)
• Answer three simple screening questions
• Role closes 23:30 on Sun 01 Dec
• Interviews w/c 9 Dec

WHAT YOU'LL GET

Responsibility. Ownership. Sense of purpose. You’ll be working in a small (9 headcount), dynamic organisation which is agile and collaborative. We have a strong value proposition and refreshing brand. Our case for support is built on three decades of evidence. Well before pandemics, we were working flexibly and remotely – it’s embedded in our culture.

• £28,000 - £31,000 per annum dependent upon experience
• 25 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays, and a Christmas gift
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Super-flexible, hybrid role with lots of responsibility

Hybrid working – what it means for us

Being lean with charity funds we don’t have a permanent office. Our team are home-based coming together regularly to collaborate. You should be as comfortable working from a workspace as you are from home. A key element of this role is relationship building – getting out, meeting people and shouting about what it means to be More Than Robots.

Safeguarding

In accordance with our Safer Recruitment Policy, all employees of the charity will be asked for two references which will be conducted by phone and may be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks upon appointment. You can read our Safeguarding Policy here.