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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
www.righttosucceed.org.uk
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
An Introduction from Graeme Duncan, Founder and Chief Executive
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in the Chief Programme Officer role with Right to Succeed.
Right to Succeed is a new start up charity with a mission to develop, pilot and scale the
solutions to educational inequality.
We focus on areas where system failure meets economic disadvantage, where
improvements in education could provide the greatest uplift in social mobility for young
people. We then bring together best practice deliverers, educationalists, influencers,
commissioners, philanthropists and social investors to develop collaborative solutions to
some of the biggest challenges in education today.
Our first project focusses on turning around failing secondary schools in low-income
communities and brings together some of the best education charities operating in schools
today, including Teach First, Future Leaders, Teaching Leaders, Place2Be and School Home
Support. Through this project we have just been appointed to support the improvement of
every secondary school across a single local authority.
The charity has grown momentum quickly in its first year of operation, with broad support
across government, significant backing from some of the sector’s most influential funders
and incubation support from the Young Foundation and Teach First. We also have a very
strong trustee board behind us, supporting our every move.
We’re now looking for a talented individual to lead and manage the delivery of our
performance management framework with our schools. You need to be someone who
can thrive in our entrepreneurial setting and share our vision and passion for ending
educational inequality. We need you to help us implement systems, tools and solutions that
will measure quantitative and qualitative data on pupil performance and staff capability.
Crucially you will then liaise directly with the schools to drive the development and
delivery of life-changing collaborative programmes that build on best practice to increase
performance, are highly accountable and can be scaled….and scaled…..and scaled.
Our work is not simple, but with the social investment space growing, public sector
commissioning increasingly focussed on outcomes and the social mobility gap still
widening, the time for big and bold collaborative solutions to educational inequality is now.
Right to Succeed’s role is to make that happen.
We hope that you will be inspired to join us.
Graeme Duncan
Graeme Duncan
Chief Executive
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
About us
Our Vision
Our vision is that the only barriers to success should be hard work and focus. We therefore aim to
eliminate the effects of poverty and system failure upon the achievement of young people, giving
every child the Right to Succeed.
Our Approach
Our approach is to bring together best practice educationalists & deliverers, philanthropists, government
commissioners, and social investors to:
One. Develop collaborative solutions to the systemic problems of educational inequality
Two. Pilot these solutions at a size where they can be robustly proven
Three. Scale and replicate the effective solutions until they reach a systemic scale
Right to Succeed’s first project is to develop a school-led approach to turning around challenged secondary schools in
low-income communities.
The target secondary schools and academies will serve at least 600 pupils and be in the least advantaged quartile whilst
holding an OFSTED grade 3 (requires improvement) or 4 (inadequate) and achieving a grade C average or worse on the
Best 8 GCSE measure. There are 148 secondary schools nationally that meet these criteria.
Once a school has chosen to be part of the programme, they will undergo a 4 stage process over 3.5 years supported by
Right to Succeed, Achievement for All 3As and other delivery partners. The stages are:
1. Diagnostics – quantitative and qualitative assessment of pupil performance and quality of experience, staff capability,
school reputation and mental toughness.
2. Masterplanning – setting the vision, values and school improvement plan for the following 3 academic years.
3. Delivery – providing the schools with the evidence based resource and support they require to deliver the masterplan.
4.Consolidation – a full quantitative and qualitative review, consolidating learning and setting the next 3 year masterplan.
We have just been appointed to support the turnaround of seven secondary schools across a single local authority in the
North West so we’re already on our way.
For more information please visit our website at: www.righttosucceed.org.uk
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
Fundraising
Right to Succeed has secured £200,000 of support from a range of grant sources so far in its first year, and is working
with schools, government commissioners, philanthropists and social investors to develop innovative, sustainable and
accountable approaches to financing both immediate projects and future projects.
The rate of growth is likely to be quick, with commissioning contracts relating to the first project expected to surpass
£1.5million per annum in the next year, whilst we will seek to grow and diversify relations with current philanthropic
supporters and social investors.
People
Graeme Duncan – Chief Executive
Trustees
Graeme was the first graduate hired by Teach First in 2003,
teaching for two years in a secondary school serving a
highly disadvantaged community, where he led the Maths
Faculty in the second year. He then joined London First, a
business lobby group, as Executive Assistant to the Chief
Executive, Baroness Valentine, before focusing on education
and immigration projects. From there he joined Teach
First in 2008 to work on fundraising, policy and public
affairs before, in 2010, becoming Director of Development
at Greenhouse, a charity that uses sport to engage and
develop young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In
June 2014, he launched Right to Succeed.
Prof Sonia Blandford – Achievement for All 3As
Dame Sally Coates – United Learning Trust
Anthony Harte – Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Bethia McNeil – Social Research Unit
Jo Owen – Teach First, Future Leaders, Teaching Leaders
and Achievement for All 3As
Gemma Rocyn Jones – Young Foundation
David Sheldon – Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Chris White – Zing and Unleashing Potential
› Chief Development Officer (to be recruited)
› Chief Programmes Officer (to be recruited)
Delivery and Development Partners
Creating collaborative solutions to the problems of
We have been incredibly fortunate to have a highly extensive
educational inequality will require the backing of the greatest and experienced network of partnerships committed to
educationalists, deliverers, influencers, commissioners,
helping us succeed. They include:
philanthropists and social investors working in the education
and social sectors.
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
Chief Programme Officer
Job Description
Job Title:
Chief Programme Officer
Location:
North West, frequent travel to London required
Job type:
Permanent/Flexible working arrangements considered
Role Summary:
To work with the Chief Executive and Trustees to manage and deliver
programmes that enable collaborative solutions to the systemic problems
of educational inequality. The role’s first purpose is to manage and deliver
a performance management framework that will turn around challenged
secondary schools in low-income communities.
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
Key Responsibilities:
Work with the Chief Executive and Trustees to:
• Ensure the charity delivers its programmes to maximum
effectiveness, ensuring transformational outcomes for
young people
• Provide strategic vision and leadership of the charity’s
programme development strategy, replicating and scaling
effective programmes and supporting the development
of new programmes
• Set up and oversee the running of offices outside of
London, starting with the North West
• In time, build, manage and lead the programme
management team
Build partnerships
• Develop partnerships with best practice deliverers,
influencers, schools, commissioners and ensure they
are managed to a high level of quality and as per the
organisation’s values
• Ensure that memorandum of understandings
and contracts with partners are clear, setting clear
expectations about deliverables and the way the
partnership is represented publicly
Communication and representation
• Establish Right to Succeed as a leading, collaborative
innovator within education
• Deliver the Right to Succeed message and encourage
collaboration with partners in sharing the message
• Act as an ambassador for Right to Succeed, networking
widely to build new and existing strategic relationships
Ensure the delivery of high quality programmes
• Oversee the management of relationships with schools/
education providers and delivery partners, ensuring
the relationship between Right to Succeed and these
partners, and between the partners themselves, meet the
Right to Succeed values
Staff Management and Leadership
• Oversee programme management of all programmes,
• Build the programme management function and in time
ensuring the logistical and resource needs of all partners
grow the team required to deliver the programmes to
are met
the level of impact required of the Charity’s trustees and
• Oversee performance management of programmes,
partners
ensuring world class accountability and evidence based
• Ensure there are clear lines of accountability and
learning of all programmes
responsibility across the organisation which foster and
maintain effective relationships internal and externally
Develop opportunities to deliver greater social impact
• Create a continuous improvement culture with every
Organisational strategy development
programme we deliver, ensuring quantitative and
• Work with trustees, the Chief Executive, fellow senior
qualitative evidence is used
leaders and key stakeholders to support the development
• Understand the opportunities to replicate and scale
the organisation’s strategy
current programmes and ensure that the process and
• Understand how to react to opportunities for expansion/
procedures behind each programme could be scaled
replication of current projects and the development of
wherever required
new projects
• Work with the Trustees, Chief Executive and Chief
Development Officer to develop the programme strategy,
including programme improvement, programme growth,
and new programme development.
• Develop relationships with education partners, including
education establishments, potential delivery partners,
education commissioners and leading influencers/
thinkers
• Understand where mission-led opportunities to leverage
IP may arise
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
Person Specification
Values
• Proven track record of building, delivering and developing
programmes
• Proven track record of performance managing social
change programmes
• Excellent experience in financial management and budget
development skills
• Commitment to the aims and ethos of Right to Succeed
and a desire to bring about positive change in education
• Good leadership skills and the ability to enthuse, motivate
and develop partnerships internally and externally that
deliver results
• Ability to think strategically and to communicate the
strategic vision
• Excellent all round communication skills and relationship
management abilities
• Professional and resourceful, with the ability to work
independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work in a small but highly ambitious
organisation.
Able to model and instil the Right to Succeed values,
seeking excellence through being:
Committed
• Prioritise, plan and achieve results
• Be flexible to maximise opportunities and resilient to the
challenges we face
• Always go the extra mile – we will succeed or fail by the
last 1-2%
• Champion Right to Succeed and its partners
Pro-Active
• Be positive and determined to make a difference
• Take responsibility and make things happen
Humble
• Be willing and able to self-reflect, seek feedback and
constantly improve
• Ask for help sooner rather than later
• Respect the contribution that others have to make
• Give credit where it is due, always acknowledging
Honest
• Work to understand a situation and empathise with the
situations of others
• Be clear and open about limitations and assumptions
• Build honest, trusting relationships with colleagues and
partners
• Do what is right
Collaborative
• Be easy to get on with - listen, understand and respond to
the views of others
• Communicate clearly, making simplicity out of complexity
• Develop lasting partnerships focussed on maximising
social impact
• Build the solution with our partners
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Chief Programme Officer
Appointment Brief - May 2015
How to Apply
Timetable
To apply for this position, please send a CV and a
supporting statement of no more than two pages.
You should give the names, positions,
organisations and telephone contact numbers
of two referees, one of whom should be your
current/most recent employer. References will
only be taken once your express permission has
been granted.
Applications should be made via the Prospectus
website at:
http://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/details/hq00157222
• Applications invited until Friday 5 June 2015.
• Initial interviews with Graeme Duncan: 19 June
• Second interviews if required: w/c 22 June
This dates may be subject to change and applicants will be
advised in advance should this happen.
Queries
If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment
process, need additional information or wish to have an
informal discussion, please contact Linda Griffiths or
Stella Pedersen at Prospectus on 0207 691 1920 or at
linda.griffiths@prospect-us.co.uk or stella.pedersen@
prospect-us.co.uk
Applications can also be posted to:
Sarah Hill
Prospectus
20-22 Stukeley Street
London WC2B 5LR
Prospectus Ltd
20-22 Stukeley Street
London, WC2B 5LR
020 7691 1925
www.prospect-us.co.uk
Right to Succeed is a charity
with a mission to develop,
pilot and scale solutions to
educational inequality.
www.righttosucceed.org.uk