Overview

Location: remote or office based, UK, with travel

Salary: £50,000 – £55,000 p.a. full time equivalent, dependent on experience

Basis: permanent contract; full-time or flexible

Eligibility: you must be eligible to live and work in the UK

About us

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based educational charity working to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. We want more people to be able to harness digital technologies for work, to solve the problems that matter to them, and to express themselves creatively.

Established in 2008 and first known for our product — the wildly successful Raspberry Pi computer — the Foundation has developed education programmes and products that are helping millions of people learn new knowledge and skills.

Through Code Club and CoderDojo, we support the world’s largest network of free informal computing clubs for young people. Tens of thousands of educators have taken our online courses, and millions of people use our free online learning resources.

We are part of a consortium that was awarded £80m by the UK Government in 2018 to train computing teachers in England, and have achieved significant impact with our suite of formal education products via the DfE’s National Centre in Computing Education, reaching over 12,000 schools with innovative computing curriculum and computer science resources and training. We have built productive partnerships with a range of senior government and sector stakeholders to support this, and have ambitious plans for extending our reach across the UK and globally. Our work is funded through a combination of the profits from the sale of Raspberry Pi computers, contracts for educational services, and philanthropy.

We work all over the world, with teams based in the UK, Ireland, North America, and India, and partnerships with mission-aligned organisations in over 30 countries. We are at the forefront of the global movement to help young people learn about computing and digital making. You can read more about our mission, values, and goals in our 2020 Annual Review.

The role

The Head of Educational Partnerships is a new role focused on the UK and Ireland that will drive the expansion of our work to support computing, computer science, and digital skills in schools, colleges, and beyond. Reporting to the Managing Director, Education Products, you’ll be joining an extraordinary team that, over the past two years, has developed and launched a suite of outstanding educational products in computing, including curricula, classroom resources, online teacher training, and platforms to support learners and educators. We have already achieved significant impact through our work with government in schools, and we know that there is the potential to do much more. That’s where you come in.

We are looking for an experienced partnerships manager to help us extend the reach and impact of our educational products portfolio, with a successful track record in business development, stakeholder and contract management and a great understanding of the digitally-led education market landscape in the UK and Ireland.

You will have in-depth knowledge of how school and vocational education systems work, including the processes through which they adopt new programmes and resources, and of the educational policy environment. Ideally your specialism will be in computing, STEAM, and related subjects.

You will need to have good commercial, programme and relationship management skills, and an open and collaborative approach, with a strong network of relevant contacts. The ability to identify and create opportunities to extend the impact of our existing products and to support the development of compelling new products that meet user needs and help people learn is also key.

This is an exceptional opportunity to join one of the most exciting non-profit organisations to emerge in the last decade. You’ll be joining an extraordinary team that cares about its mission, the quality of our work, and each other. We strive to make the Foundation a place where talented people from all backgrounds can do the best work of their careers. We have a flexible and collaborative approach to all aspects of our work. If you’re the right person for the job, we will make it work for you.

Main Responsibilities

  • Identify and create opportunities to extend the impact of our existing education products and to support the development of new products in the UK and Ireland that advance our mission.
  • Contribute to the expansion of our work, both in the vocational learning space for young adults, and in schools; proactively identifying and developing opportunities for growth.
  • Lead the development and expansion of scalable national partnerships and bids, including sourcing relevant contract opportunities, and producing compelling proposals and effective implementation plans.
  • Lead the programme management of our work as part of the National Centre for Computing Education in England, ensuring Raspberry Pi Foundation’s work is well represented with strong governance, and there is effective communication with colleagues, partners and stakeholders.
  • Work collaboratively across our content, marketing, partnerships, digital and research teams to ensure business development activities and proposals are aligned with strategic objectives, viable, and incorporated in quarterly and annual planning.
  • Manage budgets effectively, make sure that resources are allocated to priorities.
  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of our work, reporting to the executive team and other stakeholders as required.
  • Ensure that all of our business and product development activities are mission aligned and maximise impact for underserved and educationally disadvantaged young people and communities.
  • Contribute to the strategic direction, culture, and values of the organisation.

Experience and Personal Attributes

We recognise that everyone has the potential for growth and we welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they have some, but not all of the experience and personal attributes listed here.

  • A commitment to the mission and values of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
  • In-depth knowledge of how education systems work in the UK and Ireland, including the processes by which vocational settings and schools adopt new programmes and products, and of the market landscape for computing education and digital skills.
  • Good commercial skills, and a demonstrable record of success in business development, including the ability to identify and progress opportunities, create proposals, negotiate contracts, and build partnerships.
  • Substantial programme management experience, including leading successful delivery of large-scale, complex national bids and contracts.
  • A proven record of delivering solutions to the education systems in the UK and Ireland, and understanding of the relevant and emerging policy drivers.
  • Ability to engage and manage senior external stakeholders from government, the broader educational community and industry, and a strong network of relevant contacts.
  • Significant experience with online learning experiences and products, with an understanding of how technology is changing learning.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • A collaborative, flexible and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities and complexity.
  • Good data, analytical and reporting skills, and the ability to use data effectively to improve what we do.
  • Ability to prioritise and manage resources and budgets to support successful delivery.

Benefits

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a range of benefits for all of our colleagues, including:

  • 25 days’ annual leave
  • Generous company pension scheme with 8% employer and 4% employee contributions
  • Life assurance and long-term illness insurance policy
  • Comprehensive Private Healthcare Benefit Scheme
  • Investment in professional development and learning
  • Flexible work hours as needed, to fit around childcare or other commitments
  • Generous family leave policy
  • Cycle-to-work scheme and season ticket loan policy
  • Regular organisation-wide maker challenges to improve your digital making skills
  • Monthly all-staff meetings and socials

Timetable for applications

Closing date: 8 October 2021

Shortlisting: week commencing 11 October 2021

First round Interviews: week commencing 18 October 2021

Second round interviews:week commencing 25 October 2021

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If successful in the selection process, you will be required to undergo a background check carried out to identify that you are a suitable person to work with children. Further checks will be made at regular intervals thereafter.