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- Tasks: Lead strategic projects and influence educational policy to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children.
- Company: Join Ambition Institute, dedicated to enhancing education for underprivileged communities through professional development.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, 25 days leave, hybrid working, and a supportive work environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in education while growing your skills in a collaborative and dynamic setting.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in strategy, excellent communication skills, and a passion for educational equity.
- Other info: Flexible working arrangements with opportunities for professional development and a focus on diversity and inclusion.
The predicted salary is between 42000 - 56000 £ per year.
Associate Director, Strategy
Application Deadline: 23 July 2025
Department: Strategy
Employment Type: Fixed Term – Part Time
Location: London
Reporting To: Head of Strategy
Compensation: £49,000 / year
Description
12-month fixed term contract, 0.9 FTE .
- We train teachers and leaders at all levels to get better at the things that make the biggest difference: what you teach, how you teach it, and how you create the conditions for schools to thrive.
- We share what works. Everyone can benefit from evidence of how great teaching and leadership can improve schools and change lives, so we connect people to the latest research and best practice.
- We champion every teacher and school leader’s potential to develop, as the driving force for sustainable school improvement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the defining of new strategy projects to deliver our long-term strategy
- Lead the delivery of complex strategy projects
- Lead the planning, development and drafting of complex reports
- Carry out quantitative and qualitative analysis using a range of sources to support strategic projects
- Facilitate highly effective meetings and workshops
- Establish and oversee the implementation of robust approaches, processes, tools, and methodologies
- Provide thought partnership to senior colleagues across the organisation
- Support the professional development of the wider strategy team
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Our successful candidate will, of course, demonstrate their commitment to the mission
to improve the education and outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
They will also be able to demonstrate the following qualifications, skills and experience:
- Structured problem solver: track record of independently approaching complex problems in a structured way, leveraging evidence, business and financial acumen, and logical reasoning to support strong recommendations.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills: demonstrates strong verbal and written communication across a diverse set of stakeholders, and the ability to take people with them. Track record of producing papers with impact independently for Executive Committee and Board of Trustees stakeholders.
- Proactive relationship builder and stakeholder manager: experience of developing positive relationships across diverse stakeholders and different teams; skilled in effectively managing upwards to agree expectations with Directors and Executive Committee stakeholders. Capable of influencing appropriately, including with senior stakeholders
- Experience of initiating and delivering projects: able to design a rigorous and realistic path to implement a project (e.g., by constructing a workplan with sensible sequencing, milestones, and KPIs) and to lead the end-to-end project with outstanding attention to detail to ensure work is completed to a high standard and to the deadline. Confidence to escalate appropriately.
- Strong quantitative thinker: a ‘numbers’ person who has extensive experience with carrying out data modelling and data analysis to support strategic decision-making and enjoys the challenging of manipulating large data sets to produce meaningful information.
- Experience of managing multiple projects at a time: comfortable responding to uncertainty or change to achieve positive outcomes. Able to juggle potentially conflicting priorities with skill and confidence.
- Managing up: the credibility and confidence to advise, challenge and hold to account senior stakeholders.
- Advanced proficiency in MS PowerPoint and MS Excel.
- Experience in influencing senior stakeholders at Executive Committee level.
- Experience in coaching junior colleagues to develop their strategic skillset.
- Experience in the education sector.
What’s in it for you….?
- Competitive annual salary
- Professional development for all staff
- 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays and \’winter shut down’ at the end of December/beginning of January
- Employer pension contribution of 11%
- Agile, hybrid working culture, so you can manage when and where you work
- Staff affinity networks that help keep equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
- Blind recruitment process to ensure equality and fairness in our hiring
- Enhanced maternity pay after a year’s service
- Shared parental leave package
- Access to free, confidential 24/7 wellbeing and support line
- Comfortable and collaborative workspaces in the city centres of Manchester, Birmingham and London
- Work-from-home technology package to support hybrid working
- Interest free season ticket / bike loans
- You care deeply about educational disadvantage and being part of an organisation that challenges inequality
- You have a good work ethic and strive to make a difference in the job you do
- You always give maximum effort to understand and meet the needs of our partners and participants
- You always have a great attitude so we “can do” for all our colleagues, partners and participants
- You are open to feedback and learning because we want to keep getting better
- You work with your initiative to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective
- You are well organised and can prioritise work that will have the greatest impact
- You want a career with a person-centred organisation with a cause at its heart.
- You have a collaborative work ethos, bring warmth and good humour to work and constructive outlook to every situation
- You enjoy working in a fast-moving workplace, with a great support structure around you
- You would like to grow with an ambitious organisation as it progresses over time
- Want flexibility in how you work – splitting your time between one of our offices and remote working and managing your own working patterns to get the job done.
All applications must be received by the closing date 23:59 on 23 July 2025. Interview are expected to take place on 4 August 2025 and 5 August 2025
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Associate Director, Strategy employer: Ambition Institute
Contact Detail:
Ambition Institute Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Associate Director, Strategy
✨Tip Number 1
Network with professionals in the education sector, especially those involved in strategy and public affairs. Attend relevant conferences or webinars to connect with potential colleagues and learn about current challenges and opportunities in the field.
✨Tip Number 2
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends and policies affecting education, particularly those related to disadvantaged communities. This knowledge will not only help you in interviews but also demonstrate your commitment to the mission of improving educational outcomes.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully led complex projects in the past. Highlight your problem-solving skills and ability to manage multiple stakeholders, as these are crucial for the Associate Director role.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your communication skills by engaging in discussions on platforms like LinkedIn. Share insights or articles related to strategy in education, which can help you build your personal brand and attract attention from hiring managers at Ambition Institute.
We think you need these skills to ace Associate Director, Strategy
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in strategy and public affairs. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to manage complex projects and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter should reflect your passion for educational disadvantage and how your skills align with the role. Include specific instances where you've successfully led strategic initiatives or influenced policy.
Showcase Your Writing Skills: Since the role requires strong writing abilities, consider including samples of your work or summarising key reports you've authored. This will help demonstrate your capability to produce impactful content for various audiences.
Highlight Relevant Skills: Emphasise your structured problem-solving skills, quantitative analysis experience, and ability to manage multiple projects. Use bullet points to clearly outline these skills in your application, making it easy for the hiring team to see your qualifications.
How to prepare for a job interview at Ambition Institute
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've approached complex problems in a structured way. Highlight your ability to leverage evidence and logical reasoning to support your recommendations, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Demonstrate Excellent Communication Skills
Be ready to showcase your verbal and written communication abilities. Prepare to discuss how you've effectively communicated with diverse stakeholders and produced impactful papers for senior leadership.
✨Highlight Your Project Management Experience
Discuss your experience in initiating and delivering projects. Be specific about how you've constructed work plans, set milestones, and ensured high-quality outcomes while managing multiple priorities.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Engagement
Think about your experiences in building relationships with stakeholders. Be prepared to share examples of how you've influenced senior stakeholders and managed expectations effectively.
