Associate Director, Strategy

We're looking for an experienced strategy professional with a demonstrable track record of managing strategy projects to join the team on a permanent basis. This is an exciting time to join the team at Ambition Institute and we are energised about the strategic opportunities ahead. For almost 15 years, we and our predecessor charities have been delivering high quality professional development programmes to educators serving disadvantaged communities. We are now working with more teachers and school leaders than ever before, annually delivering programmes to over 50,000 educators nationwide.

As Associate Director, Strategy, you will be responsible for leading and implementing complex strategic projects across the organisation, playing a vital role in organisational decision making. Strategy projects will include evaluating new external delivery opportunities, influencing sector policy and practice projects, and internal strategy development and implementation. You will contribute to briefing papers for senior leaders and develop papers for our Executive Committee.

At Ambition Institute, we help schools tackling educational disadvantage to keep getting better and help their teachers and school leaders to become more expert over time. That’s how we’ll make sure every child gets a great education and the best possible start in life. 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 and connect people to the latest research and best practice.

We would like you to:

• Lead the defining of new strategy projects to deliver our long-term strategy.
• Lead the delivery of complex strategy projects, collaborating with both senior and junior stakeholders across the organisation to achieve desired project goals and outcomes.
• Lead the planning, development and drafting of complex reports, facilitating input from senior colleagues, communicating complex ideas and proposals effectively to inform decision-making at the executive level.
• Facilitate highly effective meetings and workshops, building strong relationships across the organisation, and fostering collaboration across departments to input into strategy projects.

Working in a hybrid way, you’ll be attached to either our Birmingham, London or Manchester office and will report to the Head of Strategy. In line with our current ways of working, you’ll be expected to be in the office at least 1 day a month, in addition to team days and this may be reviewed by Ambition.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

To succeed in this role, you'll have proven experience of initiating and delivering projects. You'll also have a track record of independently approaching complex problems in a structured way, leveraging evidence, business and financial acumen, and logical reasoning to support strong recommendations. Our successful candidate will be a strong quantitative thinker and proactive relationship and stakeholder manager. It's essential that you have proven experience of producing papers with impact independently for Executive Committee and Board of Trustees stakeholders.

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.

All applications must be received by the closing date 23:59 on 26 March 2025. Interviews are expected to take place on the 31 March and 1 April.