Project Coach BSEIW - FTC in Cardiff

Overview

The Institute of Physics (IOP) exists to help our lives, our society and our planet through promoting physics applications and supporting the people behind it. Working alongside our members and leaders from across the physics community and beyond, we’ve identified three priorities that will shape our work over the next five years: Skills, Science and Society. These priorities sit at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud of our ambitious and forward looking 2024 – 2029 strategy.

We’re currently looking for a Project Coach (BSEIW) working on a fixed term basis until 31st May 2028, to help us deliver our mission. This is a 0.6 FTE position, working 3 days a week.

Working at the IOP

The IOP is a friendly, inclusive and ambitious organisation. Diversity and inclusion are central to how we work. We focus on supporting our people to thrive, offering competitive pay, great development opportunities and a generous benefits package. Some of our benefits include:

• An excellent pension scheme
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, dental insurance and a healthcare cash plan
• Eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards and access to an employee assistance programme
• 25 days’ annual leave as a standard, in addition to floating bank holidays
• Flexible working opportunities

The Role

You’ll be responsible for a range of activities, including:

• Co-design and deliver initiatives: Collaborate with the IOP and wider partner teams (Royal Society of Chemistry and Science Made Simple) to deliver core project activities including: Welsh Physics Teaching Network, Easy Teach professional learning sessions, Physics Forums, Resource Round-Ups, Whole-School Inclusion and Equity Network activities, Primary and Secondary Science Days.
• Professional development delivery: Deliver evidence-based CPD, mentoring, and coaching to support practitioners, particularly early-career and out-of-field teachers, to build subject knowledge and confidence in teaching physics in line with the Curriculum for Wales.
• Equity and inclusion: Contribute to equity-focused interventions that explore and address systemic and school-level barriers to post-16 physics participation, including unconscious bias and science capital gaps.
• Monitoring and reporting: Track and evaluate programme delivery, capturing data on participation, feedback, outcomes, and impact. Contribute to quarterly monitoring reports and support external evaluation.
• Stakeholder engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with schools in Wales, education stakeholders, and fellow partners. Represent the IOP in local networks and act as a regional champion for physics education.
• Continuous learning: Develop and maintain your expertise in science education, curriculum reform, inclusion strategies, and subject-specific pedagogy to ensure interventions are current, effective, and aligned with practitioners' needs.

Projects you may work on include: Boosting Science Education in Wales, Welsh Physics Teacher Conference.

Who will I work with?

You’ll work closely with a range of colleagues and stakeholders, including:

• Colleagues across Membership and Inclusion, Education, Workforce and HE Directorates
• Project partners including Royal Society of Chemistry and Science Made Simple
• School leaders, teachers and technicians across primary and secondary schools in Wales
• Regional education partners and networks
• Teacher professional learning networks and subject communities

Essential and Nice to have

Essential:

• Experience teaching physics or facilitating science CPD at a secondary level.
• Delivering or supporting science education, CPD, or curriculum-aligned science communication.
• Coaching, mentoring, or training teachers or education professionals.
• Working with schools in Wales and understanding the Welsh education landscape.
• Leading or contributing to inclusive practice and equity-based initiatives.

Nice to have:

• Welsh language skills are desirable to support bilingual communications across the project.
• Understanding of barriers to STEM progression, particularly for underrepresented groups, and strategies to promote science capital.

At the IOP, we know that great candidates don’t always tick every box. If your experience looks a little different, but you bring enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn, we’d love to hear from you.

How to apply

Alongside your CV, please include a cover letter explaining how you meet the person specification.

Working model and location

We operate a flexible, trust based working model that gives colleagues autonomy over how, when and where they work, while recognising the value of in person collaboration. You will be assigned a base office, with hybrid working offered as standard. You will engage in regular in person collaboration with your team (as operational appropriate), as well as with colleagues across the wider organisation, to ensure effective operational alignment and to support our inclusive approach to working. As an organization we meet in person once a quarter at our Head Office in Kings Cross, London.

Why join the IOP?

The IOP is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland. As a charity, we’re passionate about increasing public understanding of physics and supporting a diverse and inclusive physics community. There’s never been a better time to join us. We’re committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive culture for everyone. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or recruitment process, please let us know we’re always happy to help. Please note whilst we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role, we warmly encourage applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK and Ireland.