We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.
As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.
We are looking for a high-calibre candidate who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a fixed-term, maternity cover role as Centre Leader at our IntoUniversity centre in Southampton. You will have responsibility for running your IntoUniversity centre, including managing your team, planning and delivering the programme, liaising with external stakeholders and meeting IntoUniversity’s targets for delivery.
A substantial element of this role is delivering our education programme to children and young people aged 7-18, so you will need to have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for working with young people, including leading a class of 30 from the front, working with small teams of children and providing one-to-one support.
The role at a glance
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term maternity cover contract until at least December 2027
Start date: March 2027 (or as otherwise agreed)
Application deadline - 9am Friday 20th November 2026
Interview day (in-person) - Tuesday 1st December 2026
Please ensure that you are available on these dates
Working hours
Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00
Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30
(Some additional weekend & unsocial hours will be required)
Centre Leaders are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres
Location
IntoUniversity Southampton West
Southampton
SO16 9RS
The role requires intermittent travel in your region (usually within the day). Periodic travel out of the area is also required e.g. to London, this may include occasional overnight stays.
Salary
£37,300 per annum
Annual leave
33 days (inc bank & public holidays) (pro rata for part-time staff) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days)
Staff benefits
- Employer pension contributions of 6% (and up to 8% after two years)
- Year round 'early finish' Fridays at 4.30pm
- Summer working hours (finish at 1pm on Fridays for six weeks in the summer), pro-rated for staff joining after January in the same year
- Employee Assistance Programme including access to wellbeing and legal support
- Life Assurance scheme with Aviva including SmartHealth service with access to 24/7 online GP appointments
- Interest-free new starter loans of up to £1,000
- Cycle to Work Scheme and Travelcard Loan Scheme
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay and sick pay allowances
- Staff in FOCUS - rewards, competitions and prizes across the year
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Essential requirements
- Have completed an undergraduate degree to a 2.2 or higher.
- Have achieved a grade C/ grade 4 or higher in GCSE Maths and English/ achieved National 5s or Standard Grade at Credit level (grades 1-2) in Maths and English (or equivalent).
- Have a minimum of 2 years full-time paid or voluntary experience working withchildren and young people. Please note that we will not take part-time, seasonal or ad-hoc work into account when calculating the length of full-time experience.
- Have the right to work in the UK (please note that as a charity we do not have thecapacity to sponsor work visas).
- Be able to apply knowledge of F.E. and H.E. (e.g. UCAS applications) to help young people decide about their futures; and have knowledge of national developments in H.E. and their impact on young people traditionally underrepresented in H.E.
- Have experience of confidently negotiating with a variety of stakeholders, for example: head teachers, funders, universities.
- Ideally have previous experience of managing teams.
- Ideally have previous experience of managing multiple projects.
About Disability Confident
Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.
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Centre Leader in Southampton employer: IntoUniversity
IntoUniversity is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and collaborative work environment where you can make a meaningful impact in the community. As a part-time Purchase Ledger Assistant, you'll enjoy flexible working hours, opportunities for professional development, and the chance to be part of a dedicated finance team committed to the charity's mission. Located at our Head Office, you'll benefit from a friendly culture that values each employee's contributions and fosters growth.
