University Access Officer

Salary: £29,227.50 per annum, including London Weighting.

Closing Date: Monday 23 February 2026 at midday. We will shortlist and interview during the advertising period. Apply early as the advert may close before the closing date if a suitable candidate is found.

Reporting to: Programme Manager

Contract: Full time, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week. 6-month fixed term to August 2026, with possibility of extension.

Job Location: London – currently Bishop Douglass Catholic School and Hornsey School for Girls.

Start date: ASAP

About the organisation

The Access Project is an education charity; we believe that every young person can make the most of education, unlocking their potential and creating a fairer society. Our mission is to support students from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities, through a unique combination of tuition and in-school mentoring. We work with them to make good applications, get the grades and transition to university. The programme combats educational inequality and improves social mobility by raising students’ grades and supporting them to understand the pathway to a top university. Young people on our programme are 50% more likely to place at a top university compared to statistically similar students.

Safeguarding

The Access Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our safeguarding system is underpinned by a range of policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the organisation.

Why work at The Access Project

People who work at The Access Project are motivated by the desire to create a fairer society. We play an active part in achieving the mission to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds access top universities. We’re a friendly, collaborative, supportive and inclusive team with passionate people working together in Delivery, Sales and Partnerships, Strategy, Finance and Operations to achieve our mission. Our people strategy aims to enable and inspire all employees to achieve, grow, succeed and thrive, with regular opportunities to share ideas and strong teamwork. We value every individual and offer a wide range of benefits. In our last staff engagement survey, 90% said they’re proud to tell people they work at The Access Project.

Our values

• Empowerment: We support students and our people to develop the skills and knowledge to accomplish their goals.
• Courage: We encourage our students and our people to be authentic, innovative and ambitious in order to reach their full potential and deliver our mission.
• Impact: We evolve our programmes through an evidence-led approach, supporting our students to achieve their best outcomes.
• Inclusion: We respect and value individuality and engage diverse voices to achieve our mission.
• Ownership: We hold ourselves accountable in all our actions and efforts. We ask, “What can I do to improve my results?”

About the role

This vacancy is for a University Access Officer to work in two of our schools in Hornsey and East Finchley, London. If there is a possibility to extend beyond the fixed term, this may include a move to a different school/programme. The University Access Officer works with school staff at all levels, volunteer tutors and coaches, and with the rest of The Access Project’s team to ensure that the delivery of our programmes is optimised.

Role responsibilities

• Work directly with students, mentoring in a professional and safe manner.
• Engage with school staff, your Programme Manager, and students in school to ensure that you have fully enrolled cohorts across both programmes.
• Assess student progress towards being able to make successful Key Stage 5 and university applications.
• Upload information onto the Salesforce database in a timely manner (training is provided).
• Work with school staff to ensure their cooperation and timely completion of activities contributing to the smooth running of the programmes.
• Present at termly school meetings with Senior Management to report on our programmes progress.
• Support the wider team by attending university site visits which take place on occasional Saturdays and weekday evenings (paid time off is provided).
• Any other responsibilities reasonably deemed necessary by The Access Project’s Programme Managers or Director.

Schools with tuition and coaching in their model

• All the above responsibilities, with the addition of:
• Match students with volunteer tutors.
• Monitor student attendance to tutorials and/or coaching sessions and devise innovative solutions to encourage attendance.
• Manage volunteer tutor attendance to tutorials through weekly monitoring systems.
• Monitor the impact of tutorials and intervene as appropriate.
• Build and manage relationships with volunteer tutors to ensure they have a positive experience of the programme.
• Manage students’ relationships with volunteer tutors through monitoring of systems, emailing and making phone calls.
• Work with the volunteering team to co-ordinate the effective delivery of our coaching programme.

Person specification

• Demonstrable skills in mentoring groups of people and 1:1.
• Excellent organisation and time management skills, with the ability to deliver multiple programmes and projects at pace and manage administration accurately.
• Able to communicate and influence with impact at all levels.
• Resilient and adaptable.
• Able to work towards and meet deadlines with a problem-solving mindset.
• Able to effectively time manage and actively prioritise.
• Able to work independently with an ownership mindset.
• Skilled in building and maintaining excellent relationships.
• Able to manage upwards and advocate for own needs.
• Able to lead and manage change.
• Good sense of attention to detail.
• Can demonstrate an ability to take action to keep young people safe and raise concerns.

Training and Development

You will be provided with regular monthly training to develop your skills and succeed in the role. There is support from your line manager (Programme Manager), as well as guidance from more senior University Access Officers and the wider University Access Officer team across The Access Project. There are opportunities for progression, including several additional responsibility roles which are available for University Access Officers to apply for once they have completed their probationary period successfully.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave p.a. (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays
• Plus 5 Winter closure days assigned by the organisation
• PerkBox – offering shopping discounts, gym memberships, holiday discounts, learning and more.
• Employee Assistance Programme, a 24-hour helpline for staff.
• Online Medical assistance – access 24/7 to a qualified GP within minutes, with referrals and prescriptions available same-day.
• Interest-free travelcard loans.
• Travel-allowance for expenses over £10 per day, where applicable.
• Cyclescheme loans.
• 2 paid Volunteering Days
• 1 Wellbeing Day
• Employer’s pensions contributions (3%).
• Learning and development opportunities

The Access Project welcomes requests for flexible working arrangements.

Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding

The Access Project aspires to represent the diversity of communities across the UK at all levels of the organisation and proactively takes steps to support this. We are committed to creating a culture where the experiences and voices of people from marginalised backgrounds are listened to and valued; where their skills are appreciated; and where their talents are nurtured and encouraged. The Access Project is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience in reference to our mission. We are proud to be a Level 1 Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please contact us.

Criminal Record Disclosure

The Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 1986 applies to posts where there is access to children. Applicants for employment that involves working with children and young people must disclose anything listed in their criminal record, with the exception of protected cautions and convictions. All Disclosures are carried out in the strictest confidence and are made only in connection with your application for employment and for no other purpose. The application for a DBS check at a level appropriate to the job role will be activated before your first day of work. Staff who are not eligible for a standard or enhanced DBS check are required to undertake a basic DBS check only in line with legal requirements. If selected for appointment, you will be subject to this procedure.

Other information

Present or most recent employment: It is important to give full information, including the organisation you work in, or most recent employment if not currently working, full dates, address and explanation of any gaps in employment.

References: All appointments are subject to verification of employment and suitability of the candidate for the post applied for. We reserve the right to approach any previous employer for a reference and to verify their identity but will request your permission before doing so. If you have experience of working with children, please include this as one of your references.

Education, Qualifications and Training: Ensure you give all information requested, including dates, establishment where you studied and the level of any examinations, and the grades you obtained. You will be required to produce original documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant to the job, and these will be detailed on the person specification. Proof of qualification is required before appointment.

Contact information: Please direct any queries to info@theaccessproject.org.uk. For further information about The Access Project, please see our website at www.theaccessproject.org.uk or call 020 4513 5999. Please ensure that you complete all application form questions to enable us to shortlist your application for an interview; resumes and CVs will not be considered.