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About upReach

upReach is a fast-growing, award-winning national charity that helps university students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds get top graduate jobs. It helps these young people achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of career support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment.

Right now, those from comprehensive schools are 17 times less likely than those from selective schools to secure graduate roles at some top employers. upReach is working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. Building on the success of the past five years, upReach’s current partners include Allen & Overy, Bank of America, the Civil Service Fast Stream, Deloitte, McKinsey & Company and Slaughter and May. It also partners with universities including Exeter, King’s College London, Liverpool, Warwick and Manchester.

This academic year, over 1,600 undergraduates (known as "upReach Associates") are being supported through upReach’s unique programme of application guidance, soft skills workshops, video forums (small group, online seminar-style sessions), mentoring and professional experience. upReach aims to support 2,500 per year by 2022, while maintaining its personalised approach and expanding the support offered.

Its impact is clear; a 2019 analysis by the University of Exeter shows that the Exeter students which upReach supported outperformed their more advantaged peers. Despite the many barriers to graduate success, upReach’s tailored programme of support is helping Associates outperform fellow students long after graduation.

Role specification

upReach is a dynamic organisation. It has invested in class-leading technology to facilitate, deliver and evaluate its programmes. The upReach Graduate Employability Framework (GEF), against which all of its activities are mapped, enables students to understand their employability and plan their learning. It built getEmployable to provide all students with a means to measure their employability using the GEF. Its contextualised grade model, REALrating, is used to better understand academic potential rather than relying on grades alone.

The strength of its online platform and resources have enabled upReach to continue to support students throughout the Covid-19 crisis. Since lockdown began, there has been a significant increase in demand for upReach support; 100% of planned face-to-face events have been adapted into virtual equivalents or postponed to a later date. While it remains alert to the increased uncertainty about the economic outlook due to Covid-19, its ambition and growth strategy remain intact.

The Trustee will bring their experience, credibility and influencing skills to the Board, along with a willingness to leverage their networks to support the charity’s growth and a strong commitment to the Nolan principles of public life.

Person specification

upReach seeks an additional Trustee to bolster the skills on its Board. The successful candidate will bring experience that is directly relevant to growing upReach's online presence and activities, in particular its online platforms, products and websites.

Applications are welcome from those who understand the challenges facing a small, established platform seeking to grow significantly, and be able to advise on how upReach can best navigate those challenges successfully. They will have an in-depth understanding of areas including current 'tools' available and modes of online delivery of programmes.

The successful candidate will have had a product management role, with experience of linking back-end technology and processes with the marketing front-end to attract a greater audience to use upReach's platforms. They will also be able to demonstrate a passion for social mobility.

upReach welcomes applications from those who are seeking their first Trustee role. It is also keen to enhance diversity at Board level. Please see the Diversity header below for more guidance.

Required for this role

• Trustee ready Sitting on a trustee board requires the ability to take a more advisory approach than in executive roles. If you have not previously held any trustee or non-executive positions, you should demonstrate a track record of influencing the direction of your organisation at board level. If you already have significant trustee or non-executive experience, please detail this.
• Digital product leadership Experience (within the last 7 years) operating at senior leadership level of a business that has grown through the successful development of digital products.

Board composition

Edward Astle, Chair
Graeme Atherton
Azhar Chaudhary
Timothy Fosh
Katy Ingle
Al Marshall
Alexander Peake
Valentina Quintero
Owain Service

Diversity

upReach welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. It particularly welcome applications from women, ethnic minorities and applicants who would further enhance diversity at Board level. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where diverse candidates can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Remuneration and Term of Appointment

The role is unremunerated. Reasonable and pre-agreed domestic travel expenses will be covered. Trustees are appointed for three years, with a possible extension to a maximum of three terms. 

Process

This process is being run in-house by the organisation, who will view the applications without edits. We therefore advise applicants to avoid using ‘see CV’ or ‘please call me to discuss further’ in your application as it may restrict your chances of progressing to the next round.

Connected Parties

This organisation has requested that candidates do not contact them directly. Instead, if you know someone at the organisation, please mention it in your Reason for Application. Members who do not respect this may risk having their membership terminated.

Questions & feedback

In the event you have any questions or feedback about the way the role or your application has been handled, please contact [email protected]

Role timetable

Deadline for applications: 1st October

Candidates can expect to be contacted by: 15th October

Candidates can expect the process to be completed by: 12th November

Video interviews will be held between 8th and 15th October 2020 by current members of the Board