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Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 July 2027, due to limited funding.
Would you like to lead a high-impact outreach programme that is widening access to higher education and changing young people’s futures?
The Student Admissions and Access Office at the University of Cambridge is seeking an experienced and motivated professional to join its Widening Participation (WP) team as the NEACO Lead. This is a unique opportunity to shape and deliver a major regional partnership that supports students from underrepresented backgrounds to progress to higher education.
NEACO brings together five Higher Education Institutions and eight Further Education Colleges across East Anglia, as part of the Office for Students (OfS) Uni Connect programme. Since 2017, the partnership has worked collaboratively with schools and colleges to support students in areas with low progression rates to higher education, as well as those from groups historically underrepresented in the sector.
As NEACO Lead, you will play a central role in driving the partnership forward. You will provide strategic leadership across all aspects of the programme – overseeing delivery, shaping its ongoing development, and ensuring it achieves meaningful, measurable impact. You will work closely with partners across the region, building a shared understanding of effective practice and ensuring that strategies are coherent, evidence-informed, and impactful.
You will be responsible for monitoring performance against project plans, ensuring delivery against agreed targets, and managing a substantial annual budget (c. £1.1m). You will also produce clear and insightful reports for governance groups and ensure the partnership remains fully compliant with the requirements of the Office for Students.
We are looking for someone with a strong track record of managing complex, multi-partner programmes – ideally within the UK education sector – and, preferably, direct experience of the Uni Connect programme. You will bring a deep understanding of the barriers faced by underrepresented groups in higher education, and the role that outreach and evaluation play in addressing them.
You will be a confident communicator and relationship-builder, able to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders. Just as importantly, you will be an organised and proactive leader, capable of working independently while motivating and supporting others.
The postholder will join a collaborative and supportive Widening Participation team within the Student Admissions and Access Office and will be line managed by the Head of Widening Participation and Collaborative Outreach.
The team operates flexible, agile working practices, with a blend of remote working and time in the office in central Cambridge, agreed with your line manager.
Applications are welcome from both external and internal candidates including internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.
Additional information regarding the role can be found within the further information pack. Your application should clearly set out how you meet the criteria listed in the person specification (the knowledge, skills and experience required for the role) along with relevant examples. Candidates will be shortlisted and invited to interview based upon these criteria.
To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click ‘Apply’ above.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
