Careers and Employability Specialist
- Job title: Careers and Employability Specialist
- Job Type: Permanent, Term-Time + 10 Days
- Salary: £39,000 (FTE £46,500)
- Department: Careers
- Reporting to: Assistant Head (Academic)
- Location: Highgate, London
- Start: ASAP
- Closing Date: 14 April 2024 at 9:00 am
We are looking for a forward-thinking, highly organised individual to lead the Careers and Employability provision at Highgate School, an award-winning educational charity.
Applicants will bring substantial employment experience and have the requisite skills to develop and deliver high-quality career-related services for our pupils.
THE DEPARTMENT
The Careers and Employability Specialist will work across the School with pupils to provide them with impartial advice and guidance. You’ll also engage with Staff across Highgate notably Heads of Department and pastoral staff to ensure Employability is embedded across the academic and extra-curricular work of the School. You’ll work closely with the School’s Development and Alumni Office to further engage and develop links with the parental and alumni network, identifying suitable speakers and insights from the network and the Community and Partnership Team to expand opportunities for pupils to volunteer in community based initiatives, and to strengthen the culture of service; to further extend our outreach work in order to ensure that the Chrysalis schools (our partner schools) and LAET have wide access to our careers resources.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
Careers Curriculum Development and Delivery
- Deliver and further develop the existing employability curriculum. This includes planning and delivering careers talks, skills sessions and workshops to groups of students on areas such as the following: online applications; interview techniques (including video interviews); networking (including LinkedIn and positive digital profiling) and communication skills.
- Collate suitable work experience opportunities and advise y11 and Sixth Form pupils about potential work experience/internships/workshops/relevant industry courses and gap year opportunities; engage parent, alumni and local employers to increase the diversity of our Work Experience offering (primarily for y11) and update online Work Experience Directory on an on-going basis accordingly
- Conduct on-going pupil surveys/run focus groups to identify perceived needs and use this to create new opportunities and pilot new initiatives
- Organise and co-ordinate the ongoing use of psychometric careers testing and external advisers (as needed) to provide pupils with guidance.
- Design and deliver Careers and Employability content as part of the PSHE Education programme and Interview Skills sessions for wider y12 extension classes.
Careers and Employability – Pupil and Parent Advice
- Set up and conduct 1:1 careers advice and guidance sessions with pupils to help them to explore career goals and motivators, and to provide advice about higher education and apprenticeship applications or work experience/employment, working alongside the Higher Education team as applicable.
- Keep pupils informed about career information and initiatives. Produce and provide relevant marketing, advertising, and publicity material and communicate with pupils via email and the online Firefly platform (Hero); produce supporting material for newsletters/noticeboards/screens/ blogs; maintain and update a bank of regularly updated “go-to” Careers resources available to pupils across all year groups
- Be a point of contact for current and prospective parent/carer queries and ensure that they are kept informed/have provided the appropriate consent for additional pupil opportunities
Careers Events
- Plan, develop and co-ordinate events throughout the academic year including, but not exclusive to the following: annual Careers Fair; Careers Q&A panel sessions; y10 Employability Day; y12 Practice Job Interview Days; networking events and other more regular on-going sessions that provide pupils with an insight into the working world
- Represent the Careers and Employability Department at parental consultation evenings, higher education information sessions, alumni events, welcome evenings and open days (as/when appropriate)
Networking and External Liaison
- Keep abreast of key developments in Careers and Higher Education and ensure that the relevant stakeholders are appropriately informed
- Network proactively with stakeholders (parents/alumni/employers) and enable them to engage effectively with our pupils and partner school pupils working closely with the Development and Alumni Office to ensure a joined up and impactful approach to working with OCs, attending networking/reunion events as required
- Ensure guidance and Careers education is “future-proof” and preparing pupils for the range of areas they may go into. Staying personally informed in all areas especially growth topics including Sustainability, Entrepreneurism and Artificial Intelligence
- Contribute and participate to external discussions and developments while also raising the profile of Highgate Careers and sharing learning/best practice (through external national knowledge share sessions and online resources/articles)
Partnership Work
- Identify opportunities to contribute to the development of Careers programmes outside Highgate (i.e partner schools and specifically LAE Tottenham)
- Design and deliver the annual y12 Employability Mentoring programme between LAET and Highgate
- Deliver regular sessions and work closely with Careers’ Leads and Alumni teams externally to Highgate to design a programme that continues to showcase Highgate Careers and benefits a growing number of pupils during each school year
Staff Support
- Keep staff abreast of development, including, where appropriate delivering presentations at Senior Team meetings, Head of Department meetings and Pastoral Management meetings
- Support key pastoral staff (e.g. Sixth Form/Middle School team, Heads of House and tutors) by proactively identifying pupils requiring additional support
- Work with subject Heads of Departments to identify and establish opportunities to promote careers opportunities/experiences specific to subject areas and showcase successes linked to department objectives
- Support and advise staff carrying out other relevant interviews with pupils. e.g. Y11 A Level Option Choices interviews
Other
- Contribute to pupils’ personal development in other areas of the School outside Careers which may include; supporting societies, annual Pupil Leadership Team recruitment and wider staff development/recruitment
- Provide support and continued Careers’ advice for former Highgate pupils when required, working closely with the Head of Alumni Relations to identify opportunities for further Careers growth
- Manage the careers budget and contribute to opportunities to maximize cost efficiencies/additional external income
- Undertake other responsibilities as may be required in particular to support the Sixth Form team with duties such as registration and other monitoring as required
These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide. They are not exhaustive: the Careers Specialist and Employability Specialist will be expected to undertake any reasonable task or responsibility as required by the Assistant Head (Academic).
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications/Experience
- Degree educated or equivalent
- A formal qualification in careers guidance (Level 6 Careers Guidance) is not essential but you will have substantial employment experience in a relevant sector. This may include working in recruitment or management in any other relevant sector
- Relevant experience in graduate recruitment, careers advice or similar discipline.
- You will be able to understand and analyse individual motivations, interests and skills and provide relevant, up-to-date careers and employability advice
- You will be able to build positive relations, have a demonstrable ability to establish rapport and empathise with a broad range of people from diverse backgrounds
- You will have the capacity to work effectively with young people (although you might not have specific experience of this)
- Skills and Abilities
- Communication – you will be a clear and confident verbal and written communicator who can write fluently in hard copy and web formats
- You will have experience giving presentations and engaging effectively with varied audiences in both one-to-one and group situations
- Motivation/personal qualities – you will have a genuine interest in and commitment to this field of work.
- You will be an enthusiastic networker with a positive, motivated and flexible outlook.
- You can demonstrate initiative, implement new ideas and embrace continual change
- You can work independently and as part of a team and will committed to delivering high quality careers and employability services
- Personal Attributes
- Administrative and organisational skills – you will have excellent time-management and organisation skills and will be digitally proficient.
- You will have strong administrative skills that will enable you to organise events and drive through the employability programme
Benefits
Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 21% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 11% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks’ full pay, then 10 weeks’ half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at Highgate
A culture of community, kindness and belonging
Highgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Dec 2021), it was noted that “Pupils show exceptional respect for, and appreciate diversity within the school and wider community, and their own and other cultures, demonstrating sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions.”
Staff wellbeing
Highgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Charitable work and sustainability
As an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible – through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham – an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure
- Closing Date: 14th April 2024
- Timing of interviews: 22nd and 23rd April
Contact: Please contact the Recruitment Team
Early Application: Applications will be considered ‘as and when’ received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Inclusion
We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
Safeguarding
As this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate’s Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you apply
Highgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies
Please note that this role is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not ‘protected’ (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.