Executive Assistant/Chief of Staff

Job Description

Our VisionThe past does not have to determine the future. The Difference is a new education charity, founded to improve the life outcomes of the most vulnerable children by raising the status and expertise of those who teach them. By 2030 we want a newstory on school exclusion:People - The best teachers working with the children who need them most - A third of the 350 schools for excluded pupils in the country have benetted from a Dierence Leader leading improved practice and outcomes for excluded childrenin their setting; and are part of a growing Community of Schools through which The Dierence learns more about eective practice and policy to improve life chances of excluded young people. Practice - An evidence base of what works with the most vulnerableshared widely - The Inclusive Leadership Course has shaped the strategic approach of over 1,000 of the 3,500 secondary schools nationally, leading to lower incidence of school exclusion in individual schools. Meanwhile research ndings, school tools and developmentexperiences by The Dierence inspires hundreds of teachers each year to join The Dierence Community, learning from what works to improve childrens safety, wellbeing and learning. Policy - Changing incentives are reducing exclusion and improving preventativeinvestment - Schools whose outcomes buck the trend for vulnerable children are identied, facilitated and amplied by The Dierence, inuencing other schools and policy-makers. Local, multi-academy-trust wide and national policies which help and hinder excludedpupils are identied through our research; and changed through our advocacy relationships.Our JourneyFrom next academic year, The Dierence Executive team need a new colleague to support them across the whole organisations work: orchestrating the rhythm ofthe year with internal and external work and events; managing correspondence with a growing number of externals; coaching the Directors to use their time strategically to have the most impact, and working closely with our trustee team to oversee the continuouslyimproving work of the charity. Could you make this dierenceOur Values Purpose driven - Our work is guided and galvanised by our values and beliefs. We are problem-solvers, and do not wait to act. We are inspired by our purpose to improve life-chances ofthe most vulnerable young people, and to develop new expertise in the teaching workforce. Strong relationships - We prioritise genuine relationships over transactional interactions, and know that this requires deliberate relational practice and achieves thebest outcomes. We see those we work with as people rst and their roles second; and know this greater trust allows us to take more risks, gain more feedback and have greater impact. Working through a network of relationships allows us to achieve more thanwe could do alone. Internalised locus of control - We work hard to reframe dicult situations to discover what we have within our power in terms of solutions. We take it upon ourselves to walk towards challenges and can take a high level of ownership and agencyin our work and its continuous improvement. We never shout "re" without rst picking up our own bucket. Scientic approach - We take a diagnostic approach to unpicking causes of problems. We are loud and proud of our failures, recognising failing fast andoften is key to nding the best solutions. We test solutions and are willing to use data and feedback to make adjustments and choose new directions. We look for a measurable shift in outcomes before we declare we are having an impact. Not squeamish about structuralinequalities - We believe patterns of inequality can and should be disrupted. We strive to be clear-eyed about how these inequalities work, and both the individual practice and system-changes required to address them. We push ourselves to overcome awkwardnessin talking about this; and to begin with acknowledging our own biases and blind spots. Value voices of dissent and dierence - We are brave enough to share our minds with others; and nurture that bravery in our collaborators. We build feedback loops to learnfrom others perceptions - especially if they dier from our own. We dont mind disagreement, are wary of group-think and seek out dierent perspectives to make our work stronger. Asset-based - We work hard to avoid decit thinking and aim to start with whatsstrong, not whats wrong. We are careful not to frame our colleagues and stakeholders - particularly young people and families - as othered victims but instead to recognise their agency and to talk with and about them with empathy and respect. We build relationshipswith, feedback loops from, and recruit into our teams, people who have the assets of insights into our delivery work and the young people we work with.The Challenge Ahead: Executive Assistant/Chief of StaffAs the Chief of Sta/Executive Assistant, you willwork closely with the CEO and Directors to develop a deep understanding of the organisations strategic goals, how they interrelate, and the operational approaches designed to achieve them. Through this understanding, you will support the Exec team to managetheir time and input towards the charitys goals; ensure eective communication across The Dierence team, and with external stakeholders; as well as personally delivering on key projects across the charity.Key Tasks Required of this RoleStrategic supportfor CEO & Directors Play a strategic role in balancing competing priorities, to ensure that sucient time is given by CEO and Directors to each of the organisations four objectives. Manage the CEOs diary on an ongoing basis to ensure it continuously reectscurrent priorities, and responds to emerging needs. Support the CEO in preparing for meetings - through both written and verbal briengs - and ensure communication of key headlines to relevant team members. Coordinate Directors meetings, supporting the creationof agendas, and helping to determine how questions and topics are prioritised across the year. Support on the delivery of cross-organisational projects, focusing on topics such as team development; ways of working; culture and values.Internal Communication& Collaboration Own and maintain an accurate organisational calendar, ensuring teams are aware of one anothers capacity across the year, and can plan accordingly. Deputise for the CEO in internal meetings, to ensure that adequate brieng can be given to theCEO meaning ongoing oversight is not lost when external meetings are given priority. Project manage key cross-organisational events, such as conferences and school visits, ensuring timely input from all relevant team members. Develop shared processes & normsto nurture constructive communication with internal & external stakeholdersBoard Project manage production of board papers, including support with writing them, and ensuring timely input from across the Dierence team. Plan and coordinate Board me