Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester, and Lord Chancellor, on the site of the Hospital of St John, just outside Oxford’s East Gate, near the centre of the modern city. It is one of 39 independent, self-governing colleges which are at the heart of the University of Oxford’s success in providing an exceptional education for the most able students. At Magdalen there are currently 71 Governing Body Fellows, of whom 43 are Tutorial Fellows, and the College aims to admit approximately 118 undergraduates and 85 graduates each year. Magdalen has many traditions, but enjoys a modern outlook. Its top priorities are academic excellence and the fostering of a supportive and inclusive community, and it is committed to the tutorial system as a personalised and intellectually challenging method for undergraduate teaching. It also seeks to provide an outstanding environment in which graduate students may flourish. For all its students, the College seeks to provide excellent welfare support and extracurricular opportunities. Applications for places at the College are encouraged from all students with outstanding academic potential, irrespective of background or country of origin.
Outreach Work
There are three basic elements to the outreach work which the Outreach and Access Officer will undertake. Firstly, Widening Access – work to attract applicants to the University of Oxford and to Magdalen from backgrounds within the United Kingdom which have limited tradition or success in receiving offers. Secondly, Widening Participation – activity designed to raise aspirations to study at any university or college providing higher education opportunities. Thirdly, Student Recruitment – encouraging prospective applicants from all backgrounds (whether from the UK or further afield) to apply to Magdalen.
Duties
The Outreach and Access Officer at Magdalen will be employed by The College of St Mary Magdalen in the University of Oxford and will be responsible to the Home Bursar. For the performance of outreach and access duties, the Outreach and Access Officer will report to the Access Fellow. The Senior Outreach and Access Officer will act as Supervisor, and the Academic Administrator will act as Line Manager. The post is available for a fixed term of three years from Monday 28 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. In the College’s experience, school pupils and teachers particularly value outreach contact with someone who has recent familiarity with life as an undergraduate student. Previous holders of this position have found it a good stepping-stone for positions in outreach or professional administration.
The duties of the Outreach and Access Officer, to be undertaken in collaboration with the College’s Senior Outreach and Access Officer, are as follows:
1. Organising events and presentations, both in Oxford and elsewhere in the UK, for school students and teachers, to inform them about studying at Oxford and at Magdalen and to encourage applications from suitable candidates; this includes three residential events in Oxford per year.
2. Maintaining and developing links with schools and teachers, in particular in the areas assigned to Magdalen under the University’s regionalisation scheme (the Local Authorities in Magdalen’s region are Barnsley, Brent, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rotherham, Sheffield, and Westminster), and in the East Midlands in general as a member college of ‘Oxford for East Midlands’ (https://www.ox.ac.uk/oxfordforEM); this includes planning and undertaking school visits across the College’s link regions (“roadshows”) two to three times per year.
3. Acting as a point of contact within Magdalen for external enquiries related to outreach.
4. Collaborating with the University’s Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach staff, faculties, and departments, and colleagues at other colleges, to maximise the effectiveness of the University’s access activities, and to help achieve objectives specified in the University’s agreement with the Office for Students.
5. Maintaining a record of Magdalen’s outreach and access activities, updating Magdalen’s Outreach activity and participant details on the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT), and reporting Magdalen’s outreach and access activities and their outcomes to the College.
6. Playing a role in the College’s child safeguarding responsibilities in collaboration with other College staff, and undertaking the training necessary to fulfil this duty.
7. Sharing the responsibility for maintaining the non-technical aspects of the relevant sections of the College website, ensuring that their contents are up to date and communicate the College’s values and objectives effectively, and for liaising with the College’s Communications Office on the content of the College’s social media output in respect of outreach and access.
8. Working with the Admissions Officer, the Tutor for Undergraduate Admissions, the Access Fellow, subject tutors, and undergraduates in the organisation of events such as College Open Days and in the annual admissions process.
9. Undertaking any other tasks, duties, and responsibilities not listed above which can reasonably be expected to be performed or undertaken by an Outreach and Access Officer, as required by the College’s Academic Administrator.
Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following selection criteria (candidates should address these in their applications and ask their referees to do so in their letters of recommendation):
1. The recent award of a good first degree.
2. Relevant experience of Higher Education and involvement with outreach.
3. Excellent written and oral communication skills, and a high level of computer literacy.
4. Excellent interpersonal skills, and an ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
5. Excellent time-management skills and attention to detail.
6. Flexibility with working hours and willingness to travel.
Possession of a clean current driving licence is desirable.
Terms of Employment
The post is a fixed-term appointment of three years’ duration. The salary will be on the scale £30,378 – £38,784 per annum (equivalent to Grade 5 of the Magdalen College Pay Scale), depending on skills and experience, plus £1,730 per annum (Oxford Location Allowance). A budget for travel expenses will be available. The holiday year begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December, and the Academic Administrator must approve all leave. Holidays may not be taken in the Open Day period in late June/early July or on the day of the September Open Day, or during the two-week admissions period in December.
-
Free lunch while on duty when the kitchen is open
- Optional membership of contributory pension scheme
- Car parking (subject to availability)
- Use of sports facilities
- Optional contributory Healthcare scheme
- Bus pass purchase scheme
- Holiday entitlement of 30 working days, plus bank holidays (some restrictions may apply when holiday cannot be taken and some set days of holiday must be taken when the College is closed)
The College provides for maternity leave on a basis that exceeds the statutory provisions. There is a day one entitlement and no qualifying period: women are eligible for 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of leave on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Arrangements are available for Adoption Leave, Shared Parental Leave, and Paternity Leave. Magdalen College has a priority claim on places in the University nurseries.
Applications
To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply Now' button.
A detailed letter of application should be uploaded with your CV. Candidates are expected to use their letters of application to state clearly why they are interested in the post and how their qualifications and experience suit them for it. Late applications will not be accepted.
Interviews are expected to take place on Wednesday 9 September 2026. Short-listed candidates will be asked in advance of the interview to prepare a short document (about 500 words), addressed to the relevant College committee, on how the College could improve the undergraduate admissions section of the Magdalen College website. During the interview they will be asked to make a five-minute-long presentation (without a projector or handout) on the subject “Why apply to Oxford?”. The presentation should be prepared as if it were for a group of high-achieving Year 12 students who are attending a school which does not have a tradition of Oxbridge applications.
If applicable, all reasonable interview expenses will be reimbursed. Following the offer of the position, appointment will be subject to (a) satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire, (b) provision of proof of the right to work in the UK, and (c) satisfactory completion of an enhanced DBS check.
