About the role
This is a new and exciting role at a significant time of growth for the School for Social Entrepreneurs. In the coming year, SSE is expecting to recruit over 600 social enterprises across a wide range of learning programmes, from new and early stage social enterprises to growing social businesses and charities. We are now seeking someone who can help us further develop and embed effective assessment systems.
We recruit leaders of social enterprises to join our learning programmes, often with an accompanying grant. You will need to understand social enterprises and charities, the issues faced by social entrepreneurs, as well as being able to assess the potential strength of a social enterprise as it grows. In addition to this, you will need to support others to assess social enterprises in a systematic way.
A large number of staff contribute to assessment across the organisation. Your role will be to support them to do this. You will work closely with the Head of Grants and Assessment, who has led the development of this work over the last three years, as well as the Head of Programmes, Programme Managers, a large pool of assessors and interviewers, including staff, freelancers and our wider network of partners and social entrepreneurs.
We are committed to inclusion and have a wide range of applicants from diverse communities, who may experience difficulties in applying for a range of reasons language, confidence, neurodiversity, disability and other barriers.
You will support team members to make the application process welcoming and accessible, while maintaining our ability to gather data consistently and appropriately. You will also work with our Impact Lead to gather data to support monitoring and evaluation and to ensure that data is gathered in a way that is GDPR compliant, and with our Tech Team, who manage SSE's technology infrastructure, including a bespoke Salesforce system, FormAssembly, and Microsoft products.
You will help develop workflows and systems that support assessment processes. While this is not an IT development role, an understanding of how these systems can be used to develop better systems and processes will be crucial.
The key focus areas of this role:
- Understanding growing social enterprises, and how to assess them appropriately.
- Developing and maintaining the systems, frameworks, tools, resources, training and guidance that enable SSE's wider team to carry out high-quality assessment consistently, proportionately, effectively and efficiently.
- Ensuring that systems are accessible, inclusive and support applications from diverse communities.
- Ensuring that data is collected consistently and as accurately as possible, to support our monitoring framework, and is collected in a way that complies with GDPR requirements.
- Working closely with the Tech Team to further develop systems, forms, workflows to support these processes
- Supporting and guiding Programme Managers to design appropriate assessment systems for their individual programmes within a wider framework
- Setting up the individual systems and processes for each programme and supporting the wider team, including the Programme Managers, Project Co ordinators, and a range of assessors to use those systems effectively
- Directly supporting the assessment process, by carrying out assessments, interviews and supporting grants panels
Key Responsibilities
Systems & Resource Development
- Design, develop and maintain clear frameworks, guidance materials and process documentation to support consistent, high-quality assessment across SSE programmes
- Work with the Tech Team to improve and optimise assessment-related systems and tools, including using Salesforce, FormAssembly and Microsoft products
- Develop and maintain templates, checklists and training resources to support staff at all stages of the assessment process
- Use AI tools appropriately to support the development and improvement of assessment systems and resources
- Identify opportunities to streamline and improve assessment processes, and implement these, in consultation with managers.
- Work with Programme Managers and Impact Lead to ensure monitoring data requirements are met during assessment, within the GDPR framework.
- Support inclusion and access, ensuring that assessment systems are accessible, welcoming and meet the needs of diverse communities.
Team Support & Training
- Provide guidance, advice and practical support to staff and freelancers involved in assessment, including developing and delivering training to support staff to adopt new systems, processes and resources
- Supporting the recruitment and co-ordination of a bank of internal or freelance assessors who will support the assessment process
- Act as a point of expertise and escalation for questions about assessment practice, eligibility criteria and grant compliance
Assessment Overview
- Monitor and oversee the adoption of assessment frameworks and processes across the team, identifying gaps and supporting improvement
- With Programme Managers and Project Co-ordinators, support the coordination of shortlisting, interview and selection panel processes, ensuring appropriate paperwork and records are in place
- Carry out assessment work, including desk assessments, interviews, and preparation for panels.
Monitoring & Compliance
- Ensure assessment processes comply with funder requirements, Charity Commission guidelines and SSE's policies around GDPR, use of AI and monitoring requirements.
- Work with the Impact Lead to ensure systems collect data appropriately to support SSE and partners’ monitoring and evaluation requirements.
- Work with the Head of Grants and Assessment to ensure programmes meet Charity Commission guidance on grant making.
- Work with the Head of IT to ensure that GDPR requirements are met within the assessment process.
- Support the Grants Team and other assessors to ensure that grant policy requirements are met and that risk is managed appropriately
- Contribute to the development of robust audit trails and records of assessment decisions
General
- Work collaboratively across SSE's teams, building strong relationships to support effective adoption of assessment systems
- Carry out other tasks within the scope, spirit and purpose of the role
- Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, sharing learning and best practice
Key Relationships
The Assessment Lead will report to the Head of Grants and Assessment. This post will work closely with the Head of Programmes, Programme Managers, Learning Managers, Learning Facilitators, the Grant Management Team, the Finance Team, the Tech Team, the Impact Lead and Project Co-ordinators. Other key relationships include those with students, fellows and partner organisations.
Pay: From £43,116.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Sick pay
Work Location: Remote
