Project Officer: Young STEM Leader Programme

Project Officer: Young STEM Leader Programme Dunfermline – salary £31,000 - £32,681 Full-time fixed term contract or secondment for 12 months – 35 hours per week. This is initially a 12-month fixed term post or secondment opportunity. The postholder will be based in our SSERC headquarters in Dunfermline. About the role The Young STEM Leader Programme is derived from the Scottish Government’s STEM Strategy for Education and Training (2017), specifically that there will be the establishment of a new Young STEM Leader programme to stimulate and strengthen the development of peer mentoring and inspiration in STEM for children and young people by children and young people. The programme is offered across CfE Second, Third and Fourth Level (known as YSL 2, YSL 3 and YSL 4 for the non-formal version of the programme) and SCQF Levels 4, 5 and 6 (known as YSL 4, YSL 5 and YSL 6 for the formal version of the programme). This programme is being led by SSERC in partnership with: Science Centres (Aberdeen, Dundee, Dynamic Earth (Edinburgh), Glasgow) Science Festivals Three Scottish STEM Ambassador Hubs (East, North and West) Young Scot Science Skills Academy Youthlink Scotland Education Scotland Scottish Mentoring Network Whilst this post is based within SSERC, the postholder will work with all partner organisations to realise the aims and ambitions of the programme. The Project Officer will be part of a small Project Team working with the partner organisations to continue the development and delivery of the Young STEM Leader Programme. The programme is currently in the pilot phase (CfE Second Level (YSL 2) and SCQF Level 6 (YSL 6)) whilst the remaining CfE and SCQF levels are being developed. This will lead to a full roll out across Scotland in the summer of 2020. More information on the Programme can be found at the Young STEM Leader website. This post will support the Young STEM Leader Project Manager. The role will include: Responsibility for the development and delivery - supported by the Project Manager - of all key aspects of the Young STEM Leader Programme, as set out in the work plan by the Project Manager. Supporting the development and redevelopment of all levels of the programme based on feedback from young people and staff involved in the programme. Supporting pilot centres to complete their delivery of the CfE Second (YSL 2 non-formal version) and SCQF Level 6 (YSL 6 formal version) of the programme. Engaging with staff and Young STEM Leaders in delivering centres to support them and carry out quality assurance/verification activities. Supporting the formal certification process for centres and YSLs in line with SSERC’s Quality Assurance Policy and SCQF requirements. Tracking and meeting programme deadlines and key deliverables in line with the work plan set out by the Project Manager. General communications within the team and to partners, working group/steering group members and staff within YSL delivering centres. The creation and/or quality assurance of materials and documentation produced by the YSL Project Team. Using a suite of online digital resources to deliver many aspects of the programme. Planning and delivering (presenting) online and face-to-face information sessions for interested parties. Planning and delivering (presenting) online and face-to-face training sessions for individuals wishing to become trained Tutor Assessors and to commence delivery of the YSL Programme in their respective centres. Coordinating, handling and processing the large volume of data the programme yields and producing quality/concise reports from such data. General support of all operations and tasks linked to ongoing creation and delivery of the YSL Programme. Acting as an advocate for the programme on a national scale across all educational settings. About you This post-holder will have: A relevant degree and/or relevant experience Experience of supporting the development, implementation and review of a project which has/had national or regional reach Knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges associated with delivering a STEM outreach programme Knowledge of the Scottish educational context and Curriculum for Excellence (STEM) and/or experience of working with Scotland’s young people to deliver on the Strategy for STEM Education and Training. An awareness of the many opportunities that STEM offers to young people. A positive attitude and confidence towards working with Scotland’s young people, directly or indirectly, via a wide STEM context. A proven track record of employment in a fast-paced project role, demonstrating positivity, independence and initiative. Excellent IT skills with proficiency using Microsoft Office and other online platforms such as Teams or Adobe Connect. Experience of using social media and other digital platforms. Training opportunities will be provided to the successful candidate. The post holder will be required to work 35 hours per week, occasional evening and weekend work may be required. The post holder may be required to undertake business activity in a variety of geographical locations across Scotland which may – infrequently - necessitate overnight stays away from home. Application via CV and supporting letter to S1jobs or by email only (no postal applications) Interviews will take place Friday 24th April 2020 via Microsoft Teams. Start Date will be Monday 4th May 2020. Job Title: Project Officer: Young STEM leader Programme Reports to: Project Manager: Young STEM Leader Programme Main Purpose of Role The Project Officer will be part of a small Project Team working with the partner organisations to continue the development and delivery of the Young STEM Leader Programme. The programme is currently in the pilot phase (CfE Second Level (YSL 2) and SCQF Level 6 (YSL 6)) whilst the remaining CfE and SCQF levels are being developed. This will lead to a full roll out across Scotland in the summer of 2020. Responsibilities The post holder will be expected to: Support the development of a detailed project plan, arising from the submitted partnership project bid document, which relates to the development and delivery phases of the programme. Work collaboratively within the other members of the Project Team during the ongoing development phase of the project and provide ongoing support to the Project Manager. Promote good partner relationships, supporting the delivery of agreed project commitments and timescales. Seek advice and support from partner organisations as appropriate. Take responsibility for specific aspects of the project and deliver results specifically relating to agreed roll out and delivery targets, with support from the Project Manager. Communicate with people at all levels and participate in the delivery of a range of project information sessions as required by the needs to the project. These will involve delivery of information/training sessions to large and small audiences at both national, regional and local events and will include use of digital communication technology. Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills including, grammatical knowledge and strong written ability. Work with internal and external partners to support project updates. Use IT or other systems to keep monitor project progress. Participate in the evaluation of the success of the project against defined metrics, including sharing lessons or best practice with other partner organisations. This will involve participation in the planning, implementation and reporting of internally generated evaluation activity. Support the team that provide the administrative functions for the project and to the team. Person Specification Qualifications, Skills and Experience Qualifications As a minimum educated to SCQF Level 9 or have equivalent relevant experience. Essential Criteria Experience of supporting a national or regional project within an educational, youth or community context Ability to communicate effective and sustainable approaches within own area of expertise to a range of audiences Knowledge of current strategies and policies relating to Curriculum for Excellence and STEM education and training Experience of partnership working and engagement with wider stakeholders Excellent written and presentation skills. Evidence of commitment to maintaining and improving quality. Desirable Criteria Experience of undertaking training activity to external groups; specifically, educational/community/youth groups Experience/understating of awards and certification systems in Scotland such as SQA and SCQF procedures, and how such awards are verified and quality assured. Project management certification