Director of Learning

Permanent FT (40 hrs/wk)

An exciting and challenging leadership opportunity has arisen for an outstanding primary or secondary Literacy/English teacher to join this small, entrepreneurial team.

We’re a small charity taking big steps to alter the educational prospects of young people. You’ll join the Founding Director and a diverse, committed team working to increase our impact on young people in Hackney, and eventually beyond. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead the development and delivery of an innovative learning programme, at the heart of a unique and growing organisation.

We’ve got ambitious targets and we’re looking for someone exceptional to help us achieve them. This is more than a day job. It’s an opportunity to take a leading role in an innovative educational organisation at a vital stage in our development. You’ll need plenty of ideas and the drive to get things done but above all, you’ll need the commitment and passion to improve the educational prospects of young people in Hackney and beyond.

About Us:

The Hackney Pirates is an ambitious and innovative organisation, determined to alter the educational prospects of young people. We work with young people to develop literacy, confidence and perseverance, by providing extra adult attention, access to an unconventional learning environment and the chance to work on real-world publishing projects. We work with children who are referred by teachers and social workers because they are falling behind and face disadvantages in their personal circumstances. We believe young people progress fastest when given personalised attention from an adult who cares, and when working towards motivating real-world outcomes. See www.hackneypirates.org and www.hackneypirates.org/vacancies for more details.

The Role:

This role involves leading our Education team to develop, improve and grow our learning programmes. It offers both significant opportunities for working directly with young people, and opportunities to engage in strategic development of our programmes and the organisation as a whole.

The Director of Learning will oversee the delivery of our three existing learning programmes, and work with us to both refine the content of those programmes, and develop new programmes in the future. The successful candidate will be leading learning sessions for young people on a daily basis, while overseeing other staff members in their delivery. It is a perfect opportunity for a teacher seeking a leadership opportunity in an innovative organisation, with significant scope for development as the organisation grows. Responsibilities include the strategic development of our learning programme, monitoring and evaluation activities, management of the learning programme and education team, and planning and leading learning sessions with young people. Please see full job description for full details.

About You:

• At least four years’ experience teaching English or literacy in a school setting (primary or secondary school)
• Experience of planning and delivering exceptional learning experiences for young people who are under-achieving and/or facing disadvantages
• Positive track record as a manager/mentor of other people
• Experience of developing and leading your own projects, either within or outside an educational context
• Experience of working with a wide range of people in different contexts
• Experience of working on social change projects / community projects would be advantageous

Please see the full job description for full details about how to apply.

Closing Date: 9am, Tuesday 5th May 2015
Interviews: 11-15th May 2015

Start Date: The successful candidate must be in post by 1st September, although they will be invited to start earlier if possible, as a July/August start date is preferable.