Director of Global Partnerships: Raspberry Pi Foundation

Apply by 6th May 24

The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based educational charity with the mission to enable young people to realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies.

Established in 2008 and first known for our product — the wildly successful Raspberry Pi computer — the Foundation has developed education programmes, learning experiences, and products that are helping millions of young people learn vital new knowledge and skills.

Through Code Club and CoderDojo, we support the world’s largest network of free informal computing clubs for young people. Tens of thousands of educators have taken our online courses, and millions of people use our free online learning resources. To deepen our understanding of how young people learn about computing and how to create with digital technologies, we conduct academic research, and we use that knowledge to increase the impact of our work and advance the field of computing education.

Across all of our work, we work hard to engage young people who come from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in the field of computing or who experience educational disadvantage. We work all over the world, with teams based in the UK, Ireland, North America, and India, and partnerships with mission-aligned organisations in over 40 countries.

We are at the forefront of the global movement to help young people learn about computing and digital making. You can read more about our mission, values, and goals in our Annual Review 2022 and our Strategy 2022–2025.

Description

Director of Global Partnerships

Location: Cambridge, UK (hybrid), or remote with regular travel to Cambridge
Salary: £65,550 to £76,450 p.a. full-time equivalent, dependent on experience
Basis: Permanent; full-time, part-time or flexible
Eligibility: You must be eligible to work in the UK

The role

The Director of Global Partnerships is a new role responsible for developing the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s global network of partner organisations, with a particular focus on Code Club and Experience AI.

Code Club: We already have a network of over 50 mission-aligned non-profit partners in 43 countries that set up and run free coding clubs to inspire young people to get hands-on creating with technology. We want to support this network to grow their communities of Code Clubs and ensure that they are delivering a high-quality learning experience to all young people. We also want to expand the network through identifying and onboarding new partner organisations.

Experience AI: In collaboration with Google DeepMind, we have developed world-leading resources to help teachers and students understand artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and how they are changing the world. We are now expanding the programme through partnerships with educational organisations to localise and translate the resources, alongside training and grant funding to support outreach and teacher professional development activities.

You will be responsible for developing and supporting this global network of partners, increasing the Foundation’s reach and impact through partnerships with a mix of education systems and mission-aligned non-profits. You will manage partner relationships from identification and selection, through to diligence, contracting, and ongoing support to ensure that partners are in the best possible position to deliver high-quality outcomes for educators and young people.

The ideal candidate will have experience of scaling educational initiatives through partnerships, will have excellent relationship management skills, and be capable of working across a wide range of cultures. You will need to be an effective communicator, able to work with stakeholders at all levels across a diverse range of organisations. You will also be an accomplished manager capable of coordinating multiple strands of work effectively, and financially competent, ideally with experience of managing outbound grants and contracts with organisations in different jurisdictions.

We strive to make the Foundation a place where talented people who care about our mission can do the best work of their careers. We have a flexible and collaborative approach to all aspects of our work. If you’re the right person for the job, we’ll make it work for you, and you can be confident that you’ll be working with an exceptional team.

Main responsibilities

• Grow and develop the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s global network of partner organisations with a particular focus on Code Club and Experience AI.
• Take responsibility for the whole relationship life cycle from identification and selection, through to diligence and contracting, and ongoing management, support, and evaluation of impact.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of our work, ensuring delivery of outcomes and using learnings to drive improvement. Reporting internally and externally as required.
• Build, lead, and manage a highly skilled team, providing them with the clarity and support to enable them to do great work.
• Ensure that we are working collaboratively with partners, understanding their needs and how we can more effectively support them; gathering feedback and insights that are shared within the Foundation and partner community.
• Work closely with the Foundation’s marketing and learning teams to ensure that we are supporting partners, including through relevant training, resources, and assets.
• Manage budgets and grants effectively, ensuring resources are allocated to priorities and we follow best practice in grant management.
• Ensure that all partners understand and live up to our commitments to accessibility, inclusion, and safeguarding, and that we are prioritising impact for underserved and educationally disadvantaged people and communities.
• Represent the Raspberry Pi Foundation externally.
• As a member of the Leadership team, contribute to the strategic direction, culture, and values of the organisation.
• Experience and personal attributes

We recognise that everyone has the potential for growth, and we welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they have some, but not all, of the experience and personal attributes listed here.

• A track record of building and managing a global network of partnerships or relationships, ideally in an educational context.
• Experience working in education or with educational organisations, with a good working knowledge of the opportunities and challenges education systems present.
• Experience of managing outbound grants, including selection and diligence processes, contracting, grant management, and reporting.
• Experience of large scale, global programme or project management.
• A good understanding of computing, computer science, AI literacy, or related subjects, and the willingness to learn.
• An experienced manager and leader, with the ability to build diverse teams and support them to do great work. Ideally, you will have experience of managing remote teams.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, including working in different cultures. You should feel comfortable presenting to different audiences, from governments to NGOs, be able to write clearly, and excel at facilitating cross-functional teams towards an outcome.
• Good data and analytical skills, and the ability to use data effectively to improve what we do.
• A commitment to the mission and values of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Benefits

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a range of benefits for all of our colleagues, including:

• 25 days’ annual leave initially, growing to 30 days after five years of service
• Company-wide close down for 3 days at the end of the year
• Generous company pension scheme with 8% employer and 4% employee contributions
• Private healthcare
• Life assurance and long-term illness insurance policy
• Investment in professional development and learning
• Flexible work hours as needed, to fit around childcare or other commitments
• Generous family leave policy
• Cycle-to-work scheme and season ticket loan

Timetable for applications

• Closing date: 6th May 2024, 9am GMT
• Phone screen: Week commencing 6th May 2024
• First-round interview: Week commencing 13th May 2024
• Second-round interview: Week commencing 27th May 2024

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If successful in the selection process, you will be required to undergo a background check to confirm that you are a suitable person to work with children. Further background checks will be made at regular intervals thereafter.