Head of Ark Teacher Training Recruitment

Reports to: Head of Talent

Location: Currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm) (part-time would be considered up to 0.8FTE)

1st round interviews (virtual): 26/11/2024 and 28/11/2024

2nd round interviews (in person): 04/12/2024 and 05/12/2024

The purpose of this role is to lead the recruitment of trainees for Ark’s flagship teacher training programme. This includes both direct hiring for our own 39 Ark schools and in addition recruitment for several of our partner schools. (Depending on our growth strategy and the experiences of the successful candidate, there is the possibility to also lead recruitment of new partner schools for Ark Teacher Training).

The Head of Ark Teacher Training (ATT) Recruitment also oversees early career recruitment, supporting Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) hires that are our future ATT pipeline.

The role provides the strategic oversight of our trainee attraction and assessment, overseeing the team who deliver this and managing the relationships with stakeholders, candidates, and schools.

This person is a key leader in the People Team, regularly engaging with a broad range of stakeholders including external partners and providers, universities, school leaders, Gen Z and Alpha candidates, as well as early-stage career changers. They will also build essential working relationships within the Recruitment and Talent function (their home team), the HR Business Partner Team, HR Operations Team, and ATT Programmes Team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the overall strategy to deliver a pipeline of trainees to the Ark Teacher Training programme, at around 3,000 applications per year and around 130-150 hires a year (with the potential to grow)
• Lead and enable the team to deliver this strategy, ensuring that they are highly motivated, well-supported, and given excellent development
• Manage the ATT recruitment data to identify trends and make tactical changes to the recruitment strategy and approach each year and within the year as needed
• Work across the Business Partner, Learning Institute, and Talent and Recruitment teams to ensure that the strategy for building a pipeline of trainee teachers remains strong, responds to the network needs, and is future-proofed to reflect changes in the sector
• Collaborate with the Head of Talent to build strategic partnerships, supporting the development of strong pipelines of trainees, particularly in challenging subject recruitment and geographies
• Regularly review subject hires, making tactical in-year changes or pivots as necessary for low-demand subjects or areas
• Play a key role in ATT’s growth, working closely with the Ark Learning Institute to anticipate and respond to future challenges or patterns to adjust the programme as required
• Lead the ATT employer brand strategy and messaging, in collaboration with the Communications team, Head of Talent, and Head of Recruitment Services
• Engage in external networking and attend job fairs, along with the recruitment team
• Use data insights from the recruitment platform to adapt to challenges, ensuring tactical adjustments for our schools and subject areas as needed
• Participate in direct interviewing for first-round stages and support the team with school-based assessment days
• Maintain updated best practices, such as KCSIE guidance, and incorporate these into recruitment toolkits or guidance materials

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• Qualified to at least first degree level, or equivalent
• Experience in strategic recruitment campaigns and managing large-scale, volume recruitment across a multi-site or network setting
• Comprehensive knowledge of employer branding, marketing, communications, and recruitment, especially for Gen Z, Alpha, career changers, and graduates
• Proven experience in line management and team leadership
• Background in the education sector is ideal; this may include experience in Initial Teacher Training or broader roles within education
• Strategic thinking abilities, translating actions into desired goals and outcomes
• Strong management skills with the capacity to develop others, build team capability, and support distributed leadership
• Excellent communication skills (both written and oral), along with effective presentation and interpersonal abilities
• Proficient in interpreting quantitative and qualitative data to make informed decisions
• Effective time management and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize effectively
• Influential, with the confidence to challenge the status quo when necessary

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working.  You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Regular social events, monthly free breakfast, and daily fruit
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 30,000 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.