Senior Learner Voice Manager

at  Medr

ABOUT US

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training.

Operational on 1 August 2024, we will work in close collaboration with our partners to enable a tertiary education and research system which is centred around the needs of learners; society; and economy with excellence, equality and engagement at its heart.

Our values really matter to us, they help shape the culture of our organisation:

• Dysgu (to learn; to teach; to educate) - learning is at the heart of everything we do. We believe curiosity fuels innovation and helps expand our horizons.
• Cydweithio (to work together; to collaborate; to co-operate) - we can achieve far more together than we ever could alone.
• Cynnwys Pawb (to include everyone; to involve everyone) - we are passionate about inclusion, seeking to create the right conditions for everyone to achieve their full potential.
• Rhagori (to exceed; to excel) - we have high aspirations for tertiary education and research in Wales and always set high standards for ourselves to be the best we can be.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key challenges you will face

• Balancing the needs and expectations of Medr’s Board, leadership, policy teams, learners and tertiary education providers. These will sometimes be in conflict, and you will be responsible for working with all of these groups in order to achieve a practical model for learner voice research.
• Working in a co-ordinated way with tertiary education providers and their learners to ensure that national learner surveys and research are in harmony with local survey activities.
• Developing a deep understanding of the characteristics, needs and expectations of learners across the whole tertiary education sector, including the specific needs of learners with protected characteristics and those in non-traditional settings. You will need to ensure that survey design and the terminology used resonates with learners while providing nuanced, in-depth and actionable information on their views and experiences.
• Judging the relative importance of competing policy requirements and ensuring a strategic, rational approach to including topics in surveys and research.
• Ensuring value for money and impact from learner voice activities.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the development of an option appraisal, specification, procurement and management of Learner Voice surveys across the further education, apprenticeship and adult learning sectors
• Work with teams across Medr, social researchers and stakeholders to ensure a strategic approach to learner surveys and research, reflecting Medr’s priorities and strategic duties as well as the roles of other regulators
• Lead liaison with senior leaders in PCET providers and with partners including Estyn, to ensure a coherent approach to gathering learner voice data and using it to drive improvement at provider and national levels
• Work with colleagues and with providers across PCET to ensure that themes and concerns arising from learner surveys are identified and addressed, including through collaborative work, projects and professional learning where appropriate
• Oversee the team’s preparation of learner voice reports and analysis to inform Medr’s Board and Committees, working collaboratively to ensure an integrated approach to identifying themes and issues from learner feedback across the whole tertiary education sector
• Develop and lead sustainable “learner forum” arrangements to ensure that learners’ views inform policy development and evaluation across Medr
• Line management of one post

It is anticipated that your role will involve some travel across Wales, on approximately a monthly basis, to visit tertiary education providers, meet with learner representatives, and attend meetings and events. You will be part of a dispersed team, with opportunities to work flexibly across Medr’s headquarters, regional hubs and remotely.
About your team
You will be part of the Learner and Workforce Engagement Team, located in Medr’s Learner Experience Directorate. The team comprises nine people and is responsible for learner engagement, learner voice, workforce development, professional learning, and digital learning, working across the tertiary education sector.
Your line manager
Marian Jebb - Head of Learner and Workforce Engagement
Marian has worked in tertiary education policy for more than 25 years, in arms-length bodies and more recently the Welsh Government. Over this time, she has overseen a wide range of policy areas and projects, including quality improvement, digital learning, learner wellbeing, professional learning and learner voice. She is based in Aberystwyth and leads a geographically dispersed team.

ATTRIBUTES

• Drive: You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.
• Empathetic: You promote a culture of empathy and inclusivity, where every voice is heard and respected
• Giving and receiving constructive feedback: You address conflicts and challenges in a constructive manner, seeking to find mutually beneficial solutions.
• Agile: You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and nurturing a culture of continuous learning.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working in a policy, project management or similar context, including engagement and consultation with multiple stakeholders to deliver complex projects or programmes.
• Experience of social research, survey design and quantitative/qualitative data analysis, is desirable, and candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the key priorities and concerns of learners in the tertiary education sector.

WELSH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

We have undertaken an evaluation of the Welsh language requirements of this post to ensure we are living our values in relation to our Welsh Language.
For this post the Welsh language requirements are - Desirable
Welsh essential means that having Welsh language skills is considered a requirement for this post and will form part of the assessment criteria.
Welsh desirable means that whilst having Welsh language skills is useful for the role, it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t disadvantage you during recruitment if you don’t currently possess these skills.

Desirable levels:

• Reading: Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
• Spoken: Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
• Understanding: Can understand parts of a basic conversation
• Written: Can write basic messages on everyday topics

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £45,256, Medr contributes £12,219 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We recognise the importance of looking after ourselves in work and in life. Your wellbeing is fundamental to you being your best self so in recognition of this we provide:

• 33 days annual leave a year (pro rata) to give you time to reboot; top up your energy banks and spend time doing the activities you love.
• An environment that embraces work life balance.
• A culture that celebrates diversity and welcomes everyone.
• Dedicated wellbeing time to all our people each week.
• A Cycle to Work Scheme to make owning a bicycle more affordable.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working in a policy, project management or similar context, including engagement and consultation with multiple stakeholders to deliver complex projects or programmes.
• Experience of social research, survey design and quantitative/qualitative data analysis, is desirable, and candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the key priorities and concerns of learners in the tertiary education sector.
  The initial sift will take place on 20 August.
  Candidates who successfully navigate the sift stage will be required to complete an online exercise to enable us to determine their behavioural and personality preferences. Immediately on completion you will be given a report which highlights your strengths plus some development tips to help you prepare for interview. Candidates should note that the online exercise is not intended to eliminate anyone from consideration. Instead, it serves as a tool to aid in the decision-making process.
  Following this, you will be required to participate in an interview and a presentation, both of which will be conducted on 16, 17 or 18 September.

The following attributes will also be assessed at interview:

• Giving and receiving constructive feedback: You address conflicts and challenges in a constructive manner, seeking to find mutually beneficial solutions.
• Agile: You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and nurturing a culture of continuous learning.
• Your presentation will be used to assess your understanding of the priorities, issues and concerns of learners in the tertiary education sector.

We strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments required to the recruitment process. Please contact hr@medr.cymru
We’re looking forward to meeting everyone invited to interview at our new headquarters in Capital Quarter, Cardiff. We don’t usually pay travel expenses, but if this presents a real barrier to your attendance in person or if you require a reasonable adjustment, please let us know in advance by emailing hr@medr.cymru so we can discuss and agree arrangements prior to your interview.
Following interview we are committed to offering constructive and actionable feedback to support you on your future career journey.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

You will be responsible for developing and leading a comprehensive approach to Learner Voice across the tertiary education sector in Wales, ensuring that learners’ views inform all aspects of policy making. This will include developing, procuring and project managing a regular Learner Voice survey, as well as other research and analysis on learners’ views and experiences. You will ensure that these arrangements complement the existing National Student Survey for higher education, and that Medr has access to clear, reliable information on learner views to help drive continuous improvement in their experiences. You will manage external contractors undertaking learner surveys and research, ensuring that flexible arrangements are in place to gather learner feedback to inform specific policy developments where required, in addition to ongoing surveys and research as part of Medr’s core business.

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the development of an option appraisal, specification, procurement and management of Learner Voice surveys across the further education, apprenticeship and adult learning sectors
• Work with teams across Medr, social researchers and stakeholders to ensure a strategic approach to learner surveys and research, reflecting Medr’s priorities and strategic duties as well as the roles of other regulators
• Lead liaison with senior leaders in PCET providers and with partners including Estyn, to ensure a coherent approach to gathering learner voice data and using it to drive improvement at provider and national levels
• Work with colleagues and with providers across PCET to ensure that themes and concerns arising from learner surveys are identified and addressed, including through collaborative work, projects and professional learning where appropriate
• Oversee the team’s preparation of learner voice reports and analysis to inform Medr’s Board and Committees, working collaboratively to ensure an integrated approach to identifying themes and issues from learner feedback across the whole tertiary education sector
• Develop and lead sustainable “learner forum” arrangements to ensure that learners’ views inform policy development and evaluation across Medr
• Line management of one pos