Senior Strategic Improvement Coach - School of Social Policy and Society - at University of Birmingham

Birmingham, England, United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

14 Jun, 26

Salary

56535.0

Posted On

16 Mar, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategic Improvement, Change Management, Organisational Development, Leadership, Applied Research, Behavioural Science, Co-production, Stakeholder Engagement, Formative Evaluation, Mentoring, Presentation Skills, Personal Organisation, Interpersonal Skills, Resource Assessment, Equality Diversity And Inclusion, Evidence Implementation

Industry

Higher Education

Description

Position Details School of Social Policy and Society Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606 Grade: 8 Part Time (18.75 hours per week) Fixed Term contract up to August 2027 Closing date: 2nd March 2026 Interviews will be taking place 23rd March 2026 UK travel may be required for this role Our offer to you People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries. The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens. Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/jobs/staff-benefits] Role Summary IMPACT is the UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Health Foundation. IMPACT draws on knowledge from different types of research, the lived experience of people who draw on care and support and carers, and the practice knowledge of social care staff. IMPACT Demonstrators focus on a large, strategic issue in a host organisation or local system, helping to get evidence of what works used in practice to make a difference to services and to people’s lives. They involve using change management, organisational development and leadership skills to bring about evidence-informed change, in partnership with people who draw on care and support, families, social care services and policy makers. Each Demonstrator is typically supported by two Senior Strategic Improvement Coaches. In each pair of coaches, one appointee will often have a background in strategy / improvement and have experience of applied research, organisational development or behavioural science. The other may well have experience of drawing on care, being a carer or working in front-line roles. We recognise that we all have multiple aspects to our identity, and that some candidates may bring a combination of these different backgrounds and experiences. Positions are offered at 50% FTE for 12 months, and will be based primarily in the Demonstrator site/host organisation. While successful candidates are often employed by the lead University in each nation (Stirling, Ulster, Cardiff, Birmingham, or Sheffield), the nature of our Coach roles also make them ideal for possible secondments from policy, practice, applied research or citizen-led organisations. This can help people build on current skills and experiences while also developing new ones, supporting the longer-term development of more ‘hybrid’ research-practice roles. As part of IMPACT’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion throughout our practice we are particularly keen to receive applications from people from black and minority ethnic communities, and will be operating the ‘Rooney’ rule (i.e. at least one person from a black and minority ethnic community background will be shortlisted where they meet the essential criteria for the role). We are also keen to receive applications from people who have lived experience of drawing on care and support, are carers or are front-line practitioners, as well as from people who have experience of working with groups whose voices are seldom heard. Details of the recruiting Universities, host locations and the areas of adult social care are on IMPACT’s website. The coaches appointed for each project are typically based on site within the relevant host organisation. While these are part-time and very flexible posts, successful applicants will be expected to attend fortnightly online meetings with the broader IMPACT team where possible – these are held on Monday mornings (11am-12) for one hour. There will be an induction in Birmingham on Wednesday 23rd September 2026. Topics and locations Working collaboratively to transform how social care is experienced by those who are most marginalised, using proactive social care models - Support Northamptonshire, England Hybrid working between home and the host organisation office (Wellingborough). Support Northamptonshire is excited to be working with the IMPACT (Improving Adult Care Together) Demonstrator Programme for 2026/2027. We hope to accelerate progress in demonstrating how the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sectors can collaborate to deliver proactive social care models led with communities to transform how social care is accessed and delivered for those who are most marginalised. We also hope to evidence through action research and impact analysis the value of community-led social care models and how these can reduce pressures on stretched social care and health services. We also want to learn from other good practice nationally and collaborate for better social care outcomes for all. Social care & climate change - Inspired Purpose, England Remote working with occasional travel in England and/or Wales. Led by Inspired Purpose, in partnership with Future Directions CIC and Learning Disability England (LDE), this project’s aims are to ensure that people with learning disabilities are actively included in shaping climate change responses at local and national levels. Potential areas being explored are to integrate understanding of climate impacts into social care and health practice; support local planning and adaptation aligned with sustainability and equity; influence student social work training and policy development; and to address intersectional exclusions (e.g. race, gender, sexuality) and include people with profound disabilities. Main Duties * Supported by IMPACT’s national Demonstrator lead, lead negotiation with the Demonstrator site regarding what support will be provided by IMPACT and how this will complement the local site’s responsibilities (the ‘contracting’ process) * Supported by other members of IMPACT staff, support the implementation of insights from the evidence. [Reviews of the evidence are typically conducted by other members of the team ahead of projects starting, but some projects can sometimes involve additional reviewing and synthesis, with support] * Work with local stakeholders to design the change project and articulate a local ‘theory of change’ to help structure the project. [This will set out key features of the current context, the change process, expected outputs and outcomes, and the underlying assumptions of how change will be achieved] * Facilitate the change project on the ground, bringing together key stakeholders from across the local site to design, deliver and sustain local change * Ensure that the local site/service commits to the active and meaningful involvement of people whose voices are seldom heard and to co-production at all stages of the project, challenging and rectifying power imbalances where needed and working sensitively but courageously with issues of power, equality, diversity and inclusion * Work with the local site to develop a joint approach to formative evaluation of developments related to the Demonstrator project based on the theory of change [The role of the coaches is to support this local evaluation, not to carry out the evaluation themselves] * Work with national policy and practice partners to embed lessons learned nationally (across all four nations of the UK) * Be the main point of contact for IMPACT’s work with the Demonstrator site * Have overall responsibility for co-ordinating the activity of IMPACT within the Demonstrator site, representing IMPACT and its values locally and nationally * Act as a coach and role model in strategic improvement projects in adult social care through demonstrating excellent practice and, where appropriate, mentoring colleagues * Contribute to the overall success of IMPACT through engaging with its wider activities and participating in sharing of learning and development opportunities Person Specification * Senior experience as a manager or practitioner, or as an applied researcher, management consultant or improvement coach in relevant fields * Extensive experience of leading and designing strategic improvement projects within adult social care or in a field relevant to adult social care * Demonstrable commitment to the values of co-production and knowledge of how to embed these values in practice * First degree OR equivalent professional qualification OR sufficient practical experience to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills * An understanding of the factors that enable or prevent change in adult social care and how evidence can be used to increase likelihood of success * Excellent presentation skills, both verbal and written, with an ability to communicate effectively with social care stakeholders including people drawing on care and support, carers, local communities, practitioners, managers, academics and policy makers * High level of personal organisation and motivation * Collaborative and flexible approach to work and excellent inter-personal skills * An awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses in leading projects and an ability to work reflexively * Ability to assess and organise resources effectively * Experience of championing co-production, equality, diversity and inclusion in own work area Successful candidates will also need to demonstrate that they can apply these skills within the context and topic of the project in question (they don’t need to be subject experts, but do need to be credible with the host organisation and partners, and show that they could work effectively within the specifics of the project to implement evidence-informed change). To apply, you must: 1) Send a CV and cover letter to impactcentre@contacts.bham.ac.uk, clearly detailing the role, project and location you are applying for in the subject of the email. Your cover letter should be no more than two sides of A4, drawing attention to the key skills, values and experiences you would bring to the role, if successful, and the ways in which your CV to date fits with the requirements of the role and the host setting. If you wish to apply for more than one role, please submit one CV plus one cover letter per role you wish to be considered for. 2) Complete our mandatory additional information form: https://forms.office.com/e/4LxzkV2r8W [https://forms.office.com/e/4LxzkV2r8W] Applicants that do not complete the form will not be considered. Informal enquiries to Sheena Robertson, email: s.a.robertson@bham.ac.uk [s.a.robertson@bham.ac.uk] View our staff values and behaviours here [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/about/our-strategy/our-values] Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview. We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website [https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/about/equality/index.aspx].

Responsibilities

The coach will lead negotiations with the Demonstrator site regarding support, articulate a local theory of change, and facilitate the change project on the ground by bringing together key local stakeholders. They must ensure meaningful involvement of seldom-heard voices and co-production, while also developing a joint approach to formative evaluation.