NSN’s advisory team offers support and guidance to free school applicant groups. This includes researching which groups are best placed to set up specific types of schools, generating leads, engaging with applicants at the earliest stage of their thinking and throughout their journey until they submit their free school application to the Department for Education (DfE). You will be joining a small team of other advisers who have come from a range of backgrounds, including recent graduates, former teachers, campaigners and those with a background in the third sector.

You will act as a critical friend to groups of people, organisations and academy trusts who want to set up new free schools, responsible for delivering guidance and feedback on the quality and viability of their proposals, as well as co-ordinating access to the other services we provide.

This will be a demanding and challenging role. You will be directly responsible for your own set of free school groups but will also contribute to the development of the overarching package of support we provide to applicants, as well as to approved and open schools. As part of a small, dedicated team, you will have the opportunity to gain experience of a range of disciplines and be involved in one of the most exciting and fast moving areas of public policy.

Key responsibilities
• Identifying free school applicant leads in priority areas.
• Liaising directly with proposer groups to answer specific questions about the free school application process.
• Proactively working with proposer groups to develop their applications.
• Providing high-quality written feedback on draft free school applications.
• Producing written guidance on a range of subjects related to establishing a school.
• Supporting the organisation and delivering training and networking events.
• Developing NSN’s strategy.

Strong candidates will be able to demonstrate the following key skills
• A strong academic record.
• Excellent writing, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Experience of managing and developing small projects.
• Experience of working in a customer/client focussed environment.
• Able to review information and use it to inform strategy and practice.
• A passion for improving education.
• Support for, and understanding of, the free schools policy.