HeppSY Project Lead

Location: Predominantly based at Rotherham College, Rotherham but required to work across all of our campus including Dearne Valley College, Rotherham and North Notts College, Worksop

Salary:  £28,019 (£22,718.11 pro-rata) a year + benefits

Vacancy Type:Temporary until July 2027, Part time (30 hours each week, all year-round)

Closing Date: 23rd November 2026

Are you passionate about overcoming social injustice and empowering young people to achieve their full potential?

RNN Group is looking for a self-sufficient, highly motivated HeppSY Project Lead to join our Future Ready Team and drive higher education progression across South Yorkshire.  

In this vital role, you will lead the operational delivery, cohort tracking, and partnership coordination for the Higher Education Progression Partnership South Yorkshire (HeppSY / Uni Connect) 2026–27 collaborative project plan. Working within RNN Group’s Careers and Future Ready structure, you will deliver targeted outreach, impartial guidance, and aspiration-raising interventions to reduce participation gaps in Higher Education (HE) and Higher-Level Skills (HLS)—including Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), Degree Apprenticeships, and Level 4/5+ pathways.

Main Duties & Responsibilities;

• Targeted Project Delivery: Plan, coordinate, and deliver core HeppSY project interventions, including Your Future Week workshops, sector-specific masterclasses, university campus immersion visits, Higher Level Skills Days, and parent/carer evening workshops.
• Cohort Management & Progression: Target and monitor a defined pool of at least 294 widening participation (WP) Level 3 learners (including FSM, care-experienced young people, disabled learners/SEND, young carers, male at-risk cohorts, and students in low-HE participation postcodes). Ensure each target learner completes a minimum of two meaningful engagements.
• High-Quality IAG: Provide 1:1 and group careers information, advice, and guidance (IAG), supporting UCAS applications, Degree Apprenticeship assessments, and HTQ enrolments.
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Compliance: Coordinate baseline (October) and endline (May/June) impact surveys. Log, audit, and track student interactions on college MIS and HeppSY data platforms, contributing directly to the Final Evaluation Report due ahead of the 31st July 2027 project close.

What We Are Looking For

Qualifications & Education:

• Level 2 Literacy and Numeracy (GCSE C/4 or above, or equivalent).
• Minimum Level 3 qualification in Advice & Guidance, Careers Guidance, Youth Work, or relevant discipline (or willingness to achieve within the role).
• A Level 4 or higher qualification in Careers Guidance or Education is desirable.

Experience & Knowledge:

• Proven experience delivering careers education, advice, and guidance (IAG) or targeted student coaching within FE, HE, or secondary environments.
• Practical experience designing and delivering interactive group sessions, workshops, and large-scale student events.
• A track record of supporting underrepresented student groups and understanding widening participation priorities.
• Experience monitoring participant data, logging registers, and utilizing MIS or outreach tracking systems.
• In-depth knowledge of post-18 pathways, including UCAS processes, Student Finance England, Degree Apprenticeships, and HTQs.

Skills & Personal Attributes:

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage conflicting project priorities autonomously.
• Strong presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills suitable for engaging diverse student groups, parents, and senior staff.
• Professional, confidential approach with a commitment to student success and FREDIE values.

We understand that no candidate will perfectly match every qualification or criterion listed. If your experience differs from what we've outlined but you believe you can contribute to this role, we encourage you to apply!

Department Info

You will report directly to the Head of Future Ready and Transitions as part of the Future Ready Team and will work with our Students Support team, referring students onto them as required, for instance if a student is experiencing financial or emotional issues. 

Our excellent benefits and rewards package:

• Access to local government pensions scheme (with employer contributions from 15.6%)
• Up to 41 days annual leave per year including closure during Christmas period
• Access to our gyms, restaurants and salons
• Staff health & wellbeing and benefits schemes including in-house Occupational Health service
• Extensive wellbeing support through a digital Wellbeing Hub that offers a broad range of support for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.
• Full, part time and flexible working hours available in many roles
• Free Parking available at all of our sites

What is the RNN Group?

RNN Group’s main goal is to be an ‘outstanding’ education and training provider and this is at the heart of everything that we do. To help us achieve this we are looking to recruit highly motivated, innovative and dynamic individuals to join our existing teams. To be a part of the team at RNN Group we will expect you to be committed to our values too

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for RNN Group, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.