Reaching Wider Officer
| Posting date: | 03 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £35,608 to £38,784 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 22 February 2026 |
| Location: | Cardiff, Cardiff County |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Are you passionate about making a difference in people's lives through education? Cardiff Metropolitan University's Reaching Wider South East team is looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated individual to join us as a Reaching Wider Officer.
In this role, you'll manage a variety of impactful programmes designed to help people living in diverse communities in South East Wales overcome barriers to higher education. You'll collaborate with our team and with a range of partners to support adults without level 4 qualifications, young people in schools, care-experienced youth, and those with caring responsibilities, providing them with the guidance and resources they need to succeed.
We believe in creating a caring and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected, ensuring that every voice is heard and every contribution is celebrated. While we offer a flexible hybrid working model, we encourage you to be part of our vibrant campus community three days a week.
You’ll lead the way by:
Managing a portfolio of programmes for Reaching Wider’s priority audiences including care experienced young people and those with caring responsibilities and collaborating with local schools, stakeholders, and partners in South East Wales.
Leading all aspects of project management, including programme design, promotion, delivery, budgeting, risk management, safeguarding, data collection, evaluation, and reporting.
Supporting the Reaching Wider Manager to deliver an integrated programme that meets the South East Wales Reaching Wider Strategy's objectives and KPIs.
Establishing and maintaining relationships with key contacts and networking with partners to strengthen the Reaching Wider brand.
Providing professional advice and guidance on Reaching Wider purposes, processes, and procedures to internal and external customers.
Raising the partnership's profile through effective evaluation and storytelling across multiple media platforms, and supporting the formulation of consultation responses and reports.
What you’ll bring
You’ll be a passionate and dedicated individual with a wealth of knowledge and experience within the university sector, especially in widening access to higher education. Your strong project management skills will shine as you design, deliver, and evaluate impactful programmes that make a real difference in the lives of our priority audiences. Excellent communication skills will help you engage and inspire both internal and external stakeholders, while your proficiency with standard office IT applications will ensure you stay organised and efficient. Your ability to work both independently and collaboratively, demonstrating initiative and attention to detail, will be key to your success in this role.
We value additional qualifications and experiences, such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) as part of this role is delivering workshops to audiences in schools, community and on campus settings; along with line management experience and a background in higher education environments. If you have a passion for making higher education accessible to all and can communicate effectively in Welsh, even better! Flexibility is essential, as some events will take place during evenings and weekends. Join us in this rewarding role where your dedication and skills can truly make a difference.
Why join Cardiff Metropolitan University?
We are a values-based University. We are proud of our culture, and we are there for our people. Our community spirit is the golden thread that underpins our values and behaviours. We support each other, we are kind to one another, and we are one team; we are One Cardiff Met. We encourage and embrace inclusion that enables everyone to feel respected and able to perform at their best.
In addition, the University offers highly competitive terms and conditions including:
Annual leave of 25 days, rising to 30 days after 1 years’ service, plus twelve bank holiday / concessionary days.
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous monthly contributions.
Excellent family friendly policies – take a look on our Policy Hub page.
Opportunities to learn and develop your skills with access to library and digital services facilities.
Excellent sports and fitness facilities with subsidised membership.
Free family access to our independent specialist wellbeing support provider, Health Assured.
Contact us
For more information about the role please Lynda Gingell on LJGingell@cardiffmet.ac.uk or feel free to contact Cerys Purdon, Recruitment Manager who is supporting this vacancy on cpurdon@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
All applications must be submitted online.
The person specification will be used as a tool for shortlisting; so please make sure you use this information when writing your application. You can find useful hints and tips about how to apply by visiting our Application Guidance page.
In this role, you'll manage a variety of impactful programmes designed to help people living in diverse communities in South East Wales overcome barriers to higher education. You'll collaborate with our team and with a range of partners to support adults without level 4 qualifications, young people in schools, care-experienced youth, and those with caring responsibilities, providing them with the guidance and resources they need to succeed.
We believe in creating a caring and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected, ensuring that every voice is heard and every contribution is celebrated. While we offer a flexible hybrid working model, we encourage you to be part of our vibrant campus community three days a week.
You’ll lead the way by:
Managing a portfolio of programmes for Reaching Wider’s priority audiences including care experienced young people and those with caring responsibilities and collaborating with local schools, stakeholders, and partners in South East Wales.
Leading all aspects of project management, including programme design, promotion, delivery, budgeting, risk management, safeguarding, data collection, evaluation, and reporting.
Supporting the Reaching Wider Manager to deliver an integrated programme that meets the South East Wales Reaching Wider Strategy's objectives and KPIs.
Establishing and maintaining relationships with key contacts and networking with partners to strengthen the Reaching Wider brand.
Providing professional advice and guidance on Reaching Wider purposes, processes, and procedures to internal and external customers.
Raising the partnership's profile through effective evaluation and storytelling across multiple media platforms, and supporting the formulation of consultation responses and reports.
What you’ll bring
You’ll be a passionate and dedicated individual with a wealth of knowledge and experience within the university sector, especially in widening access to higher education. Your strong project management skills will shine as you design, deliver, and evaluate impactful programmes that make a real difference in the lives of our priority audiences. Excellent communication skills will help you engage and inspire both internal and external stakeholders, while your proficiency with standard office IT applications will ensure you stay organised and efficient. Your ability to work both independently and collaboratively, demonstrating initiative and attention to detail, will be key to your success in this role.
We value additional qualifications and experiences, such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) as part of this role is delivering workshops to audiences in schools, community and on campus settings; along with line management experience and a background in higher education environments. If you have a passion for making higher education accessible to all and can communicate effectively in Welsh, even better! Flexibility is essential, as some events will take place during evenings and weekends. Join us in this rewarding role where your dedication and skills can truly make a difference.
Why join Cardiff Metropolitan University?
We are a values-based University. We are proud of our culture, and we are there for our people. Our community spirit is the golden thread that underpins our values and behaviours. We support each other, we are kind to one another, and we are one team; we are One Cardiff Met. We encourage and embrace inclusion that enables everyone to feel respected and able to perform at their best.
In addition, the University offers highly competitive terms and conditions including:
Annual leave of 25 days, rising to 30 days after 1 years’ service, plus twelve bank holiday / concessionary days.
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous monthly contributions.
Excellent family friendly policies – take a look on our Policy Hub page.
Opportunities to learn and develop your skills with access to library and digital services facilities.
Excellent sports and fitness facilities with subsidised membership.
Free family access to our independent specialist wellbeing support provider, Health Assured.
Contact us
For more information about the role please Lynda Gingell on LJGingell@cardiffmet.ac.uk or feel free to contact Cerys Purdon, Recruitment Manager who is supporting this vacancy on cpurdon@cardiffmet.ac.uk.
All applications must be submitted online.
The person specification will be used as a tool for shortlisting; so please make sure you use this information when writing your application. You can find useful hints and tips about how to apply by visiting our Application Guidance page.
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A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.