Programme Officer - Research

Job Description: Fellowship Programme Officer

Line Manager: Team Leader (New Fellows)

Objective: The Programme Officer provides individualised support to Fellows, facilitates placements and secures funding. The Programme Officer also contributes to project management activities.

Duration: For an initial period of 12 months, subject to review.

Start date: 1 May 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Hours: Full-time. Eight hours each day Monday – Friday, with flexible working by arrangement around core hours of 10am – 4pm.

Salary: £30,240 per annum

Number of posts: 2.

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Organisational Background

The Council for At-Risk Academics is a UK-registered charity founded in 1933 under the leadership of William Beveridge, to rescue academics suffering persecution under the rise of Nazism and facilitate their continued work in safety. Sixteen Cara Fellows from the 1930s and 1940s became Nobel Laureates, and many more innovators in their fields, including, Nikolaus Pevsner, Lise Meitner and Karl Popper. A number of Cara’s founders and Council members also personally provided places and/or funds to help individual academics; and Cara, known in the 1930s as the AAC, later the SPSL, was closely involved in the successful effort in 1933 to bring to London the Warburg Institute art library, which had been prohibited by the Nazis, and six of its staff. The Fellowship Programme is the continuation of the rescue mission operation started in 1933.

Cara has been a lifeline to academics at risk for just over 90 years, as and when world events have placed them in the line of fire: Hungarian Uprising, Cold War, Apartheid South Africa, Iran, Latin American Juntas, Vietnam, Kosovo, DRC, Rwanda, Sudan, Zimbabwe etc. and, more recently Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Cara support is typically framed as temporary sanctuary offered at times of heightened risk.

Cara Objectives‘To assist academics who have been, or are, or are at risk of being, subject to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, to relieve needs among them and their dependants and ensure that their specialist knowledge and abilities can continue to be used for the benefit of the public.’

‘To advance education by supporting academics and their educational institutions in countries where their continuing work is at risk or compromised, to ensure that such academics and institutions can continue to fulfil their critical role as educators for the public benefit.’

This is a critical time to join our dedicated and friendly Fellowship Programme team as we expand our capacity to support at-risk academics from the Middle East, Sudan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Russia and many other countries.

 Fellowship Programme Officer Role & Responsibilities

Fellowships

• Lead on New Fellows Team cases and provide comprehensive support to Cara Fellows using trauma-informed practice.
• Secure fee waivers, bursaries & in-kind support from universities, research institutes and other funding bodies.
• Provide logistical support to Fellows prior to and after their arrival in the UK.
• Coordinate with regional exam centres to facilitate IELTS or equivalent fee waivers for Fellows.
• Collect and interpret regional intelligence to inform Fellowship Programme advice and guidance.
• Write and send official documents to Fellows.
• Develop relationships with universities and other partner organisations.
• Conduct due diligence on Fellows’ documents and risk.
• Assess Fellows’ suitability for academic placements and liaise with experts for their professional opinion.
• Assess Fellows’ English language abilities.
• Attend weekly meetings with the team.
• Support Fellowship Programme with ad hoc responsibilities.

Visa Advice & Guidance

• Liaise closely with Fellows and hosting universities on visa related issues (Student and Temporary Worker (GAE) visas).
• Liaise with independent legal advisors where necessary.
• Research and update visa guidance to reflect changes in complex immigration regulation.

Managerial Support

• Provide advice and guidance to Fellowship Programme Assistants
• Contribute to Fellowship Programme policy changes and decision-making.

Finance

• Make payments to Cara Fellows and non-Fellowship related payments.
• Document financial transaction records.
• Record all financial and in-kind support from universities and other partner institutions.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Assist new arrivals with handover to the Active Fellows’ Team.
• Record and report on the efficacy of IELTS or equivalent fee waivers to relevant bodies.
• Assist with compilation of reports to funders.

Administration

• Provide support for general enquiries.
• Present and collect data
• Ensure safekeeping of confidential information
• Maintain detailed records of correspondence, documents, and activities.

Project Management

• The Programme Officer will have the opportunity to contribute to the management of internal projects within the Programme.

Responsibilities also include related activities that might arise in relation to the Fellowship Programme as required by the Executive Director or Deputy Director/Fellowship Programme Manager.

Benefits of Role

·       Challenging but rewarding work, always life-changing, sometimes life-saving

·       Competitive salary

·       Team and individual training opportunities

·       Weekly case review meetings with line manager, plus quarterly 1-1 sessions with manager to discuss role and to plan individual professional development

·       Hybrid working, home and office (usually 2 days each week in the office)

·       Eight hours each day Monday – Friday, with flexible working by arrangement around core hours of 10am – 4pm

·       25 days plus Bank Holidays annual leave entitlement

·       8% employer pension contribution

·       Convenient office location at Elephant and Castle, close to Tube (Bakerloo and Northern lines) and bus routes 

Person Specification

Essential

·       Bachelor's degree

• Fluent English (spoken and written).

·       Proactive with a willingness to learn

• Confident and empathetic with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment

·       Keen team player who is ready to support and help colleagues

• Excellent record keeping and attention to detail. 
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Good time management with ability to prioritise and independently work to deadlines.
• Understanding of issues of confidentiality.
• Interest in and commitment to the work of Cara
• Confident use of Microsoft package
• Good knowledge of current global issues.

·       Ability to have difficult conversations

Desirable

• Masters or equivalent experience
• Casework experience
• Arabic language skills are desirable. Other foreign languages (such as Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian and Russian) will also be considered.
• Salesforce/CRM software experience
• Project Management experience.
• Experience in a supporting role with people with lived experience of forced migration