Project & Impact Manager

BACKGROUND 

Magic Breakfast is a registered charity providing healthy breakfasts to children and young people in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn, and expert support to their schools. Over 200,000 children and young people are on roll at Primary, Secondary, ASL / Special Educational Needs Schools and Pupil Referral Units that the charity works with, in disadvantaged areas of Scotland and England. Providing breakfast ensures that children start their school day with the energy and nutrition they need to be able to make the most of their morning lessons.  Magic Breakfast also undertakes research, and campaigns for long-term solutions to end hunger as a barrier to learning.  

This is an exciting time at Magic Breakfast, as we have expanded our team to meet the challenge of ending morning hunger for now, and for good.

JOB PURPOSE 

The Policy and Engagement departmentshapes policy, insights and narrative around child morning hunger to tell the story and present an actionable case for change for children and young people. We work with multiple external sector, public and government stakeholders and within the organisation across all departments to influence decision-makers and shape sector knowledge. We have the benefit of years of delivering free school breakfasts and a robust evidence base for our model’s impact and return on investment. This role is central to our work because as well as influencing and sharing externally it can bring in good practice, new research, and insights to improve and evaluate our own service delivery.

Join us as our Head of Impact and Insights, a pivotal role spearheading a critical team providing sector-leading research, insights, evaluation and social impact measurement.  You will work closely with the Director of Policy & Engagement, to create a new social impact strategy, and translate that into deliverable plans to 

shape and measure that impact. Our social impact strategy will build on our existing evidence base and theory of change for our direct social impact (tackling child morning hunger today) and develop a framework for our systemic social impact (ending child morning hunger for good). Your work will position Magic Breakfast at the forefront of the sector; providing robust and compelling evidence which influences decision making internally and shapes approaches in local authorities, government departments (across Whitehall and devolved administrations), research institutions and the third sector.  

Our ideal candidate will be passionate about both demonstrating and improving social impact; using data, research and insights to provide evidence of what works, challenge what doesn’t and influence political and systemic barriers. It is critical that this role ensures that there is a strong lived experience voice within this evidence, enabling us to be informed by and to champion the voices of the children, young people, families and communities that we serve.

Strong experience and expertise in research, is essential, along with an innate curiosity and well-honed detective skills to unveil the factors that lead to the greatest impact or conversely provide the biggest barriers to success. Experience of managing and overseeing research projects and teams and an understanding of the sensitivity and ethics involved. The right candidate will also enjoy finding different and effective ways of articulating impact, ensuring that the evidence is presented in an engaging, clear and compelling way to a variety of audiences.

There will also be an opportunity to build the team, creating new roles and guiding the shape of the team to achieve our ambitions.

APPLICATION PROCESS

We have a firm commitment to encouraging fairness and diversity in our workforce and we encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority background, who are underrepresented in our organisation.  

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, hr@magicbreakfast.  com

Shortlisitng - W/C 18th March 

First interview – w/c 25 March 

Second interview – w/c 1 April (in person at our London office)

Role offered – Fri 5 April 

Please see Job Description and Person Specification Attached and the Job pack for more information