Awards Strategy and Operations Officer

Overview
At the heart of Cambridge’s global academic community is the Cambridge Trust, a charity driven by a simple but powerful mission – to open doors to the University of Cambridge for talented students from across the world, whatever their circumstances.

By partnering with organisations worldwide, the Trust offers the largest number of scholarships to international students ry year we help around 400 applicants pursue their dreams, awarding scholarships that support study in any subject, at any of the University’s 31 Colleges.

In our 40-year history we have transformed over 22,000 lives from 150 countries, providing both full- and part-scholarships that honour academic excellence and make education accessible to those facing financial or other access barriers.

By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to help unlock human potential and enable the brightest minds to thrive at one of the world’s greatest universities.

The Trust is in an exciting period of defining, developing and communicating its strategy for the next 5+ years, building on the outputs of the Trust’s Strategic Review in 2024.

The Trust is shaping its strategy in relation to the following broad dimensions:

• delivering a diverse yet structured portfolio of award programmes leveraging existing partnerships and cultivating new.
• understanding and shaping the Trust’s niche role in contributing to a positive scholar experience from the point of application for funding to the point of completion of studies and graduation.
• capturing, measuring and communicating the Trust’s impact at the level of individuals, the University and global society.
• designing and delivering creative reporting dashboards to communicate effectively the scale and range of the Trust’s awarding activity.
• developing a multi-year business plan to underpin delivery of the Trust’s strategic ambitions for current and future beneficiaries.

This role, offered on a fixed-term basis initially, would suit a skilled generalist and enthusiastic individual with a strong interest in the higher education and charity sectors. The role provides a great opportunity to contribute at both strategic and operational levels, supporting the Trust as it navigates a period of transition and change. The role holder can expect to develop new skills and gain valuable experience in this impact-focussed organisation with a broad and global reach.

Reporting to the Director (Awards) and working especially closely with the Awards Team, the role holder can expect to take on a broad range of responsibilities including:

• Researching the size and shape of scholarship programmes at higher education institutions and
  other scholarship providers, nationally and internationally, and identifying potential
  opportunities for the Trust to address underserved communities.
• Contributing to the Director’s (Awards) work to develop or enhance new or existing scholarship
  programmes, and to define and shape the Trust’s portfolio of scholarships along thematic lines.
• Researching and drafting examples of guidelines such as a Code of Practice for Scholarship
  Providers at Cambridge or formal agreements such as scholarship service level agreements as
  used in other organisations. Developing template agreement options working with the Awards
  management team.
• Participating in Trust-wide project work. Examples might include:
• developing and enhancing the Trust’s database and improving data quality.
• reorganising the Trust’s digital file management arrangements.
• identifying opportunities for greater automation in pre- and post-award activities.
• liaising with stakeholders and identifying, developing and updating relevant quantifiable
  and qualitative metrics to communicate the Trust’s work to key stakeholder
  communities.

• Contributing to business-as-usual activity across pre- and post-award tasks including:
• long- and short-listing for specific scholarship programmes in accordance with current
  memoranda of understanding and Trust selection and awarding principles and policies.
• preparing award offer letters.
• supporting matters relating to scholar payment processes.
• responding to…