Project Assistant

Organisation SummaryThe Cowrie Scholarship Foundation, established in June 2020 (Charity Number 1191471), was set up to enable talented economically disadvantaged Black British students to attend UK universities by providing full scholarships.  Black British students are found to be under-represented at many of our universities, and individuals from affluent areas are five times more likely than those from deprived areas to attend a high-tariff university ranked in the top third by entry requirements. While many issues are at play in why more Black British students do not enter university – The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation aims to remove one fundamental obstacle – the financial cost of university education. 

The Foundation has already allocated 70 scholarships and maintains a busy annual schedule of activity across partner and scholarship management; fundraising, communications and governance. The charity is led by the founder, Professor Richard Oreffo, and the Trustees, with the support of a freelance Project Manager.Job Description

The Project Assistant role is offered on a consultancy (freelance) basis, initially on a 6 month contract with opportunity to extend a further 6 months; possible renewal to follow.  This represents an incredible opportunity for someone to be involved in a very active, transformational education charity, working across multiple partnerships to help shape and create new futures for disadvantaged Black British university students. 

Key targets for the role are:

1. Support the founder and Project Manager with day-to-day administration of the charity;
2. Support the Project Manager in the operations of the charity, including in fundraising, events, and Scholar and partner collaboration and working.
3.  Support the founder, trustee board and Project Manager to develop strong relationships with core university and business partners, ambassadors, supporters, Scholars, alumni, and Friends of Cowrie ( see https://cowriescholarshipfoundation.org/who-we-are/ );
4. Support with marketing and communications, including social media planning and scheduling; 
5. Support the running of the mentoring programme for Cowrie Scholars https://cowriescholarshipfoundation.org/become-a-mentor/ ;
6. Liaising with universities and corporate partners to share opportunities and information.

About You

• You will be looking for a challenging and demanding role as a project officer and administrator in a fast-paced charity.
• You will have at least 3+ years’ demonstrable experience in a comparable role in the charitable or corporate sector, and you will be motivated and passionate to achieve our aims as we are. 
• Experience in the Higher Education sector is desirable but not essential.
• Demonstrable familiarity with Gmail and Google Drive, charity CRM databases (Beacon CRM or similar experience desirable) is essential, and social media scheduling would be an advantage. A short 10-15 minute practical evaluation will be included in the interview.
• The ability to be proactive, a motivated self-starter, have discretion and be organised is essential.
• We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. 

About the role:The role is offered on an initial basis of 6 months’ probation to be upgraded to a year, with the opportunity to renew.A weekly commitment of 10 hours per week will be paid at £22/hour. Times worked will be negotiable, but it is hoped that some key hours could be worked on a Thursday to support the founder. 

The role is virtual and the successful candidate will provide all their own working equipment, including a computer and office space. Annual opportunities to meet up with the board in person and scholars at a fundraiser annually will be available, but attendance for the Project Assistant is not mandatory. 

Key tasks:

Administration / Governance 

1. Day to day running of the charity’s ‘virtual’ office (email / Microsoft Office / Beacon CRM database / Google Drive).
2. Managing correspondence and email flagging and filing.
3. Point of contact for online storage / filing and retrieval of documents.
4. Setting dates for trustee meetings and updating board papers.
5. Prepare board notes for regular board meetings.
6. Support the Project Manager and founder with any other project tasks.

Partner Management 

1. Ensure regular communications are sent to Scholars and universities as required.
2. Ensure Cowrie donors (businesses and individuals) are kept up-to-date with progress.
3. Manage administration with regards to university partnerships and annual student intake.

Communications and EventsSupport the marketing communication sub-group of the Board; elements will include:

1. Assist with coordinating a range of events each year including annual summer events and the annual student festival.
2. Handling and supporting with press / external enquiries for Professor Richard Oreffo.
3. Assist with implementing planned content through social media to  engage fundraising activities, potential donors, universities and students. 

Consultancy Terms 

1. The role will be paid hourly - initially typically around 10 hours a week as required (will require typically hours on a Thursday) (timings and induction to be agreed) at a rate of £22 an hour on an initial six month consultancy contract with the opportunity, on joint agreement between the Charity and consultant, to extend to a further 6 months and by negotiation thereafter. 
2. Hours – Flexible working hours across the week – with ~3 core hours on a Thursday. Occasional early evening board meetings (~2 hours, 3 times per year).
3. Location – work from home with regular meet ups with members of the board by MS Teams/Zoom and occasional UK meet up F2F as events allow/required (travel expenses will be covered on top of hours worked). 
4. Must have access to own computer, appropriate software (MS Office etc.) and phone. 
5. Please note this is a freelance opportunity and as such, will require the successful individual to manage their own tax, national insurance, invoicing and associated activity upon entering a contract for services with the Charity.

How to ApplyPlease provide a cover letter detailing how your demonstrable experience aligns with The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation and our vision/mission, why you feel you would be a good fit for the role, your values and enclose a separate copy of your CV - 2 pages maximum.Please note, to ensure a fair and authentic recruitment process, we ask that all applications are written by the applicant themselves. AI‑generated applications or statements should not be used and will not be considered or acknowledged. We want to understand your own perspective, experience, and motivation for supporting The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation.