About us
The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. We achieve this mission by selecting outstanding scholars from countries outside the UK and providing them with full-cost scholarships to pursue postgraduate degrees in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
Gates Cambridge Scholars become part of a lifelong global community defined by its core value of commitment to improving the lives of others through leadership. Alongside the 250 or so Scholars who are studying in Cambridge at any point in time, there are almost 2000 Scholars in the alumni section of the community, and this number grows every year.
The Gates Cambridge Trust, which was established in 2000 with a generous gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, manages the Scholarship and a programme of events and activities for Scholars. The endowment has grown to £340 million (2022).
At the Trust, we are a small, friendly and diverse group of colleagues who are dedicated to delivering the Gates Cambridge mission while creating a welcoming and enjoyable working environment.
About the role
An exciting opportunity has arisen to help shape the future of the Gates Cambridge Trust and Scholarship.
The Trust and Scholarship will be 25 in 2025 and we want to use this important milestone to look forward. With this aim in mind, we are seeking to appoint an Interim Director on a fixed term contract to work with the Provost and the staff of the Gates Cambridge Trust not only to maintain Gates Cambridge as one of the world’s leading postgraduate scholarship programmes today but also to ensure that it is future ready.
The Role
Special Projects
We will look to you to:
- Drive important initiatives relating to our 25th
- Working closely with the Provost, Director of Finance and other members of the Trust team, develop a plan that will equip us to sustain the success of initiatives launched during the 25th anniversary year.
- Coordinate the successful completion of an existing project to deliver a new IT system for the management of Scholar data.
General Responsibilities
We will look to you to:
- Perform secretariat functions for Trustee board meetings.
- Line manage our Programme, Communications and Global Engagement Teams.
- Act as our Data Protection lead.
- Contribute to the Trust’s work with scholars in residence and alumni scholars, the smooth functioning of the Trust office, and to developing/maintaining good relations with the University, the Gates Foundation and other external organisations.
About You:
The ideal candidate for this role will join us with:
- Recent experience operating at a senior level in the higher education sector.
- Experience of leading the development and delivery of projects in a range of areas, convening and co-ordinating across different activities.
- Experience of managing and bringing the best out of a team.
- A flexible approach to delivery, with the ability to manage and deliver a broad range of activity simultaneously.
- Strong communication skills, able to present information in a way that engages a variety of audiences.
- A collaborative and diplomatic approach.
- A willingness to ‘do’ as much as to manage and lead.
- The ability to take the initiative and work largely without detailed instruction.
- The motivation to contribute meaningfully to the common good.
The Interim Director is a full-time, fixed term contract – 12 or 18 months (subject to a 3 month probationary period) and the salary will be between £66,857-£70,917, depending on skills and experience. The Trust offers a generous package of benefits. We practise a hybrid working model and the successful candidate will be expected to be in the office for a minimum of four days a week (the Trust reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employees).
We are a small, friendly and diverse group of colleagues, who are working hard to deliver the strategic aims of the Trust while creating a welcoming and enjoyable working environment. We welcome applications from individuals who are looking to develop their skills and experience through a secondment opportunity. The Trust actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
Apply
To apply for this role, you must submit a cover letter, CV, names of two references and complete a basic information form. The deadline for applications is midday on Thursday 25 April 2024.
For full details about the role, including how to apply, please see the candidate pack.
Interviews
Interviews are scheduled for the afternoon of Friday 10 May 2024 and will take place at the Trust’s office at Bill Gates Sr House, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge.
Questions
If, after reading the candidate pack, you have any questions, please email jobs@gatescambridge.org.
