Independent Contractor Opportunity: Institute Professional Development Project Lead

Independent Contractor Opportunity: Institute Professional Development Project Lead

Key Details:

Contract Duration: January – June (6 months), 3-5 days per week, term time only

Day rate: £330 per day

Location: Across Trust academies and partner schools (travel required)

Responsible to: Director of Institute

This engagement is offered on a contract for services basis.

Are you an experienced educational leader with a passion for driving system-level change? This is an exciting opportunity to work with Academy Transformation Trust's Institute, a large organisation with an award-winning professional development offer, as we take the next step in shaping how professional development impact is measured and evaluated at scale.

We are seeking a consultant or subcontractor to lead a strategic project that will transform our approach to evaluating professional development across the Trust. This work will be system-leading, influencing improvement priorities and informing future strategy. You'll design innovative methods for measuring impact, engage with research, and collaborate with leaders across our academies to ensure our professional development offer remains cutting-edge and evidence-informed.

Alongside this strategic project, you will also play a key role in supporting delivery of our accredited programmes, including:

• Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
• Early Career Teacher Programme (ECTP)
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)

Your work will include recruitment, mentoring support, quality assurance, and facilitation – helping us maintain the highest standards in professional learning.

Responsibilities

The Institute Professional Development Project Lead will play a pivotal role in delivering and enhancing accredited programmes, including Initial Teacher Training (ITT), National Professional Qualifications (NPQ), and the Early Career Teacher (ECT) Programme. The postholder will also lead a strategic project evaluating the impact of professional development at scale, directly informing Trust-wide improvement priorities. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced educational leader to contribute to the development of colleagues across the Trust and wider educational landscape, while shaping the future direction of professional development.

Principle Duties

Strategic Project Work (Anticipated at 50%)

• Project Leadership
• Lead a significant project evaluating the impact of professional development at scale, incorporating strategic thinking and engagement with current research.
• Generate new ideas and introduce innovative strategies for measuring the impact of professional development, drawing on evidence-informed best practice.
• Collaboration & Feedback
• Collaborate with leaders across our academies to gather feedback on existing professional development impact measures, using surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other innovative approaches.
• Work proactively with academy and Trust leaders to design and implement new feedback mechanisms that enhance the evaluation of professional development at both local and Trust-wide levels.
• Continuously reflect on and refine professional development feedback systems, adapting and iterating approaches in response to stakeholder input and emerging insights.
• Reporting & Recommendations
• Produce comprehensive reports summarising the impact of professional development and the effectiveness of various measures for determining impact.
• Provide recommendations to inform Trust strategy and the future direction of professional development and measures for determining impact, ensuring alignment with wider improvement priorities.

Accredited Programme Delivery (Anticipated at 50%)

• Recruitment & Engagement
• Take an active role in the recruitment of participants for accredited programmes, engaging directly with prospective candidates, and supporting selection processes.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of recruitment strategies for accredited programmes.
• Programme Delivery & Support
• Conduct support visits to trainees and early career teachers, providing tailored feedback and guidance.
• Support mentors, ensuring high-quality mentoring, accuracy of assessments, and effective provision for all trainees.
• Facilitate training sessions and materials, modelling exemplary practice and supporting participant development.
• Quality assure programme delivery against facilitation frameworks, providing detailed feedback and support for facilitators and mentors.

Institute Vision

The Institute is committed to providing world-class, 21st-century learning and professional development opportunities for all colleagues. We champion professional development as a cornerstone of academy improvement, striving to be research-informed and responsive to the needs of our staff and students. You will be expected to embody these values, working collaboratively to ensure that professional development is impactful, innovative and inclusive, whilst being aligned with Academy Transformation Trust priorities. For more information about the ATT Institute please visit our website Welcome to ATT Institute - Academy Transformation Trust

Register your interest

Please email your CV along with a covering letter of no more than one page to no later than midday on 5th December 2025. We reserve the right to amend this deadline, subject to sufficient interest in this role.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role with Cat Rushton, Director of Institute or have any questions before registering your interest, please feel free to contact the Rebecca Gilham via to arrange a convenient time for a conversation.

IR35

The IR35 status of this role will be determined by a formal assessment in line with HMRC guidance. The wording of this advert does not constitute a guarantee of status. Contractors should seek independent advice regarding their tax position. This role does not confer employment rights or benefits (holiday pay, sick pay, pension, etc.).

Safeguarding

The successful applicant will undertake an enhanced DBS criminal record check, and online searches will be carried out in line with KCSIE update 2025.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Temporary

Contract length: 6 months

Pay: £330.00 per day

Benefits:

• On-site parking
• Work from home

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Sutton Coldfield, B73 6AZ