Maternity Cover - Programme Lead (International)

Maternity Cover | Common Mission Project

Contract: Fixed term, approximately 13 months, to cover maternity leave. The exact end date will depend on when the postholder returns.

Hours: Full time. We are open to 4 days a week

Start date: Early January 2027

Reports to: Director of Programmes

Location: Hybrid. Home working, with one day a week in London and ad hoc travel to partner universities, with the possibility of occasional travel to Europe.

Salary: £38,000 to £40,000 per annum, depending on experience

About Common Mission Project

The Common Mission Project (CMP) is a registered UK charity that delivers Mission Driven Entrepreneurship through university education programmes. Our courses are based on the Lean Launchpad method: students work in teams on real problems from government, defence and other mission-driven organisations, in fast-paced modules taught at universities across the UK and Europe.

About the role

We are looking for someone to cover our Programme Lead (International) during her maternity leave, keeping our European partnerships and university programmes running smoothly.

Your priorities will be international programme delivery and managing a portfolio of university partners.

You will also support communications and our alumni community, working alongside the wider team.

You will have up to six weeks’ handover with the current postholder.

You will work closely with our Hacking for Defense (H4D) Europe Lead and the wider team, in a small charity where structures and processes are still developing.

What you will own

International programme delivery

• Project manage our European contracts through preparation, delivery and evaluation, coordinating the wider team’s work to meet contractual obligations.
• Lead onboarding and delivery for active and new European university partners.
• Plan schedules, timelines and task allocation for each international programme, planning ahead for the busy peaks in the European calendar.
• Adapt course content and marketing materials for each new partner, with support from the team on our learning management system.
• Act as the main administrative contact for international partners, and support the H4D Europe Lead with partner conversations and proposals.
• Keep clear records of the international pipeline and delivery progress.

University partner portfolio

• Manage relationships with a portfolio of university partners: resolving queries, visiting universities and checking quality through post-programme reviews and surveys.
• Support educators and student teams, including giving feedback.
• Help source and prepare the real-world problems students work on, including briefing the organisations that provide them.

What you will support, alongside the team

• Communications: LinkedIn and social media, our quarterly newsletter, blogs, case studies and the website.
• Educator training: administration and delivery of our course for university educators, and our pool of guest lecturers.
• Alumni: our alumni community and events.

Across the team

CMP is a small charity. Everyone leads their own area and also helps deliver the charity’s wider work, particularly when colleagues are away, at busy times or when contract deadlines require it. You will also:

• Keep accurate records in our CRM and project management tools (currently Monday.com).
• Maintain and improve the processes and tools in your area where needed.
• Contribute programme evidence to funding bids and impact reporting.

What we are looking for

Essential

• At least three years’ relevant experience in higher education, government or defence, or transferable experience from a comparable setting.
• Experience managing contracts or a multi-site or multi-country delivery portfolio, keeping internal and external stakeholders aligned.
• Strong project management skills: planning work, managing detail and keeping several projects on track under tight deadlines.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with experience of earning the trust of external partners and managing up and across.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including presenting to groups in person and online and writing for senior audiences.
• Confidence with digital tools such as Microsoft Office, Google Drive, Slack and Monday.com or similar project tools.
• The ability to pick up a varied portfolio quickly and make sound decisions independently.

Desirable

• Experience of international programme delivery, particularly in Europe.
• Experience of communications, including social media and newsletters.
• Familiarity with innovation methods such as Lean Startup, design thinking or problem-based learning.
• Experience of developing educational content or using a learning management system.
• Experience of using AI tools or design tools such as Canva.

If you are excited by this role but don’t meet all the points above, we would still encourage you to apply.

How to apply

Please email your CV and a cover letter to arichmond@commonmission.uk (applications made via LinkedIn will not be considered).

CMP is committed to an inclusive culture and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.