Play Consultant (OPAL Mentor)

Play Consultant (Outdoor Play and Learning Mentor)

Application closing deadline: Monday 19th October (noon).

Company: OPAL Mercia Ltd

Role title: OPAL Mentor

Contract type: Permanent, subject to six-month probation and successful completion of training.

Hours: Full-time | 40 hours / 5 days per week*

Salary: £40,000 per annum with 40 days' annual holiday entitlement (inclusive of bank holidays)

*Consideration of part-time for the right candidate

Location: Home-based (remote), with extensive regional travel** across our South Coast territory (covering Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Hampshire, and surrounding South Coast areas).

**While our target policy limits travel to 1.5 hours per school, candidates should expect occasional journeys of up to 2.5 hours while we actively expand our school network across the region.

Can you inspire schools and communities to make outdoor play important?

Can you mentor, engage and train primary school staff to put children’s play front and centre? Our work is expanding fast, and if this work excites you, do get in touch!

Why does OPAL Mercia Ltd do what we do?

One in five children spends no time playing outside on an average day. For many children, playtime at school is the ONLY time they play outdoors with friends. Children spend up to 20% of their time at primary school playing, yet many schools lack a strategic approach to outdoor play. Through delivering the OPAL Primary Programme, we aim to make this 20% 100% better!

OPAL Mercia Ltd's mission is to change that!

In 2022, OPAL Mercia Ltd joined the growing UK and global network of organisations offering the Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Primary Programme©. The OPAL Primary Programme© is an 18- to 24-month strategic school improvement programme designed to help school leaders train staff and set up the infrastructure needed to offer children engaging, fun, and challenging play opportunities.

OPAL Mercia Ltd is an educational consultancy that provides outdoor play and learning services and products to educational institutions, primarily mainstream primary schools. It is a structured approach to school improvement, play theory, and a trial-and-error approach to working with ambitious and innovative school leaders.

We have learned that the need to play and the fundamentals of a good play environment are universal, but an organisation's ability to meet children's needs depends on its values and priorities, and its willingness and capacity to change.

Our goal is that, regardless of gender, race, ability, or location, every child should have access to outstanding play opportunities every school day of their lives. We’d love you to become part of this story and work with us to realise this vision.

We are based in Suffolk and work directly with schools across the Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and the South Coast region.

The role & territory

OPAL’s mission is to ensure “Every child has an amazing playtime, every day without exceptions” - we are looking to recruit a new mentor to play a key role in helping achieve this.

Ideally, you will have a background in playwork, education, youth work, community development, or related children’s services. You must be an excellent communicator, skilled at mentoring, presenting, facilitating workshops, and with a flair for persuasion. A sound understanding of playwork theory and children’s services is not essential, but you would be expected to become an expert quickly and to keep developing your playwork understanding across all aspects of schools and community services.

This is not simply a training role, nor is it about installing playground equipment. As an OPAL Mentor, you will work alongside school leadership teams over an extended period, helping headteachers, OPAL leads, and staff overcome barriers, manage risk and benefit, introduce loose parts play, and embed new ways of working to transform play in the primary schools you work with.

We are looking to expand our team to cover the growing demand across our franchise. You won’t be alone - whilst the role involves significant independent work, you will join a team of seven mentors and a large OPAL peer-to-peer network.

You will manage an active portfolio of up to approximately 48 primary schools (pro rata for part-time) on a rolling 2-year basis across different stages of their OPAL journey, starting around 24 new schools each year.

• Territory: The role is home-based (remote), with extensive field travel across our South Coast region including Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, South Hampshire, and coastal stretches (e.g., Guildford, Crawley, Horsham, Chichester, Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne). School allocations aim to minimise travel time from your home where possible, but you'll need flexibility across the region.
• Core Responsibilities:
• Conduct school visits, mentoring, training, playtime observations, audits, and reviews to support long-term organisational change.
• Mentor headteachers and senior leadership teams through strategic and cultural shifts aligned with HSE health and safety guidance.
• Deliver engaging whole-school staff workshops, governor briefings, and assemblies.
• Mentor lunchtime supervisors and play teams directly on the school playground/field.
• Contribute to quality assurance, reaccreditations, networking events, and regional school recruitment.
• Complete full mentor training, led by experienced mentors, alongside self-initiated & team CPD.

Who might this role suit?

There is no single route to becoming a great OPAL Mentor. We particularly value candidates who combine warmth and credibility with the confidence to challenge, building trust while clearly addressing practice that needs to change for the benefit of not just the learners, but the staff too.

You might be:

• A teacher, senior school leader, or play coordinator who wants to apply your experience across a wider network of schools.
• Coming from playwork, outdoor learning, Forest School, youth work, or children's services with strong experience in facilitating adults and leading change.
• Experienced in OPAL already, or bringing transferable skills from another setting (direct OPAL experience is valuable, but not essential).

Safeguarding

OPAL Mercia Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. This role involves regular work in schools and requires an enhanced DBS check, annual safeguarding training, satisfactory references, and our safer recruitment checks.

Application closing deadline: Monday 19th October (noon).

Interviews will take place online for all shortlisted candidates on either Thursday 22nd, Friday 23rd October or, if preferred, Monday 26th October (time TBC).

How to apply

We do not assess candidates on traditional CVs or standard cover letters alone. Instead, we test for real-world communication, clarity, and capability from day one.

To apply for this role, please follow these three steps:

Step 1: Complete the application form

Access the job description and application form via the external link.

Step 2: Record your 3-minute video

Record a single video of no more than 3 minutes answering the three prompts below; e.g., on your phone, Loom and shared via YouTube, Vimeo, a Google Drive link, or Wetransfer are all fine; whatever is easiest for you. If you use YouTube, set it to "unlisted" so only people with the link can see it.

Step 3: Complete your application

Download the application form, complete it, and email it to joe@opalcic.org with the subject line:

OPAL MENTOR APPLICATION - SOUTH COAST. You're welcome to attach a CV as well, but please don't use it in place of the form. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Video submission prompt for applicants

Instructions for applicants:

Please record a single, unedited video of no more than 3 minutes. Speak naturally to camera. We want to see your authentic communication style, energy and presence. We’re not judging your camera work; you can shoot this on your phone.

Answer these 3 points in your video:

1. Your passion: Why does high-quality outdoor play, loose parts, and risk-benefit in primary schools matter to you personally?
2. The "Sceptic" elevator pitch: Imagine you are meeting a Headteacher in West Sussex who says: "Our parents worry about mud and scraped knees, and my staff worry about HSE compliance regarding health & safety." How do you respond in 45 seconds to reframe the value of the OPAL programme and reassure them using the HSE Higher Level Statement on Children's Play and Leisure - Promoting a Balanced Approach?
3. Change management: Briefly share one real-world experience where you successfully facilitated adults, managed resistance, or guided a team through cultural change.

Questions about the role

If you would like to ask a question or request an informal conversation before applying, please email joe@opalcic.org. Please include your name and telephone number, a brief indication of anything you would particularly like to discuss, and the days and times when you are generally available to be contacted.