We're FIRST UK, an EdTech charity using robots, role models and competitions to make STEM more approachable and inclusive – empowering young people with the technical and life skills to engineer bright futures.

We currently work in over 200 UK secondary schools, where around 44% of our cohort are girls, 37% are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and over 50% are from low-income households. Over 70% now want to pursue a career in STEM. We’re supported by 500+ industry volunteers and backed by some of the world’s leading technology companies. This 3-minute film provides a flavour of what we do.

“It’s easy to see why competitions like this really do help students develop the skills they’re going to need for the rest of their lives. Honestly, I wish I had something like this when I was at school.”
Spencer Kelly, BBC Broadcaster

What we're looking for

An exceptional leader who will deploy a systematic approach to identify, build and retain relationships with educators, employers, and government, which will underpin our growth – whilst ensuring safety, quality, and impact of experience for young people, teachers, and volunteers.

As Delivery Director, you will be the senior leader accountable for two inextricably linked elements:

1. Growth - more schools, teachers, young people, employers, volunteers
2. Scalability - overseeing safe, high-quality, efficient, replicable delivery

You will implement the growth architecture which scales the charity’s impact through:

• Proactive, targeted growth in regional hubs aligned to strategic objectives
• Better, earlier, sustained engagement with schools and educators
• System-level entry points through MATs, educator networks, strategic partners
• Retention mechanisms that embed participation institutionally
• Ownership of quality & impact measures supporting participation, completion, return
• Regional industry partner/employer pipeline building, conversion, stewardship
• Volunteer and alumni community oversight, experience and quality

Your operational tenacity coupled with highly effective relationship building will catapult the charity towards being the UK’s leading industry-linked, robotics-based education and careers accelerator by 2030 – present in over 20% of all secondary schools, impacting thousands of less-advantaged, less represented young people whilst influencing system change.

What you'll get

In addition to a genuinely distinctive mission, making STEM accessible to young people who are too often excluded from it, alongside measurable, evidenced outcomes and a growing profile with funders and media you will get:

• Leadership, autonomy and sense of purpose
• A compelling value proposition and strong operational platform to build on
• A well-defined strategy to execute against
• Sector credibility, positive reputation and relationships to grow
• Competitive salary, benefits in a lean, agile and fast-paced organisation

You will be the leader who takes a charity from start-up mode to a nationally recognised, regionally embedded impact organisation – transforming the outlook for thousands of young people annually.

Requirements

Who might this role suit?

Someone who gets growth and has credible experience owning and scaling a programme, product, or service. You’re systematic in approach whilst appreciating the power of relationships and delivery through others. A sophisticated leader, you motivate, coach and support others to achieve more. You see the challenges and opportunities within a high growth potential organisation and are always ahead of them.

You might already be working in the Education or Third sector looking for your first directorship. Perhaps you’re seeking transition from the commercial or tech sector into a truly purpose-led leadership role. Either way you understand what’s needed to operationalise growth – and are already asking what it means to be ‘More Than Robots’.

Knowledge and experience

You possess:

• Proven track record taking a programme or service and systemising growth through prioritised stages of engagement, pipeline management, conversion and retention.
• Demonstrable experience scaling a programme without diluting quality, impact or safety. Moving an organisation from validated /proof of concept into structured, cumulative, sustainable growth.
• Credibility at C-suite and boardroom level; a confident public representative able to carry FIRST UK’s case at senior education, industry, funder, government and policy forums – comfortable with diverse public speaking/media engagements.
• Experience opening institutional routes into schools through MATs, academy trusts, regional groupings or system-level partners, enabling one relationship to unlock many.
• Experience leading a growing delivery function – all sides. Evidence of defining (and achieving) delivery standards, embedding them across a distributed team, and improving them over time. Comfortable mucking in to improve systems, enhance journeys, interrogate data, deliver events.
• Fluency in monitoring, evaluation and learning. Able to design or commission an outcomes framework, use it to guide programme decisions, and translate it into evidence others can act on.
• Track record leading and developing teams through growth and change in a lean organisation. Building trust, coaching direct reports, handling performance constructively, and maintaining clarity, accountability and morale when priorities shift and capacity is tight.
• Experience working within a regulated youth-facing programme/activity/organisation with safeguarding and risk management as a golden thread. An enhanced DBS check will be required for the post holder, alongside Level 3 Leading on Safeguarding training (which can be completed post-appointment).
• Passion for STEM, diversity, using tech for good

Skills and abilities

You might have:

• Existing network within the UK STEM education or EdTech landscape: schools, MATs, Champion Organisations, sector bodies.
• Understanding of the UK school landscape: how schools buy, engage and retain; how MATs, UTCs, LEAs, and enrichment providers operate (and their devolved nation equivalents) - what makes participation feel supportive rather than additive.
• Experience designing or scaling large volunteer or mentor-matching programmes, particularly employee-engagement models.
• Experience building or scaling a regional, cluster or hub-based operating model, with a view on hub economics, sequenced regional prioritisation, local partner relationships and playbook standardisation.
• Track record helping a charity or social enterprise scale participation while maintaining quality. Building delivery infrastructure in parallel with programme growth.
• Familiarity with the DfE (Department for Education) Standards for Teachers’ Professional Development and with accrediting or commissioning CPD pathways.
• Use of a CRM (Salesforce or equivalent) to manage, forecast and report on pipelines and create actionable data / insights. User of AI and other technologies which achieve more, better, sooner.
• Track record building local employer and industry partnerships. Comfortable making the case for in-kind support and using sponsorship as a downstream by-product.

Values and behaviours

You display:

• Credibility – you’re a leader, you believe in yourself and the mission
• Energy – you’re a radiator, not a drain
• Tenacity – you spot opportunities others miss
• Persistence – you keep pushing against doors until one opens
• Attention to detail – you love a perfectly polished powerpoint or excel
• Empathy - you listen, understand needs, consider perspectives, then act

I'm loving the sound of this is there more I need to know?

If there is, we'll chat about it at the get-to-know stage.

Benefits

Conditions

We don’t talk about benefits; we talk about culture. It’s not how many hours you work or where you work them – it’s what you deliver.

• Competitive salary: £75K - £84K per annum
• 28 days annual leave
• Remote/flexible working
• 3% pension + death in service (4 x annual salary)
• Generous enhanced maternity/paternity
• Staff wellbeing programme

Location

Our team is home-based, coming together regularly to co-work, and deliver events. You should expect to attend a team collaboration day at least monthly, usually in London. This may require an overnight stay dependent on your location. If you can conduct your role effectively and are willing to travel to maximise growth opportunities, you can be based anywhere in the UK.

Process

• Applications via our HR platform Workable
• Submit CV and optional cover letter (no more than 1 page)
• Answer two simple screening questions
• Role closes 2359 on Wed 14 Oct 2026
• Get to Know conversations with CEO w/c 19 Oct
• Panel interviews w/c 26 Oct

The first stage in the process will be a short (up to 40 min) ‘get-to-know’ chat with the CEO. This will be opportunity to ask questions about the organisation, role, share experience, motivations, and explore fit.

Where a potential mutual fit is identified from this conversation, candidates will be invited to a formal interview with the CEO and a Trustee. This will include a short pre-task. The charity hopes to confirm appointment by early November.

Safer Recruitment
To apply you must live in, and have the right to work in the UK. In accordance with our Safer Recruitment Policy, all employees of the charity will be asked for two references which will be conducted by phone and are subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks upon appointment. You can read our Safeguarding Policy here.

Championing diversity in STEM

FIRST UK is committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the young people we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those underrepresented in STEM and in the charity sector. If you share our belief that every young person deserves access to meaningful engineering and technology experiences regardless of their background, we would love to hear from you.

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this or have any questions about the role, please contact us by email - [email protected].