We’re on the lookout for a School Partnerships Manager
The Literacy Pirates is on an exciting journey of growth, rolling out our innovative learning programmes to reach more children than ever before. We are seeking a motivated, target-driven School Partnerships Manager to lead the recruitment and stewardship of schools into our programmes. In the next five years we want to increase the number of school partnerships from 40 to 150.
This role is ideal for a tenacious sales, marketing, or recruitment expert who thrives on building relationships, closing deals, and meeting ambitious targets. Direct experience working in schools is not essential (though beneficial). You will be confident selling on the phone, presenting to senior leaders, and ensuring excellent partner experiences. The role has the support of an Co-ordinator for around 15 hours per week, as well as some extended support from the rest of the team.
We are holding an Open Evening online
Thur 16th Oct at 5:30pmto give you a flavour of who we are and how we work. This is an informal event for 30mins with no commitment, just a chance for you to get to know us a little more. More details below.
All employees are required to complete an Enhanced DBS check prior to starting work.
Skills & Experience We’re Looking For
You might have some of these skills and experiences and not all. That’s OK. If you know sales and think you’ve got the skills to grow our school pipeline then we’d love to hear from you.
We do not require this role to have specific qualifications and you can also include experience from other sectors or voluntary and lived experience.
The attributes and attitudes we’re looking for are:
Essential
- Proven experience in sales, marketing, or recruitment, with a track record of meeting or exceeding targets.
- Confident selling on the phone and face-to-face, with persuasive communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders.
- Highly organised, able to manage a pipeline, prioritise workload, and work independently.
- Strong written communication skills for proposals, pitches, and follow-up communications.
- Self-motivated, resilient, and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.
- Commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people.
- Commitment to the mission of improving outcomes for children from less advantaged backgrounds.
Desirable
- Experience working in and with schools or in the education sector.
- Knowledge of Salesforce or CRM systems and recruitment/sales processes.
- Experience representing an organisation at events or conferences.
Additional Information
- This role requires an enhanced DBS checkand a strong commitment to safeguarding children and young people.
We welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work.
Role Description
Key responsibilities
- Develop and deliver Literacy Pirates’ recruitment strategy, working to clear targets that align with our organisational growth strategy.
- Proactively identify and pursue new school leads through outbound calls, emails, networking, and events.
- Confidently pitch our programmes to headteachers and senior leaders, both over the phone and in person.
- Manage the Partnership Officer to create a pipeline of prospective schools, tracking progress through a CRM and reporting on success.
- Deliver excellent stewardship and account management, maximising retention and strengthening long-term partnerships.
- Collaborate with the Communications Manager to design and deliver marketing campaigns, digital content, and promotional materials that support recruitment.
- Represent Literacy Pirates at events, conferences, and networking opportunities to raise our profile.
- Work with the wider team to improve systems and processes that support recruitment and partnership management.
- Monitor and evaluate recruitment and retention outcomes, providing regular reporting against agreed KPIs.
- Ensure safeguarding is central to all partnership activity, upholding Literacy Pirates’ safeguarding and data protection policies at all times.
Benefits of Working at The Literacy Pirates
- Be part of a committed, inclusive organisation that supports its team to thrive.We value each member of our team’s professional development and provide training to make sure you have the chance to develop your skills and grow your experience as part of our expanding team.Click herefor more information about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
- Request flexible and home-working arrangements.We know how important your personal life is, so every member of the team is able to apply for flexible and home-working arrangements around their delivery commitments.
- Receive enhanced sick, maternity, paternity and adoption pay, with supportive parenting arrangements.Your family is important and we are committed to supporting our you as a parent, which is why we go above and beyond our statutory responsibilities.
- Take a mental wellness day. Staying well means looking after our mental health and physical health so, rather than taking a sick day, a mental wellness day acknowledges that sometimes we can feel overwhelmed, not quite ourselves and we need time out.
- Takea career break. After four years with The Literacy Pirates, you can take sabbatical leave to pursue personal development or time with your families, and come back to work without needing to end your contract.
- Gain 24 hour access to qualified counsellors for yourself and your immediate family.Through theHealth Assured Employee Assistance Programme, yourself and your immediate family can receive free, confidential advice and support from qualified counsellors, on everything from stress and anxiety to family issues, bereavement and finances.
- Save up to 39% on a commuter bike and accessories throughThrough our partnership with Cyclescheme, you can get a bike for work with payments automatically taken from your monthly salary and no upfront payments. This means you’ll be able to spread the cost over 12 months and pay less Income Tax and National Insurance.Cyclescheme.
- Get time during work hours to volunteer.As an organisation that relies on the passion and generosity of volunteers, we know how valuable volunteering is. We offer all employees 14 hours of volunteering time per year, which you can take by the hour or in one go, so that you can support issues and causes that you care about.
- Receive 23 days of annual leave per year, plus bank holidays and the days between Christmas and New Year, and increased allowance with service.
- Get 8% pension contributions, with 3% paid by The Literacy Pirates.
- Get to work in a pirate ship!
How to apply
To apply for the position, complete our online application form by 12 noon, Mon 27th Oct 2025.
Depending on volume of applications, initial phone interviews may be held on Tue 4th Nov.
If you are successful, you will be invited to an online interview on Mon 10th and Tue 11th Nov.
Final candidates will be invited to an in person interview at our Hackney Ship in Dalston on Mon 17th Nov.
To find out more about Literacy Pirates and the role, come to our informal, virtual open evening on the 16th Oct, from 5:30-6pm.
Open evenings do not form part of the recruitment process. To book, contact ahoy@literacypirates.org
All employees are required to complete an Enhanced DBS check prior to starting work. You can see our policy on employing those with a criminal record here.
If you need to take time from work or pay for childcare to attend interviews, we are happy to compensate you for you. We share more details about how to do that if you are invited to interview.
We’re committed to ensuring our recruitment practices are accessible to and inclusive of all prospective candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments to accessing our recruitment materials or attending interviews, please let us know by emailing or using the Contact Page.