2024-83 Programme Lead (NEART Schools Programme)

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Programme Lead will work as a member of the Youth Mental Health Promotion Team in Jigsaw. They will play a key role in leading the development, implementation and monitoring of NEART, Jigsaw’s 3-year programme of work to provide wellbeing and mental health supports for post-primary schools, in collaboration with the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)/ Department of Education. The successful candidate will require a strong understanding of the post-primary school setting and the wellbeing curriculum and have at least 3 years’ experience in supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools/other education settings. A core feature of the role will involve leading on the development of a broad range of programmes, supports and resources for post-primary schools to build schools’ capacity to promote and support mental health across the whole school community. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with the Mental Health & Wellbeing Coordinator, Clinical Lead and eLearning Lead to design and deliver all NEART programme components. As a proactive self-starter, they will be a creative and persuasive communicator with a strong focus on developing and maintaining sustainable relationships with a wide range of internal and external audiences, in line with Jigsaw’s vision to bring about an Ireland where every young person’s mental health is valued and supported. 

Please Note: This position is on is a full time, fixed term basis, with the contract due to end on 2nd July 2027.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the development and implementation of Jigsaw’s suite of supports, resources and programmes for post-primary schools. 
• Work collaboratively with NEPS/Department of Education and other relevant national partners in the deployment of Jigsaw’s programme of supports, ensuring that they complement other relevant supports available to post-primary schools nationally. 
• Work collaboratively with the eLearning Lead to co-create eLearning courses and training for school leaders, teachers, school staff and parents. 
• Work in partnership with the Clinical Lead (Schools) to develop and deliver a broad range of online and in-person training opportunities for teachers, school staff and parents.  
• Collaborate with the Youth Voice and Engagement Team to ensure that youth voice is central to our work with schools.  
• Collaborate with key national partners to ensure that the voice of parents/guardians informs relevant programme components for parents/guardians. 
• Develop an annual work plan for the NEART programme, identifying actions, deliverables and annual KPIs. 
• Monitoring the engagement and participation of schools in Jigsaw’s programme of work nationally. 
• Produce written reports and presentations on this programme of work quarterly, annually and/or as required for Jigsaw’s Senior Management Team, the Education Subcommittee and NEPS/ Department of Education. 
• Stay current with national and international research and evidence on wellbeing and youth mental health education, promotion and training and ensure that Jigsaw’s programme of supports and resources is informed by evidence and best practice.  
• Participate as a member of the wider Jigsaw team in team meetings and other relevant fora. 
• Carry out other duties upon request by the organisation in fulfilment of Jigsaw’s vision, mission and strategic priorities.  

Requirements

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Essential Criteria: 

• A third level degree or master’s qualification in health promotion, education (specifically post-primary), guidance counselling or an allied health profession (psychology, mental health nursing, social work, occupational therapy, psychotherapy). 
• Ability to demonstrate experience of employing core competencies and skills e.g. knowledge of mental health and wellbeing concepts and principles, influencing change, advocacy, partnership working, leadership, communication, needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. 
• Minimum of 3 years’ work experience in a role where mental health & wellbeing promotion in relevant education settings was a key responsibility. 
• Strong project management skills and previous experience of managing large scale projects. 
• At least 3 years’ experience of developing and delivering education and training programmes and initiatives in relevant health promotion or education settings, i.e. where programme development, training and facilitation (online and in-person) was a key part of your role. 
• Ability to manage and prioritise own workload and the skills to lead, plan, manage and review a comprehensive, evolving programme of work and to work to tight deadlines in a dynamic changing environment.  
• Excellent attention to detail and experience of developing educational content (e.g. training manuals, webinars, webpages, social media, toolkits), particularly in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing. 
• Experience of deploying a wide variety of presentation, training and facilitation techniques to ensure best learning outcomes for participants. 
• Understanding of the wellbeing curriculum and classroom-based approaches and a working knowledge of the national policy context for wellbeing in post-primary schools, in particular, the Department of Education’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice. 
• Ability to produce work plans and progress reports for Jigsaw’s Senior Management Team, Education Subcommittee and NEPS/Department of Education. 
• Ability to establish, facilitate and maintain collaborative working relationships with a broad range of national stakeholders and organisations. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate and work with a range of audiences from a variety of backgrounds. 
• Genuine passion for working with young people, addressing their mental health and influencing change in Irish society in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing. 
• Full, clean driving licence & access to a car. 

 
Desirable criteria: 

• Understanding of the issues which impact on the mental health and wellbeing of young people in post-primary schools and an understanding of mental health promotion in the post-primary education setting. 

• Experience of working with principals, teachers, students and parents as part of a whole-school approach. 

• Ability to meet strict deadlines and targets. 

• Able to work independently as well as part of a team, and the ability to prioritise a variety of tasks.  

• High tolerance for complexity and change and an ability to flourish and adapt in a dynamic change environment. 

• Reliability, flexibility, and commitment. 

• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. 

Benefits

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Factors taken into account in determining an appropriate scale include the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications relevant to the job.

The full salary range for this role is €56,000- €81,120 per annum.

Jigsaw operates the following benefits for its employees

• Defined contribution pension scheme.
• Annual leave 25 days, exclusive of public holidays and 1.5 company days.
• Comprehensive annual CPD schedule
• Discounted Group Health Insurance Scheme

• Travel pass Scheme/ Bike to Work Scheme
• Financial support for further education
• Flexible Working

Please note

• The closing date for applications is 4pm, Wednesday 4th December 2024. Interviews are due to take place on Tuesday, 10th December in our National Office in Pearse Street.

• Application is by online application form only & CVs will not be accepted. Please complete all fields of the application form. Incomplete application forms will not be considered.
• The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 

• As Jigsaw’s programme of work with schools will be deployed nationally, this role will require some travel for work and a willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends, as required. 

• As this is a national role, the post holder will be required to participate in regular in-person team meetings in order to maximise collaborative working with others on the team. Presence in National Office at other times many also be required (e.g. Mental Health Promotion Department meetings, National Office Team meetings, etc.). 

• All Jigsaw staff members are required to obtain Garda clearance as a condition of their initial and continued employment. 

• Jigsaw is an Equal Opportunities Employer. 

• All documentation received by Jigsaw will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR; 2018). The information will only be used by Jigsaw in the processing of job applications and for ongoing administrative purposes with job candidates. 

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