Freelance Schools & Programme Coordinator

Dads Kids Club (‘DKC’) exists to improve outcomes for children by increasing the involvement of fathers and male carers in children's learning, development and educational lives.

As part of our current research and development project, we are developing a new delivery model: working directly with schools during the week and running weekend residencies and pop-up activity with cultural and community partners across London.

We are looking for an organised, practical and people-focused freelancer to help us make this work brilliantly.

Freelance rate: £250–£300 per day, depending on experience.

This is a freelance commission rather than a salaried role. Escape the City displays an annualised salary equivalent of £55,000-£78,000, but the successful person will be engaged and paid on an agreed day rate within the range above. Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses incurred for DKC delivery will be reimbursed separately from the day rate.

The initial commission runs to the end of December 2026, with the number and pattern of days agreed in advance around programme needs and delivery dates.

The project

The Schools & Programme Coordinator will help turn Dads Kids Club's plans into a functioning programme of school and weekend activity.

This is a hands-on role combining outreach, project coordination, logistics and some direct delivery.

You will work closely with our Head of Operations and Founder & CEO, while taking ownership of agreed areas of delivery.

Key responsibilities

• Build and manage a clear pipeline of schools, from initial outreach through to confirmed activity.
• Communicate with school staff and coordinate dates, participant information, practical requirements and session logistics.
• Maintain an accurate programme calendar and school/partner tracker.
• Help plan, prepare and co-deliver Dads Kids sessions within schools.
• Coordinate materials, activity equipment, transport and other practical requirements for sessions.
• Support selected school trips, cultural partnerships and weekend Dads Kids residencies/pop-ups.
• Liaise with cultural venues and delivery partners where required.
• Make sure the team has the information, materials and plans needed before each session.
• Support attendance, feedback and evaluation processes so DKC can understand what is working.
• Record learning, operational issues and participant feedback to inform the project's R&D work.
• Maintain clear project records and handovers using DKC's agreed systems.
• Help solve the inevitable practical problems that come with testing something new.
• Help ensure session planning and delivery follows relevant school requirements relating to safeguarding, equipment, materials and activities.

What we're looking for

You will probably have experience in some combination of programme coordination, schools engagement, cultural learning, events, community programmes, education or family activity.

You should be:

• highly organised and reliable
• comfortable communicating with schools, partners and families
• confident coordinating multiple activities and deadlines
• practical and able to solve problems quickly
• comfortable working independently as well as alongside a small team
• confident supporting activities and workshops involving children and families
• comfortable contributing to session delivery rather than only coordinating from behind a desk
• interested in learning, testing and improving how programmes work

Experience working with schools, museums, galleries, cultural organisations or family-learning programmes would be particularly useful. An understanding of, or interest in, father engagement, family learning and the communities Dads Kids Club works with would be welcome.

A full UK driving licence is required, and you should be reasonably comfortable driving in London and using a small van when needed to transport activity materials and equipment. Any driving undertaken for Dads Kids Club must be appropriately insured.

You don’t need to meet every point above. If the role excites you and you think you could do it well, we’d still really like to hear from you.

Safeguarding

Children's safety and wellbeing are central to DKC's work.

The successful freelancer will complete DKC's safeguarding induction and any appropriate DBS or safeguarding checks required for the activities they undertake.

Working arrangements

The project will involve a mixture of remote coordination and in-person activity across London. School and event dates will necessarily take place at agreed times, including some weekend activity.

Outside agreed delivery commitments, the freelancer will have flexibility over how the project work is organised.

The initial contract runs to the end of December 2026. There is no guarantee of further work, although DKC expects its longer-term staffing model to develop as the project progresses.

How to apply

We’ve tried to keep the application simple. Please click apply and submit:

1. Your CV or LinkedIn profile

2. A cover letter and / or a video

• a short cover note (maximum one side of A4), or
• a relaxed 1–3 minute phone video

If applying by video, simply paste a link to it in the application/cover-letter field.

3. Tell us briefly:

• why you’re interested in Dads Kids Club
• what relevant experience you would bring
• what appeals to you about the project
• if relevant, your experience working with schools, children/families or cultural/community programmes

And please confirm:

• that you hold a full UK driving licence
• whether you’re comfortable driving a small van when required
• your general availability to the end of December 2026
• your availability for occasional weekend activity
• your earliest available start date
• that you can travel to schools and venues across London

The video does not need to be polished - a phone video is completely fine. We're interested in your motivation, communication and what you could bring to the project rather than production quality.

Please let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments during the application process.

Application deadline: Friday 6 November at 12 noon.

Applications may be reviewed as they are received, so early applications are encouraged.