Scholar Development Coordinator

About the Avicenna Foundation

The Avicenna Foundation is a scholarship and leadership development organisation committed to advancing the potential of young British Muslims. Through a comprehensive four-year programme combining financial support, coaching, mentoring, Tarbiyyah, and career development, we invest in scholars who have the drive and values to become the next generation of leaders across public life, policy, and civic society. We are a small, ambitious team working at the intersection of faith, education, and social change, and we take seriously the responsibility that comes with that.

We are not interested in maintaining the status quo. The Avicenna Foundation exists to develop principled, ambitious leaders who will shape institutions, influence public life, and redefine what leadership looks like for the next generation of British Muslims. We look for team members who are proactive, intellectually curious, willing to challenge assumptions, and motivated by building something exceptional rather than simply maintaining existing systems.

The Role and Opportunity

The Scholar Development Coordinator sits at the heart of the scholar experience. This is not a desk-based coordination role; it is a people-first position that demands genuine commitment to the growth and wellbeing of young people navigating university, identity, and ambition at the same time. You will be the consistent, trusted presence scholars rely on across all four years of the programme. This role also requires the confidence and judgement to challenge scholars where necessary, encouraging them to think bigger, push beyond self-imposed limitations, and develop the resilience, discipline, and leadership mindset needed to thrive in demanding environments. The successful candidate will believe deeply in developing young people not only through support, but through stretch, accountability, and high expectations. If you are passionate about young adults’ development, believe in the power of pastoral care done well, and want your work to have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young British Muslims, this role will give you the platform to do that.

Role Overview

The Scholar Development Coordinator is the primary point of contact for the scholar community across all four cohort years. This role owns the pastoral, coaching, mentoring, and spiritual welfare infrastructure of the programme, ensuring that each scholar receives consistent, high-quality support throughout their journey. The postholder works closely with coaches, chaplains, and the broader programme team to maintain a coherent and responsive scholar experience. The postholder will contribute actively to building a scholar culture that values ambition, intellectual curiosity, service, courage, and personal responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

Coaching Programme

• Manage the coaching programme across all four cohort years, ensuring session frequency aligns with the annual curriculum matrix (fortnightly in Year 1 through to quarterly in Year 4).
• Maintain relationships with all coaching practitioners, providing briefings, quality oversight, and feedback mechanisms.
• Monitor coach-scholar relationships and intervene where issues of fit, engagement, or wellbeing arise.

Pastoral Welfare

• Operate the three-strike disciplinary framework, maintaining accurate records and ensuring due process at each stage in line with the Scholarship Disciplinary, Suspension and Termination Policy.
• Coordinate the annual Transition Review process, supporting scholars through end-of-year assessments and renewal of Scholar Agreements.
• Act as the first point of escalation for scholar welfare concerns, including academic, personal, and financial difficulties.
• Manage mitigating circumstances processes with appropriate confidentiality and care.

Chaplaincy and Tarbiyyah

• Coordinate the chaplaincy programme in line with the Avicenna Chaplaincy Guidelines, scheduling introductory sessions for Year 1 scholars and ongoing check-ins for continuing cohorts.
• Manage the delivery schedule for Tarbiyyah sessions, including virtual semester sessions, the annual Iftar gathering, and the Hajj reflection session.
• Ensure chaplaincy and Tarbiyyah themes are integrated with coaching content and the wider programme calendar.

Mentoring and Sibling Programme

• Support the matching and onboarding of mentors at the appropriate career stage for each cohort year, from early career through to CEO/Director level.
• Administer the sibling programme for Years 2 and 3, facilitating cross-cohort connections and monitoring engagement.

Leadership Culture and Scholar Development

• Foster a high-expectation scholar culture that encourages leadership, initiative, and personal growth.
• Support scholars in navigating discomfort, challenge, and unfamiliar environments as part of their development journey.
• Identify opportunities to stretch scholars beyond traditional expectations and encourage broader civic, professional, and leadership ambition.
• Contribute ideas and improvements to strengthen scholar engagement, programme culture, and long-term developmental outcomes.

Person Specification

• Experience of working with young people in an educational, pastoral, or young people’s development context.
• Demonstrable understanding of the pastoral and welfare needs of students from underrepresented communities.
• Strong relational skills, able to build trust quickly and maintain professional boundaries.
• Familiarity with Islamic values and the cultural context of the British Muslim community is highly desirable.
• Organised and detail-oriented, able to manage multiple scholar cases simultaneously.
• Demonstrates initiative, sound judgement, and the confidence to challenge constructively where necessary.
• Comfortable working in ambitious, fast-moving environments with high standards and evolving expectations.
• Passionate about developing future leaders and expanding opportunities for young British Muslims beyond traditional pathways.
• Reflective, growth-oriented, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Committed to the mission and values of the Avicenna Foundation.
• We are particularly interested in candidates who are proactive, thoughtful, and willing to challenge conventional approaches in pursuit of better outcomes for scholars and the wider community.
• Successful candidates will be motivated by building something exceptional, not simply maintaining existing processes.

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