Project Coordinator

The IOP exists to help physics and the physics community deliver on their potential for our lives, our society, our planet.

Together with our members and leaders from the world of physics and beyond, we have identified three priorities of Skills, Science and Society which must shape our work over the next five years if we are to achieve our mission.

We are very proud of our new innovative strategy, please click here to find out more information about our strategy, our priorities and our principles.

The Institute of Physics (IOP), in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and Science Made Simple (SMS), is seeking a proactive and highly organised Project Coordinator for a fixed period until 31st March 2028 to support delivery of the Boosting Science Education in Wales initiative, funded by the Welsh Government s Curriculum for Wales Grant.

This three-year project aims to address the shortage of physics and chemistry practitioners in Wales by improving science teaching and learning outcomes across primary and secondary schools.

What is it like working at the IOP?

The IOP is a friendly and ambitious organisation. Inclusion and diversity are central to our work and we have a work anywhere policy to make working at the IOP as flexible as possible. Looking after our colleagues and supporting them in life and work is our priority, ensuring they can live their best lives, with competitive salaries, professional development opportunities and generous benefits.

Our comprehensive benefits package including:

• An excellent pension scheme - (up to 12% company contribution)
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, dental insurance, health care cash plan (via salary sacrifice) eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards, employee assistance programme
• Floating bank holidays (choose where to take your bank holidays throughout the year)
• Generous annual leave (25 days starting as a standard)
• Flexible working and much more!

The Role

The Project Coordinator will play a key role in ensuring the smooth running of the project by providing coordination, administrative, and communication support across the three delivery partners, Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry and Science Made Simple.

What will I be doing?

• Coordinating and delivering events across Wales, including professional learning days, workshops, forums, and online sessions ensuring smooth logistics, bookings, communications, and on-the-day support.
• Supporting project communications, including updating webpages and social media, drafting newsletters, and promoting opportunities to schools and stakeholders.
• Managing practitioner bursaries, tracking applications and coordinating payment processes.
• Coordinating partner meetings, including scheduling, preparing papers, minute-taking, and monitoring follow-up actions.
• Maintaining accurate data and reporting, ensuring compliance with GDPR and supporting monitoring of project impact.
• Liaising with venues, suppliers, schools, and stakeholders to ensure high-quality delivery, accessibility, and strong engagement across Wales.

Projects you work on may include:

• Secondary and Primary Science Days, large-scale national events bringing together practitioners for hands-on workshops and professional learning.
• Steps into Science primary workshops, sessions that help primary practitioners build confidence with practical science.
• Welsh Physics Teaching Network, a programme of support featuring coaching, mentoring, physics forums, and resource round-up sessions for practitioners across Wales.
• Inclusion & Equity Network activities, supporting networks focused on Science Capital, equitable practice, and practitioner collaboration.
• Thinking, Doing, Talking Science training, evidence-based professional learning for primary practitioners.
• Teach Chemistry workshops and networks, including practical chemistry sessions, live online courses, and the Welsh Chemistry Teaching Network.
• Practitioner and technician bursary scheme, administering and tracking bursaries to widen access to professional learning.
• Bilingual resource development and promotion, supporting creation and dissemination of teaching materials, including those hosted on Hwb.

Who will I work with?

The role will work closely with colleagues across the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and Science Made Simple, while developing strong relationships with schools, practitioners, technicians, venues, suppliers, and wider education stakeholders across Wales to ensure effective coordination, seamless delivery, and consistent engagement throughout the project.

Ideally, we hope you ll apply if your skills include:

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience in project administration or coordination, ideally within education, Events, or the public/charity sector
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with attention to accuracy and tone.
• Confident in using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and online collaboration tools
• Experience coordinating events and liaising with external stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues across multiple organisations and tocontribute to a positive, team-oriented culture
• A proactive and flexible approach, with strong problem-solving and interpersonal skills
• Willingness to travel across Wales and occasionally work evenings or weekends to support events

Nice to have

• Experience coordinating education or outreach projects.
• Welsh language skills are desirable to support bilingual communications across the project
• Experience managing social media accounts and creating engaging content.
• Familiarity with CRM systems or data management tools.

The Institute of Physics is an open and inclusive organisation that welcomes and celebrates diversity. We know that not every candidate fits into a neat little box, and that's okay! So, even if your experience looks a little different from what we ve identified but you believe you d bring passion, creativity, and a willingness to learn, we d love to learn more about you!

Application

Alongside your CV, please ensure you include a cover letter stating how you meet the person specification.

How will I be working / Where will I work?

The project coordinator will work in a hybrid way, with flexibility to work from home, at the IOP s Cardiff office and the offices of our project partners as required (all partners are Cardiff based). This role will also involve travel across Wales to support events, meetings and project delivery.

The Institute of Physics is an inclusive employer and our people are at the heart of our approach to delivery. Following the impact of COVID-19, we have developed a new, innovative and exciting trust-based model of flexible working called How We Work. This empowers our staff to deliver the goals of the organisation, acknowledging that there will be occasions where in-person meetings, collaborations and events will help generate greater impact. The How We Work initiative is based on the principles of collaboration, trust, flexibility and agility.

Why should I want to work for the IOP?

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland - we seek to raise public awareness and understanding of physics and support the development of a diverse and inclusive physics community. As a charity, we re here to ensure that physics delivers on its exceptional potential to benefit society. There s never been a more exciting time to join the IOP - watch our film to find out more about our work.

To apply for this role please click the link below, best of luck with your applications!

We recognise personal unique characteristics, should you require any reasonable adjustments to support you in your application and/or throughout the recruitment process please do not hesitate to reach out to us for support.

The Institute of Physics is an open and inclusive organisation that welcomes and celebrates diversity.