13 Development manager jobs in Greater London

Purpose of the job

The Youth Sector Development Partnership (YSDP) is an ambitious national programme bringing together UK Youth, the National Youth Agency (NYA), TRIUMPH and YPF Trust, alongside national and regional partners, to drive a step-change in the quality, equity and sustainability of youth work across England.

By investing in in workforce development, regional infrastructure, organisational capacity-building and national evidence and influencing, the partnership will create a stronger, more connected and resilient youth sector. At its heart are nine regional partnerships, working collaboratively to develop locally responsive infrastructure and workforce support that reflects the needs of their communities.

The Youth Sector Development Partnership Manager will play a pivotal role in driving the effective coordination, governance and collective performance of this ambitious national partnership. Working across organisational boundaries, they will lead the partnership's operational governance arrangements, bringing together senior stakeholders, regional intelligence and performance information to facilitate effective decision-making, manage risks and maintain momentum towards our shared outcomes. They will deliver key engagement and learning activities across the partnership. And foster a collaborative, accountable and learning-focused partnership culture, ensuring that national and regional partners work effectively together to deliver meaningful, equitable and sustainable change for the youth sector.

Why work at UK Youth?

Every young person deserves a youth worker. UK Youth exists to make that a reality. Our vision is a society that backs every young person - through each spark, struggle and success.

As the UK’s national infrastructure body for youth work, we strengthen and champion a diverse network of youth organisations, unlock investment, shape policy and build the evidence base for what works. At a time of growing need and inequality of access, our work has never been more important.

We are entering an exciting new phase of our strategy - focused on long-term resilience, income diversification and a transformational Capital Appeal to develop Avon Tyrrell as a national centre of excellence for outdoor learning. Joining UK Youth means being part of an ambitious, impact-driven organisation committed to strengthening youth work for generations to come.

Key responsibilities

1. Partnership performance and delivery

• Lead the development of performance reporting, analysing information from national and regional partners to track progress, identify risks and opportunities, and provide clear, actionable insights that support effective operational and strategic decision-making

• Work collaboratively with organisational leads to identify delivery challenges, agree corrective actions and maintain accountability for agreed commitments.

• Monitor interdependencies between programme workstreams, ensuring opportunities for collaboration are maximised and potential gaps or duplication are addressed.

• Leading the delivery of YSDP engagement activities including co-design workshops with regional and national infrastructure organisations and our digital platform to foster collaborative working.

2. Partnership leadership and governance

• Build and maintain effective relationships with senior leaders and delivery colleagues across core, national and regional partner organisations, fostering collaboration, alignment and shared ownership of programme delivery.

• Lead the effective operation of the YSDP Performance & Operations governance group, bringing together partners to support collective decision-making, problem-solving and delivery oversight.

• Plan and facilitate governance meetings, producing high-quality agendas, papers, briefings and action logs that enable informed discussion and decision-making.

• Manage the flow of information and accountability between strategic and operational governance. Ensure decisions, actions and escalations are clearly documented, communicated and progressed across relevant partners.

• Support the development and continuous improvement of partnership governance processes, ensuring they remain proportionate, inclusive and responsive to the needs of an evolving national programme.

3. Monitoring, evaluation, continuous learning and reporting

• Coordinate partnership-wide monitoring, evaluation and learning activity, working with organisational leads and evaluation partners to ensure robust evidence, meaningful performance measures and consistent reporting against YSDP outcomes.

• Bring together quantitative data, qualitative insights and regional intelligence to monitor progress, identify emerging themes and inform programme development and decision-making.

• Lead regional and national Communities of Practice and facilitate learning-focused discussions that encourage reflection, challenge, shared learning and continuous improvement across the partnership.

• Ensure that learning from regional partnerships, delivery partners and young people informs national discussions, programme development and strategic decision-making.

• Coordinate partnership-wide risk, issue and financial reporting, working with partners to monitor performance, agree mitigations, ensure appropriate use of funding and escalate significant concerns through governance structures.

• Produce clear, concise and insightful performance, risk and delivery reports, ensuring timely and effective information flows across governance groups and partner organisations.

Experience we're after

• Experience of managing complex, multi-stakeholder programmes, partnerships or initiatives involving multiple organisations with shared objectives and responsibilities.

• Experience of coordinating or managing governance arrangements involving senior leaders, including preparing high-quality reporting, facilitating meetings and ensuring effective follow-through on decisions.

• Experience of managing programme performance across multiple delivery partners, organisations or workstreams, including the development and coordination of performance reporting and risk management processes.

• Experience of synthesising complex qualitative and quantitative information into clear reporting, insights and recommendations that inform decision-making.

• Experience of working within the youth, voluntary or wider civil society sector, particularly in sector development, infrastructure or capacity-building initiatives.

• Experience of embedding equity, inclusion, youth participation or community voice within partnership governance and programme development.

What we can offer you

We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:

• Flexible/Agile Working

• 27 days annual leave (24 days + 3 days winter closure) plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)

• Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity

• Other training available in support of your personal and professional development

• Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)

• Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary

• Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally

• 20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.

• IT equipment provided for the duration of contract

• CycleScheme and TechScheme

How to apply

If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.

Closing date: 22nd November 2026 at 23:59

Interview Dates: W/C 1st December

As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.