Employability manager jobs in east of england

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Access Interns Programme, a partnership between The Kartik Foundation and Variety, provides disabled young people with meaningful corporate internship opportunities to support their career aspirations. For many disabled young people, accessing work experience can be challenging due to societal barriers, lack of support, and limited opportunities. Access Interns is designed to break down these barriers, ensuring that participants gain valuable work experience, professional skills, and industry connections to help them succeed in their chosen careers.

The Access Interns Programme Manager is responsible for the successful delivery of the ACCESS INTERNS programme, overseeing the internship placement process, employer engagement, and student support. This includes managing the selection process, coordinating placements, ensuring workplace accessibility, and tracking the programme’s impact.

The role also involves working closely with corporate employers to create inclusive work environments, supporting interns throughout their placements, and expanding engagement with schools, employers, and industry leaders to ensure disabled young people have equal access to high-quality career opportunities.

ABOUT VARIETY

In the UK, there are more than 1.3 million disabled children and over 4 million children living in poverty. Variety exists to improve their lives. We believe every child has a right to live their best life and reach their full potential, whoever they are. We fund and deliver life-changing programmes that enhance their quality of life and give children and young people across the UK a better future.

Over the past 75 years we have supported over one million children by funding almost 6,000 Sunshine Coaches, almost the same number of wheelchairs, and giving thousands of grants to individual children, schools, youth clubs and other organisations for specialist equipment.

In addition, each year thousands of children take part in day trips, special events and educational activities as part of our Variety Great Days Out programme and every single day we are improving more young lives. We do it with practical, tangible help, that makes a real and immediate difference.

 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management

· Managing the Access Interns Programme, ensuring it is delivered to a high standard and in line with Variety’s policies and procedures

· Working with the Chief Executive Officer to set annual internship placement targets, manage the Access Interns budget and develop the Access Interns Programme.

· Overseeing the end-to-end process of the programme, from student recruitment and employer engagement to placement coordination and post-internship evaluation.

· Adhering to Variety’s Safeguarding policies and procedures and working with the Head of Programmes, by recognising that interns are vulnerable adults, and taking responsibility for their safety, welfare, and well-being throughout the programme.

· Identifying opportunities to expand and enhance the programme, ensuring it remains impactful, sustainable, and aligned with Variety’s strategic goals.

· Developing guidance materials, training sessions, and workshops to prepare students for internships and support their professional growth

· Working with the Programme’s team to input & manage programme data and reporting.

· Tracking and reporting on Programme Impact and analysing data to ensure continuous improvement.

Logistics and Coordination

· Coordinating interview schedule, employer meeting, and onboarding sessions to facilitate successful placements.

· Managing communication with interns, employers, schools, and other stakeholders, ensuring all parties are well-informed and supported.

· Organising online disability awareness training for corporate employers as part of the onboarding process, ensuring employers understand best practices for supporting disabled interns and creating accessible workplaces.

· Ensuring all necessary documentation, contracts and agreements are completed and maintained in line with Variety’s Policies and Compliance standards.

Budget and Income Generation

· Managing the Access Interns Programme budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and cost control.

· Generating income from the programme, including securing corporate partnerships and funding opportunities to sustain and expand Access Interns.

· Working closely with the fundraising team to assist in converting Access Intern partners into Corporate Donors for Variety’s wider work.

· Working with the Chief Executive Officer to set financial targets and explore additional funding streams.

· Monitoring expenditure, tracking income, and providing financial reports on programme performance.

Student Outreach & Support

· Manage the application and selection process, ensuring fair and transparent recruitment.

· Working closely with students to support their career development, including

- CV writing and cover letter workshops

- Interview preparation sessions

- Professional skills training (e.g. workplace etiquette, communication skills, and confidence-building)

- One-on-one mentoring and guidance

· Provide guidance and support to interns throughout their journey, from pre-placement preparation to post-internship follow-up.

· Responsible for marketing to schools and colleges to increase awareness and participation.

· Ensuring students understand their rights and workplace accommodations, advocating for inclusive and accessible internships.

· Visiting schools and colleges to promote the programme, engage with students, and increase participation from disabled young people.

Employer Outreach & Support

· Building and maintaining strong relationships with corporate employers to ensure a positive and productive experience for employers participating in the programme.

· Acting as the primary point of contact for employers, providing guidance and support throughout the internship process.

· Working with employers to develop meaningful internship opportunities, ensuring placements align with both business needs and student development goals

· Addressing any challenges or concerns that arise during placements, acting as a mediator where necessary.

· Delivering pre-placement briefings for employers, setting expectations and promoting inclusive hiring practices

· Gathering feedback from employers to continuously refine and improve the programme.

Customer Service and Administration

· Working with Operations Team and external partners to devise and deploy scalable on-boarding and internship management systems.

· Providing excellent customer service to applicants and prospective applicants, giving advice and guidance over the phone, in person and via email.

· Collecting and collating impact and monitoring data.

· Providing administrative support for other Programmes depending on workload, capacity and department demand.

Other Duties and Partner Support

· Assisting with events, reporting, and stakeholder engagement related to Variety’s wider mission and partner organisations.

· Collaborating with internal and external teams to support strategic initiatives that align with the goals of the Access Interns Programme.

General Responsibilities

· Negotiate placements and work collaboratively with employers to ensure meaningful learning experiences for interns.

· Applying knowledge of disabilities, relevant laws (e.g. Equality Act 2010), and reasonable adjustments to ensure that both interns and employers receive the necessary support for a successful and inclusive internship experience

· Expand the programme’s employer network, targeting organisations in corporate sectors to enhance placement opportunities.

· To work cross functionally with other departments, regions and countries.

· To achieve the highest standards of safeguarding for the young people who complete a corporate internship by Variety by complying with all appropriate Policies and Procedures.

· Working within Variety’s Data Protection policies at all times.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Essential:

• Proven experience in managing programmes or projects, including planning, delivery, and evaluation.

• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders (e.g., employers, schools, students).

• Knowledge of disability rights, accessibility requirements, and the Equality Act 2010.

• Understanding of safeguarding principles and experience working with vulnerable adults or young people

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly and persuasively.

• Strong ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and priorities effectively.

• Competence in collecting, analysing, and reporting data to measure impact and inform improvements.

• Confident using Microsoft Office and CRM or database systems.

Desirable:

• Delivering or coordinating training sessions for employers or staff.

• Experience managing budgets, monitoring expenditure, and reporting on financial performance.

• Familiarity with employability skills training, CV writing, and interview preparation.

• Experience organising workshops, meetings, or onboarding sessions.

• Ability to promote programmes to schools, colleges, and employers.

• Using impact data to drive continuous improvement.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your CV with a cover letter explaining why you’d make a great candidate for this role. Applications will close on Friday 9th January 2026 at 5pm with interviews taking place week commencing 12th and 19 January 2026.

Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or need any adjustments for the interview.

MAIN BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Location: Variety HQ, Camden Town, London (hybrid working, 3 days in the office per week)

Hours: 9am to 5pm

25 days holiday (we also normally give between Christmas and New Year off, but this is not contractual). In addition, after one year's continuous service, there will be an extra 2 days annual holiday for every complete year of service, up to a maximum of five days' extra holiday.

Pension 7% ER contribution, Life Assurance 4x annual salary, Company sick pay scheme, medicash benefit.

EQUALITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

 Inclusion is one of our key values and it is our ambition to recruit great people from diverse communities. We welcome and encourage applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment/identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy/maternity and or marriage/civil partnership status, race, religion or belief.

The Coach’s role will be to engage with our adult beneficiaries, supporting them to identify and achieve their aspirations for themselves and for their families.

Adopting a holistic, person-centred approach, she will support beneficiaries both to reach short term goals (through the delivery of Information, Advice and Guidance) and to develop the resources, skills and behaviours necessary to make longer term progress (through Coaching) across the five ‘pillars’ of our social mobility framework:

• ­ Employability 
• ­ Education 
• ­ Family stability 
• ­ Money management 
• ­ Resilience and well-being 

We currently have 3 Social Mobility Coaches on the team.  Whilst supporting women across all five pillars, each Coach has specific areas of responsibility, which may change from time to time.  We anticipate that for the first twelve months of employment at least, this new Coach will have specific responsibility for building out our Employment offer.

The Hunger Project UK Marketing & Relationships Manager

Are you looking for a role that really makes a difference? Well, how about joining a global organisation helping to empower women and men to end their own hunger and poverty? If this sounds exciting, we might have the perfect role just for you!

Role:                           Marketing & Relationships Manager

Reports to: CEO

Salary: FTE £35,000 - £40,000 (Negotiable based on skills, experience and fit)

Contract type:Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Location:The role is remote at present with occasional travel to London

About The Hunger Project

 The Hunger Project UK is a registered charity in the UK committed to the sustainable end of world hunger. Our vision is a world without hunger. Our mission is to facilitate individual and collective action to transform the systems of inequity that create hunger and cause it to persist. We do this by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption worldwide.

We believe people living in hunger are key to ending hunger. We work to solve the root causes of hunger by supporting the communities experiencing them. As we adapt to meet local challenges and opportunities wherever we work, our programmes have a wide range of objectives. These include ending child marriage, empowering women leaders, increasing girls in education, engaging local governments, entrepreneurism and employability, climate resilient farming and maternal health.

In 2024, we reached nearly 12 million people in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. More than 1 million people are now living in self-reliant communities following investment from The Hunger Project. Our team is a mighty force of changemakers living around the world, including in our partner countries USA, Australia and across Europe.

Here in the UK, we work in collaboration with our global colleagues, to raise funds for our overseas programmes and amplify the voices of those affected by hunger. We are a small but awesome team, with big ambitions to grow and scale our fundraising efforts significantly over the next three years. So, if you’re up for the challenge... come and join us.

The role

 This is a hands-on role: you’ll be directly creating content, running campaigns, and managing our operations.

This role is for you if you are…

• Passionate about social justice and motivated to make a positive impact on the world.
• Experienced, with at least eight years in communications or marketing and a proven ability to deliver meaningful results.
• A creative storyteller who produces engaging, high-quality content across multiple platforms and understands how to use digital marketing to drive social change.
• An exceptional communicator with excellent written and verbal skills, strong attention to detail, and pride in accuracy and quality.
• Highly organised and efficient, able to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and maintain focus in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive, persistent, and solutions focused, approaching challenges with creativity, determination, and a positive attitude.
• Technically confident and quick to learn new tools or software, with the ability to help others solve technical problems and use technology effectively.
• A collaborative team player who works well independently while keeping the broader mission and shared goals in sight.
• Energised by the variety, pace, and purpose of a small, dynamic, globally minded charity where every contribution makes a difference.

Key responsibilities

 Marketing and Communications

• Plan, coordinate and deliver integrated marketing and fundraising campaigns and events to achieve income targets, ensure consistent messaging and strengthen supporter engagement across all channels.
• Work closely with the global communications team to deliver the organisation’s marketing and communications strategy in alignment with global objectives.
• Manage website content in WordPress, ensuring it is accurate, engaging, and regularly updated.
• Oversee the social media strategy, creating and scheduling high-quality content (using Canva and Later) to grow brand awareness and supporter engagement.
• Manage ambassador and influencer relationships to support campaigns, storytelling, and reach.
• Design and deliver email campaigns and supporter newsletters through Mailchimp, ensuring timely and effective communication.
• Stay up to date with trends, world events, and digital innovations to keep content and messaging relevant and impactful.

Fundraising

• Create and deliver engaging donor experiences, content and supporter journeys to maintain and grow long-term investor support and ensure a high-quality experience for all supporters.
• Collaborate with the CEO and global team to identify and develop new fundraising opportunities and audiences.

Unleashed Women – Community & Investor Stewardship

• Act as the primary staff relationship lead for the Unleashed Women community.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and ongoing stewardship of Unleashed Women members.
• Coordinate the planning, promotion and delivery of monthly virtual forums and quarterly in-person gatherings, working closely with the Executive & Operations VA on all logistics.
• Maintain regular communication and engagement with members through WhatsApp groups, email updates and event communications, ensuring consistent tone, warmth and responsiveness.
• Act as a key link between Unleashed Women and THP’s global country teams, ensuring meaningful programme engagement and feedback.
• Support retention and thoughtful growth of the community through relationship-led follow-up and investor care.
• Ensure all Unleashed Women activity is accurately reflected in Beacon and associated supporter systems.

Data Management and Reporting

• Maintain and manage the Beacon CRM database, ensuring accurate data capture, segmentation, and analysis to support effective fundraising, stewardship, and communications.
• Ensure all new and lapsed investors are correctly tagged and updated in Mailchimp, Beacon and other relevant systems.
• Evaluate and report on the performance of fundraising and marketing campaigns, interpreting data from CRM and digital platforms to measure impact and inform strategy.

Operations

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve key operational systems and processes to ensure efficiency and smooth day-to-day functioning.
• Coordinate and maintain fundraising platforms such as Benevity and JustGiving, ensuring campaign pages are accurate, up to date, and performing effectively.

Line Management

• Oversee the recruitment, coordination, and management of volunteers, ensuring they are well-supported, effectively deployed, and aligned with the organisation’s goals.

Preferred requirements

Experience

• At least eight years’ experience in marketing, communications, or a related field.
• Proven success delivering multi-channel marketing and fundraising campaigns that meet or exceed targets.
• Confident in using and maintaining CRM systems (preferably Beacon) to manage supporter relationships and analyse data.
• Experience managing digital platforms, including social media, email marketing, and websites.
• Experience managing and developing team members, including supporting volunteers and junior staff.

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for diverse audiences.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Highly organised, with excellent planning and project management abilities.
• Proficient in digital marketing tools such as WordPress, Mailchimp, Canva, and social media scheduling platforms.
• Skilled in interpreting data and insights to evaluate and improve marketing performance.

Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Enthusiastic, proactive, and self-motivated, with a positive and solution-focused approach.
• Collaborative and supportive, fostering strong teamwork and shared purpose.
• Creative and adaptable, comfortable working in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• An effective and empathetic team leader who inspires and empowers others.

Other Requirements

• Commitment to the aims and values of The Hunger Project UK and its mission to end hunger and poverty.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Understanding of the collaborative, hands-on nature of working within a small charity.
• Passion for using marketing and communications to create positive social impact.

Part time EMPLOYMENT AND JOB SKILLS COACH/TUTOR

£13.85 per hour (£25,207 per annum)

Immediate start

Fixed contract - until 31 March 26  (with possibility to extend)

About us

The Adanna Women’s Support Group provides training and skills to help women into employment and to help women excel in the jobs they are doing. Our training is in Business skills, administration, IT, childcare and employability.

We are looking for an employment coach who can support women who are economically inactive to improve their skills and find employment

The Role

This role will support a small caseload of women with a range of needs who are looking to move into work, enabling them to find the right opportunities and sustain the roles through improved skills training. The coach will also need to be skilled in working with employers to source jobs and support them to make their roles accessible. Growing and maintaining a strong employer base will be a central part of this role.

Minimum Criteria

· An understanding of the employment needs, and challenges faced by BAME women who are economically inactive or experience multiple barriers to employment.

· Experience of working with individuals on a one-to-one basis, developing personalised plans and goal setting

· Experience of managing a range of tasks at any one time, and holding positive relationships with different stakeholders

-Experience of designing and delivering entry level training e.g. digital skills, confidence building, English as a second language conversation sessions

Working hours

· The role is a part time fixed contract position with the possibility of extending pending receipt of funding. Working 21 hours per week, Monday, Thursday and Friday. Hours are flexible but ideally 9.30 to 4.30pm.

·  

Next steps

· If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you and you’d like to become our new Employment and Skills Coach then please send in your CV today

· Closing date: ongoing recruitment will close once a suitable candidate is found

· Interview date: ongoing

· An enhanced DBS disclosure is a requirement for this post. Our recruitment checks, induction and ongoing support and supervision reflect our commitment to safeguarding our clients.

· Adanna Women’s Support Group strives to be equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

· This role is open to women only under the Equality Act 2010

If you share our vision that ‘every young person should be supported to gain the confidence, independence and skills they need for a better and brighter future’ we might have the perfect role for you!

ThinkForward is recruiting a Community Coach based in Islington and surround communities in London to deliver our unique programme supporting young people into further education and employment. If you are….

· Passionate about, and have experience in, supporting young people to make amazing decisions about their futures

· Committed to equity, diversity, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice

· Persistent, empathic and agile in your style of work and able to apply a coaching approach to the delivery of our programme

· Able to tell the stories of our work through data

· Confident in running one-to-one and group work sessions

· Knowledgeable of employability practices and the importance of tailored progression planning for young people

…then please click on the attached job pack for our role description and information pack for more details about ThinkForward and the role you could play, then apply via CharityJob with your CV and cover letter.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Chief Executive Officer – The Abbey Centre
Location: The Abbey Centre, Westminster, London (site-based role, flexible working available)
Salary: £90,000 – £95,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent (Full-time, 37.5 hours/week; regular evening attendance for events as required)

Could you lead a much-loved community hub through its next chapter of stability, growth and civic impact?

About The Abbey Centre

Our charity has served the community of south Westminster since 1948 and has occupied The Abbey Centre building, a converted Victorian public bath house a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey, since 1991. We are a site-based community hub and social enterprise, combining community services, training and outreach with venue hire, an on-site café and catering to generate income that supports our charitable work.

We work across employability, health and wellbeing, volunteering and practical support for vulnerable residents; the Centre welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds, and sees over 1,000 visits each week. Our strong partnerships with Westminster City Council, statutory bodies and corporate donors underpin commissioned activity and solidify our position as a trusted local delivery partner.

This is an opportunity for a visionary but hands-on leader to preserve the Centre’s warm, inclusive culture and outstanding reputation while further professionalising systems, developing our income, and shaping a multi-year strategy that secures the building and grows impact.

As our next Chief Executive Officer, you will:

• Strategy & Impact: lead a collaborative listening phase and then develop and deliver a 3–5 year strategy and rolling business plan that defines the Centre’s core offer and impact targets.

• Governance & Finance: own the annual budget and medium-term financial modelling, deliver full-cost recovery across activity lines and present timely, accurate management information to trustees.

• Operational Leadership: ensure continuity of community services, venue trading and café operations and strengthen operational systems including safeguarding, H&S and business continuity.

• Income Generation: drive commercial performance of venue hire, events and catering, professionalise fundraising (major donors, legacies, corporate partnerships) and lead bids for multi-year statutory contracts.

• Community & Partnerships: sustain and deepen strategic relationships with Westminster City Council, commissioners, local partners and corporate supporters to secure commissioned work and philanthropic income.

• Estate Stewardship: manage day-to-day stewardship of the Centre’s significant ageing building, overseeing maintenance, lease/compliance obligations and contractor relationships.

• People & Culture: build a cohesive senior team, embed clear role accountabilities, performance management and development, and protect the Centre’s welcoming culture while managing change.

• Brand & Profile: act as a visible ambassador locally and with funders to raise the Centre’s profile and champion its social value.

Who you are:

• A seasoned senior leader with proven experience in a small/medium charity, community organisation or social enterprise that combines front-line delivery with significant premises/estate responsibility.

• Demonstrable track record of leading strategic development and delivering organisational growth while balancing hands-on operational leadership.

• Strong commercial and earned-income expertise, with experience of running successful commercial – ideally site-based - operations.

• Confident in winning and managing statutory contracts and multi-year grant programmes; credible with local authorities, commissioners and corporate partners.

• Financially literate with direct budget and cash-flow accountability and experience of full-cost recovery modelling.

• A collaborative, visible and warm ambassador who builds trust quickly, communicates clearly and can present concise management information to trustees.

Why The Abbey Centre?

• A powerful mission: deliver practical services, companionship and opportunity for south Westminster residents in a civic, high-impact setting.

• A prominent, historic central Westminster location and a cherished community building offering scope for strategic estate planning and growth.

• A warm, loyal staff team and an engaged board navigating a positive leadership transition.

• A social enterprise model where successful trading directly funds frontline services and creates a platform for entrepreneurial leadership.

• The opportunity to shape a multi-year strategy that secures the long-term future of the charity and grows its impact in the community.

For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via the apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 12th January 2026

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

As a Support Worker at Ace of Clubs drop-in day centre supporting people who are homeless and facing adversity, you will play a key role in supporting individuals who may be navigating chaotic lifestyles, trauma, and multiple disadvantages. You will provide practical and emotional support, help people access essential services, and work to empower them to move towards independence.

Your role will involve working directly with service users, managing case records, liaising with partner agencies, and contributing to the smooth running of our busy centre. Ultimately, you will support people to overcome barriers, develop essential skills, and build confidence in navigating life challenges and providing advocacy where needed.  In particular, you will be on duty as Support Worker during our busy, daily lunchtime service - responding to the needs of a variety of guests – on a busy day we can reach 150 – 200 guests visiting our service.

In addition, Ace of Clubs works with a wide range of volunteers and partners on a daily basis including food partners, health partners, corporate, individual and client volunteers.  Your role will also be required to support the team in the smooth functioning of these areas, for example liaising with partners on site, showing around volunteers or feeding back any issues during lunch service.

You will also be required to support the Centre Manager with the operations and building’s co-ordination, including carrying out weekly health and safety checks as required, i.e. fire alarm checks, legionella checks etc., meeting onsite contractors, counting and logging cash takings, responding and filtering the central email account and making food and supplies orders. You will be provided with comprehensive training in these areas.

About Working Well Trust 

Working Well Trust is a mental health and employment charity in London. All of our projects share the aim of improving the lives of people with mental health support needs, learning disabilities and/or complex issues through training and employment. 

We are now recruiting IPS Employment Advisors to join our IPS service across Kingston and Sutton. This is a full-time, permanent role working 35 hours per week, following the principles of the IPS model to support people into paid employment. 

What you’ll be doing 

If you were working with us, your days would be varied and people-centred. You would manage a caseload of clients with mental health support needs, people experiencing homelessness, and people with offending histories, offering one-to-one support to help them secure and sustain employment that matches their preferences. 

You would provide person-centred guidance using the IPS approach (training is provided), helping clients build confidence, prepare for work, and navigate challenges that may arise. A key part of the role involves engaging employers, promoting the value of our service, and identifying suitable job opportunities.

You would work closely with NHS clinical teams, contributing to an integrated approach to recovery through employment. This includes attending team meetings, coordinating support, and maintaining clear, client-led communication. The role also involves working to agreed targets while maintaining a high-quality, supportive service. 

What you’ll need 

You do not need previous employment support experience. What matters most is that you bring: 

• A genuine desire to support people with mental health support needs and/or learning disabilities to achieve their employment goals. 

• Motivation to help people from all backgrounds move into meaningful work. 

• Confidence speaking with a wide range of people, from clients to employers. 

• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to multitask and manage your workload. 

• Willingness to learn the IPS model and become confident approaching employers. 

We welcome applications from people with lived experience of mental health, personally or through a close contact. 

What we offer 

• £35,000 per year 

• 30 days annual leave plus public holidays (FTE) 

• Paid company closed days at the end of the year (FTE) 

• Flexible, paid Wellbeing Hour every fortnight (FTE) 

• 6% employer pension contribution 

Working Well Trust is an equal opportunities employer and Confident about Disabilities. 

What’s next 

Before you apply, please note the following: 

• We actively recruit and carefully review all applications. Due to rapid service expansion, we have onboarded 20 external hires in the last six months. 

• To ensure we can best support the people and communities we serve, we progress applications only where candidates provide meaningful answers to the screening questions. 

• Career development is real here: in the past year, 10 colleagues have progressed internally into Senior roles, Project Lead, Team Lead, and Operations Manager positions. We value ambition and celebrate progression. 

If you are ready to help us build a service that supports people into meaningful work, click Apply to submit your CV and answer the screening questions. Telephone and final interviews will be confirmed. 

Start your application today and take the next step in a rewarding career. 

Purpose of the job

This role is responsible for the design of UK Youth’s support to young people, youth organisations and youth workers. This could include structured youth work programmes, funding and grants+ programmes, professional development programmes, and campaigns.

You will lead and oversee end-to-end design processes, ensuring that UK Youth develops fully packaged offers that respond to the evidence base and people’s needs, drive forward our strategy and achieve incredible impact. You will work across UK Youth teams, with external design partners, and meaningfully involving young people and the professionals who support them in the design process.

You will be experienced in developing high quality funding propositions (proactively and in response to new business opportunities). You will be confident in taking a human-centred design approach to tackle some of the youth sector’s knottiest problems.  You will design solutions to important problems, ensuring that they are feasible, equitable, impactful and scalable.

In 2026, our priority topics for youth work programmes and network development are: mental health and wellbeing, employability, social cohesion and community safety.

 As a leader, you will work closely with research, evaluation, policy, service delivery, network development, and fundraising teams. You will help to improve the skills and confidence of colleagues across UK Youth to apply design methods in their own work and collaborate effectively with the Design team.

Why work at UK Youth?

UK Youth wants all young people to be equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Youth work can be life changing (and even life saving.) In 2026, we will be launching our new strategy, positioning UK Youth to unlock youth work so that every young person in the UK can benefit. We work with others to ensure that the youth sector is strengthened and that provision is youth-led, evidence-informed, and delivers high-quality outcomes.

 UK Youth plays a unique role in addressing the lack of investment in the youth sector, the lack of cross-sector understanding in how youth work makes a difference, and the limited opportunities to embed effective solutions. These factors lead to mass inequality of access to youth services for young people. Come and be part of this change in a driven and supportive team that puts evidence at the heart of our work.

Role Responsibilities

• Designing Solutions

• Developing new business and funding propositions

• Embedding Human Centred Design

• Building a strong external network to support the Design team’s work

• Operations

Experience we're after

• Significant experience of leading and overseeing the development of new business propositions and proposals to time-limited funding opportunities

• Significant experience of designing interventions (digital and/or physical) for young people and/or those who support them 

• Experience using human-centred-design methods and mindsets; managing projects across the end-to-end design process

• Proven track record of inspiring and motivating diverse teams and improving collaborative ways of working across teams and departments

• Experience of developing high quality programme content and curricula for young people, youth workers and/or outdoor learning instructors (desirable)

• Experience of commissioning and managing external design freelancers and consultants (desirable)

• Experience of designing and/or delivering professional development programmes (desirable)

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 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: Sunday 4th January 2026 at 23:59pm

Provisional Interview Dates: 12th and 13th January 2026

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.