Employability manager jobs in east of england

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.

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.

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. 

World Jewish Relief created the Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP) for refugees in 2016 and today we are the largest provider of specialist employment support to people who have experienced forced migration in the UK.STEP aims to support and empower people through a tailored employment programme that addresses the complex barriers that they face when preparing for and ultimately finding work in the UK.   

We support all people who have experienced forced migration, regardless of their proximity to the labour market, to develop the skills and access the opportunities they need to secure sustainable and meaningful employment. We run STEP online and in person programmes across the UK.  

We have now expanded our work to deliver (in partnership with the British Council) an English Language and Employment Support Programme for up to 4,000 Ukrainians and Hong Kong BNO status/visa holders (50% of each community) over the next 12 months.

We are recruiting Ukrainian speaking Employment Advisors to join the STEP team delivering this new programme. You will provide high quality advice and guidance through 1:1 employability support and group employability workshops with the aim of coaching individuals and supporting them on their journey into employment that suits their previous experience and skill set.

You will prepare participants for employment and help them to achieve their chosen training and employment objectives. You will monitor and encourage participants’ engagement and attendance in all aspects of the programme. You will provide an exemplary level of support to STEP participants working towards a variety of performance targets based on the progression outcomes of participants including successful delivery of workshops, completion of training courses, volunteering, and achieving and sustaining paid employment. 

The Employment Advisors will work remotely and can be based anywhere in the UK.

About you

We are looking for candidates who have:

• Proven experience or knowledge within the employment sector
• Understanding of the issues and challenges faced by people who have experienced forced displacement accessing employment.
• Knowledge of adult learning/vocational training
• Experience of delivering 1:1 advice and guidance and coaching
• Experience of reviewing and supervising a case load of participants
• Awareness of Safeguarding people at risk and maintaining professional boundaries
• Experience facilitating group workshops
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Cross-cultural sensitivity
• Good admin and IT skills (CRM database, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Advanced level of English
• Competency in Ukrainian

Candidates must be UK based and have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the contract

​Benefits

We offer a range of benefits including:

• 23 days holiday pro rata plus bank holidays and Jewish holidays.
• Pension scheme – we contribute 5% to the World Jewish Relief pension scheme.
• Life Insurance – up to 3 times salary to nominated beneficiaries.
• Health Cash Plan – cash back to cover the costs of dental treatment, optical care, specialist consultations and a range of complementary therapies.
• Employee Assistance Programme – free, confidential advice or support with any personal or work. related concerns or free counselling if needed.
• On Friday the office closes at 3pm.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

World Jewish Relief promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We invite and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds. We encourage applications from candidates of different ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and of faith or none that meet the criteria set out for this role.

You don’t need to be Jewish to work for us, but you must but you must be committed to our faith-based values of Justice, Kindness, Repairing the World and Welcoming the Stranger. We are inspired by these values to work beyond our community, recognising the dignity and potential of all people.

We are striving to build a team reflective of the communities we work with. People with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are experts by experience and are particularly encouraged to apply for this position. If you have first-hand experience of forced migration, please let us know in your application. Additionally, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all the requirements that are listed within the person specification. 

We respect that people’s identity is not defined by their past experiences and do not expect candidates to describe their lived experience during the interview process unless they wish to do so. 

To apply

Please upload your CV and a cover letter explaining how you meet the criteria in the person specification. Please refer to the person specification which shows which criteria will be assessed in your CV and cover letter.

Interviews will be held remotely on 15th and 16th December 2025.

Expected start date will be 5th January 2026.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and strengthen IRMO’s Volunteer Scheme as part of our Education, Training and Employment (ETE) programme. Volunteers play a vital role in achieving IRMO’s mission, and this position is central to ensuring that our volunteer initiatives both empower community members through meaningful work experience and enhance IRMO’s capacity to deliver impactful services to the community.

The Volunteer Scheme Coordinator will be responsible for managing all aspects of volunteering at IRMO — from recruitment and training to ongoing support and development. They will champion volunteering internally and externally while fostering opportunities for volunteers to learn, grow and make a tangible difference in the lives of others. Working closely with the ETE Programme Manager, the post will also be expected to develop partnerships and volunteering roles that support IRMO’s vision, values and strategic objectives.

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.

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.