Employability team manager jobs in Bristol

Job Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Organisation: The Skill Mill
Location: Remote, with expectations to travel to Gateshead and occasional travel to other UK locations
Salary: £45,000 pa 
Contract Type: 2 years fixed term contract, Full-Time
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Job Purpose:

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a pivotal role in driving the operational success of The Skill Mill. Working closely with the CEO, the COO will oversee day-to-day operations through line-management of the 3 regional Operations Managers, will ensure the delivery of exceptional services, and will support the growth of our social enterprise model across the UK and beyond. This is a strategic leadership position, requiring a dynamic individual with a passion for social impact, operational excellence, and business development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership: Oversee all operational functions, including service delivery, project management, and workforce coordination, ensuring high standards and client satisfaction.

• Strategic Growth: Collaborate with the CEO to develop and implement expansion plans, identifying new partnerships, contracts, and opportunities to scale The Skill Mill’s impact, ensuring operational readiness and quality as the organisation scales.

• Team Management: Lead, motivate, and develop The Skill Mill’s operational delivery teams (see attached structure chart), including the Operations Managers, the Pathway Advisors, and the Supervisors, fostering a culture of inclusion, accountability, and continuous improvement. Lead workforce planning, staff development and wellbeing to ensure a sustainable, motivated and resilient workforce.

• Financial Oversight: Work with the finance team to manage budgets, monitor performance against targets, and ensure cost-effective operations while maintaining quality.

• Governance: Supporting organisation and partnership governance by contributing to papers, risk registers and performance reports, engaging in solution-focused discussion at relevant forums, and ensuring feedback loops with operational delivery teams.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including local authorities, commercial clients, criminal justice partners, and community organisations.

• Compliance and Risk Management: Ensure all activities comply with legal, regulatory, and health and safety standards, mitigating risks effectively and escalating through appropriate organisational and legal pathways where necessary.

• Safeguarding: Act as senior lead and an initial escalation point for safeguarding, ensuring robust policies, training, reporting and continuous improvement.

• Impact:

         - Measurement: Monitor and report on social and environmental outcomes, ensuring alignment with The Skill Mill’s mission and funding requirements.

         - Performance: Work alongside partners, including Social Outcomes, evaluation and funding partners to drive performance in line with key success milestones, and engage in collaborative problem-solving to improve the offer and overcome challenges.

         - Quality Assurance: Contribute to organisational quality assurance processes by providing operational insight to support effective monitoring and review. Facilitate and support quality assurance audits, reviews and continuous improvement practices across operational delivery, working closely with operational delivery teams and relevant partners to ensure learning is embedded and service standards are consistently met.

• Innovation: Drive operational efficiencies and explore innovative approaches to service delivery and trainee support.
   

Person Specification:
Experience:

• An understanding of, and sensitivity to, working with vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.

Skills and Abilities:

• A values-led approach to strategy, with the ability to balance social impact, quality, and financial sustainability in strategic and operational decision-making.

• Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with a collaborative and empowering approach.

• Confident in using insights from performance data and information to drive continuous improvement

• A clear, confident and inclusive communication style, with the ability to engage, motivate and align within the organisation and externally

• A collaborative approach to partnership working, with the ability to navigate differing priorities and build trusted relationships across sectors/ stakeholders.

• Proficiency in working with digital tools that support operational efficiency (e.g., CRMs, project management software, Microsoft Office/Google Suite)

• Ability to translate organisational strategy into actionable operational plans
  ​

Personal Attributes:​

• Passionate about social justice, youth development, and environmental sustainability

• Resilient, adaptable, and solution-focused, with a hands-on approach to problem-solving.

• Commitment to The Skill Mill’s values of opportunity, integrity, and excellence.
  ​

What We Offer:​

• The chance to make a tangible difference in the lives of young people and the environment.

• A supportive and purpose-driven work environment.

• Opportunities for professional growth as part of a growing social enterprise.
   

Essential Requirements:

Experience:

• Proven senior leadership experience in managing operations, ideally within criminal justice or a social enterprise, charity, or environmental services sector.

• Demonstrable ability to lead and manage complex operational delivery in multiple geographical areas, ensuring quality and consistency across teams.

• Demonstrable success in growing an organisation or enhancing service delivery, including securing contracts and partnerships.

• Experience managing diverse teams in a hybrid work environment

• Experience of working effectively with external partners, including commissioners, criminal justice agencies and/or commercial organisations.
   

Skills and Abilities:

• Analytical mindset with experience in budgeting, performance monitoring, and process improvement.
   

Qualifications and Certifications:

• A relevant degree or equivalent professional qualification (e.g., business management, operations, or social enterprise leadership) is preferred but not essential.

• Enhanced DBS check is required.

About The Skill Mill:

The Skill Mill is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background.

The Skill Mill is an innovative social enterprise dedicated to transforming lives and communities. We provide employment opportunities for young people with criminal convictions, equipping them with skills and experience through delivering high-quality environmental services, such as grounds maintenance, horticulture, and flood prevention. Our mission is to reduce reoffending, enhance employability, and create sustainable social and environmental impact.

In this role you will deliver FSSW’s FareChance programme, including running employability workshops and practical logistics sessions. You will also provide 1-1 support for young people where required and signposting and referrals to other specialist services and career pathways. You will bring your passion and experience in supporting people to achieve their goals and be sensitive to the inequality and power imbalance faced by young people.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Programme Delivery

• Lead the delivery of practical warehouse activity sessions for active participants and taster sessions for potential participants
• Work with the Operations and Volunteer teams to ensure smooth integration of our participants and the programme
• Support the Employability Programme Manager to deliver Employability/Life skills workshops e.g. Interview/Communication skills, CV/Cover letter writing
• Work with the Employability Programme Manager to build an individualised plan and set of goals for each young person
• Identify specific needs and risks, liaising with senior colleagues, create and maintain risk assessments with individuals to ensure safety in the workplace

Programme Development

• Work with the Employability Programme Manager and FareChance participants around coproduction opportunities that impact on the delivery, development and evaluation of the programme
• Work with the Volunteer Team to ensure smooth transitions to and from FareChance to Volunteering where applicable
• Work with the Operations team to identify ways we can expand FareChance practical sessions to support day-to-day running of the hub and build further transferable skills
• Support young people to engage with internships within FSSW
• External partnerships and relationship building
• On occasion attend events or appointments to support recruitment/represent FSSW
• Attend a range of career away days as part of the FareChance programme
• Support the fundraising team in providing updates for employability funders
• Support the Employability Programme Manager to broaden ‘Next Step’ relationships and referral partnerships

Reporting and Administration

• Maintain quality records of all participant information, including interventions with project participants, ensuring that such data is stored within the requirements of the Data Protection Act and FSSW policies and procedures
• Work alongside the Head of Employability and Volunteering around any incidents or safeguarding concerns. Signpost to external agencies where appropriate
• Work with the fundraising and communications teams on internal and external reporting for FareChance, including gathering quantitative and qualitative data

Person Specification
Essential

• Knowledge and experience of delivering 1:1 and group motivational mentoring, coaching or support work
• Successful experience of supporting people back into work or training, with a strong commitment to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion
• Ability to work flexibly, respond positively to project changes and meet challenging targets
• Excellent interpersonal and listening skills with the ability to influence, motivate and negotiate.
• Good IT skills

Desirable

• Experience of working with a diverse range of young people and responding appropriately to challenging behaviours
• Understanding and/or experience of a logistics or warehouse environment
• Project supervision experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Understanding of safeguarding and GDPR regulations
• Ability to set up and maintain accurate and timely records for monitoring and evaluating purposes.
• Strong organisational skills including planning, prioritising and time management

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. As we expand our programmes, we particularly value candidates who bring multicultural perspectives and/or speak additional languages. Skills in languages such as Arabic, Pashto, or Farsi are highly desirable, but not essential. If you share our commitment to inclusion and want to make a positive impact, we’d love to hear from you.

We also welcome applications from people with convictions. This role requires an enhanced DBS check so applicants will be asked to disclose relevant unspent convictions at a later stage of the recruitment process. If you are asked to disclose, the information will be handled confidentially and used to assess your suitability for the role.
 

About the Role

As a passionate professional in the identification, development and management of a wide range of relationships in support of our programme partnership, you will ensure the Career Ready programme in Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire continues to thrive, which includes securing charitable donations from supporting partners. You will work closely with our Programme & Partnerships Manager for Glasgow, in support of our work growing there.

This role requires experience of partnership and account management and the scale and ambition of our social mobility work means you will need to be well organised, confident and able to positively influence a wide range of people including headteachers, teachers, CEOs and HRDs.

You will identify and approach opportunities that are well researched and pursue with unswerving perseverance. It’s also a great chance to develop personally.

Programme & Partnership Managers lead the delivery of our programme locally. In this role, you’ll grow, develop, and maintain the employer and education partnerships that make the Career Ready programme work — including our Local Advisory Boards, Local Authorities, school coordinators, the Developing the Young Workforce Regional Group, and the employers and volunteers who provide mentoring with the accompanying paid internship, deliver engaging masterclasses, and support events.

Once you’re confident in what, why, when, and how of our work, you will:
1. Lead, grow, and strengthen the Career Ready partnerships in Renfrewshire & West
Dunbartonshire.

You’ll ensure an excellent programme experience for all stakeholders and secure employer engagement for approximately 60+ students each year (with growth expected) who take part in our 18-month programme. This includes ensuring
sufficient mentors with the accompanying paid internship, high-quality masterclasses and purposeful events.

2. Support programme delivery, stakeholder engagement and the generation of new programme and funding partnerships across Renfrewshire & West Dunbartonshire. 

You’ll work closely with the Career Ready Glasgow & West Areas Local Advisory Board, the Programme & Partnerships Manager for Glasgow, the Head of Programme & Operations, the Scotland Partnerships Manager, Partnerships Lead, and your fellow Programme & Partnerships Managers — all committed to delivering quality, impact, and sustainability. You’ll also collaborate with the Scotland Operations Team to
ensure accurate data, strong processes, and effective management information for the area.

Find out more

You can find out more about the role, and working at Career Ready, in our candidate pack.

• £36,000 - £39,870 DOE (pro rata for part time)
• A working from home allowance of £300 pa is provided (pro rata for part time)
• Annual leave: 27 days holiday plus bank/public holidays. In addition, Career Ready is closed between Christmas and New Year. Career Ready also allows flexible use of some Bank & Public Holidays
• 6% of salary contribution to a private pension subject to an employee contribution of 3%
• Access to both our Reward Gateway Portal and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Business expenses including mileage allowance for car usage

How to apply

Please visit our website for full details of how to apply.

Timetable

• Closing date: 5 pm, Monday 16 March 2026 (early applications are encouraged)
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an initial screening conversation prior to interview
• Interviews will take place from w/c 30 March 2026

Hub Supervisor – South Bristol

Reporting to: Vale Lane Hub Manager
Salary: £26,500 pro rata Terms: Permanent, 25 days Holiday pa (pro rata, exc. Bank Holidays), 5% pension contribution, Employee Assistance Programme, individual training budget and access to a free coach
Hours: 37.5 hours per week. This role is also available as 0.8 (30 hours per week) for the right candidate (hours between 7.30am - 5pm depending on shift pattern, and occasional evening shifts) Location: 2 Vale Lane, Bristol BS3 5RU, with some flexibility to support our central Bristol hub
Work with: Hub staff and volunteers, employability, and volunteering staff, FareChance participants

The Hub Supervisor plays an essential role in the smooth running of the South Bristol hub, supporting all aspects of the food operation. You will work as part of a team to effectively support the hub operation, incoming goods, storage and dispatch of goods to member charities to high levels of compliance and service. This role will include working with a large and diverse team of volunteers throughout the week.
The role will be primarily based at our South Bristol Hub, where alongside our usual food redistribution operation and volunteering programme, we run our youth employability programme FareChance for 18 to 25-year-olds to develop logistics and workplace experience.

Duties and responsibilities:
Hub Support

• Support the smooth running of food intake, storage, and food distribution, liaising with food industry representatives, FSUK, distribution companies and hauliers.
• Support the South Bristol Hub Manager and Fleet Manager in coordinating and maintaining the fleet of vans and machinery.
• Report to the South Bristol Hub Manager with operational improvements to increase efficiency and implement agreed changes.

Volunteers and FareChance

• Oversee (under the direction of the South Bristol Hub Manager) FareChance participants, regular volunteers and corporate volunteers on hub shifts, delegating and assigning tasks, providing training and supervising work to ensure all tasks completed effectively and safely.
• Provide positive role modelling to FareChance participants and volunteers while undertaking warehousing tasks together.

Goods In and Storage

• Follow FSSW goods-in procedures including liaising with suppliers, completing relevant paperwork, using inhouse software and fork-lifting duties and ensuring areas are ready to receive good in and dispatch orders at all times.
• Manage storage of stock within the hub, including stock checks, rotations and sharing of best practice
• Oversee the dispatch of goods through deliveries and collections ensuring all FSSW procedures are followed.
• Liaise with the wider FSSW team and FSUK to report quality, quantities, and other issues.

Compliance and Health & Safety

• Operate according to the FSUK HACCP Food Safety Manual and FSSW compliance standards and processes, providing high levels of compliance
• Support the South Bristol Hub Manager to ensure compliance with relevant food hygiene, health & safety, and other standards applicable to FSSW premises, vehicles, refrigeration equipment, staff, and volunteers
• Undertake relevant training in food hygiene, safeguarding and health & safety

General

• Respond to/answer any enquiries/communications via telephone, email, in person or via inhouse IT/systems.
• Support FSSW events.
• Carry out any other duties that may reasonably be required in support of the main purpose of the role, including liaising with the wider FSSW team.
• Uphold high quality care and standards of conduct when dealing with all stakeholders and the public, acting as an ambassador at all times.
• Support the security of the FSSW sites and assets.
• Driving and fork-lifting duties where appropriate.

Person Specification – knowledge, skills, experience, and values
Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Problem solver and competent decision maker
• Full UK driving licence and forklift truck operator’s qualification (or willing to train as an essential part of the role)
• IT competent and able to use various IT platforms/systems
• A clear commitment to the ethos of FSSW

Desirable

• 1 years’ experience of working in warehousing operations
• Voluntary sector experience
• Experience of working with people who require support
• Experience and knowledge of adhering to health and safety standards
• Experience of working within a food operation
• Qualification in Food & Hygiene Level 2
• Experience of supervising staff and/or volunteers and delegating tasks
• Experience of delivering training

We welcome applications from people with convictions. This role requires an enhanced DBS check so applicants will be asked to disclose relevant unspent convictions at a later stage of the recruitment process. If you are asked to disclose, the information will be handled confidentially and used to assess your suitability for the role.

We want to work with you to make sure that the recruitment process is accessible for you. If you have any questions about the post, please contact us to let us know how we can support your access needs.
 

Contract Type: Fixed Term, 12 months

Location: Bristol - office based and will also require some travel to visit Delivery Partners across the geography.

Interviews: Wednesday 22nd April 2026 

Are you ready to join The King's Trust and step into a vibrant role where you'll build meaningful connections and nurture relationships with our extraordinary external delivery partners and volunteers, all in the pursuit of connecting with the young hearts and minds we're devoted to supporting? If the answer is yes, read on!

Take the lead in welcoming, training, and expertly managing a group of delivery partners and volunteers. Your mission will be to ensure that our young people have an exceptional experience and achieve those positive outcomes that change lives. You will also be kept engaged as you’ll be required to travel within your local area to support the delivery of programmes as well as programme visits.

Assist and support our delivery partners and volunteers in bringing The Trust's programmes to life. They'll rely on you for access to training, resources, qualifications, and guidance in adhering to our top-notch quality standards. You’ll also be our compliance hero, ensuring that our delivery partners and volunteers are up to speed with all the necessary policies that keep things running smoothly. You'll be our go-to person, ready to tackle any minor concerns or issues that come our way.

Your knack for precision will shine through as you meticulously record information and data on young people, volunteers, or partners. It's all about ensuring that each step of their journey is accurately documented in our systems and aligns perfectly with the requirements of our funding contracts and is at the forefront of championing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Your sheer enthusiasm and commitment will ignite some transformative action, sparking real change as we put those local plans into play and excel in achieving our EDI goals!

Do you have the creativity to facilitate best practice sharing, energise networking sessions, and throw sensational end-of-programme parties? Are you ready to step up and lead sessions with young people when the moment calls? Having a background in education or an understanding of the education system could be an advantage when joining some of our teams, it's like having an ace up your sleeve, whether you're familiar with the intricacies of the school year or you've walked in the shoes of a teacher.

If you are a strong communicator with sharp problem-solving skills and can transform ordinary moments into unforgettable events, you could be just the person we are looking for.

Expect the unexpected and embrace it. Come and be a part of our mission!

What happens next?  

Please submit a CV, and Cover Letter that includes your experience, transferrable skills and motivation to work for The King's Trust! The Team will be in touch about the next steps shortly after the closing date. 

Why do we need Youth Development Leads? 

Last year, we helped more than 40,000 Young People, with every three in four moving into a positive outcome for either work, education or training. Youth Development Leads play a crucial role in supporting young people, no matter the young person's background or current circumstances, to fulfil their full potential. We want to continue having a positive impact on young people’s lives and we couldn’t do this without the important work of Youth Development Leads! 

Perks for working at The Trust! 

• Great holiday package! 30 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays. Office closure on the days between Christmas and New Year 
• Flexible working! Unless the location of the role is remote, the Youth Development Lead role requires a combination of office days and working from home. 
• You can volunteer for and/or attend events – The King's Trust Awards, Pride, active events etc. 
• In-house learning platform! Develop your skills for your career and your role 
• Benefits platform! Everything from health and financial well-being support to discounts on your favourite restaurants, shops and cinemas. 
• Personal development opportunities through our Networks – KT CAN (Cultural Awareness Network), KT GEN (Gender Equality Network), KT DAWN (Disability & Wellbeing Network), and PULSE (LGBTQIA+ Network). 
• Fantastic Family leave! Receive 13 weeks of full pay and 13 weeks of half pay for maternity and adoption leave. Receive 8 weeks of full pay for paternity leave. 
• Interest-free season ticket loans 
• Cycle-to-Work Scheme
• The Trust will contribute 5% of your salary to the Trust Pension Scheme 
• Generous life assurance cover (4 x annual salary)