Esol jobs

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead IRMO’s Education, Training and Employment (ETE) programme. You’ll manage a dedicated team and oversee a range of initiatives that support our community’s social, cultural and economic integration in the UK.

The ETE programme offers tailored English classes, one-to-one coaching, employability workshops, vocational training and mentoring. It also includes oversight of IRMO’s volunteer scheme, which is an integral part of service delivery and offers meaningful roles for volunteers across the programme. The Programme Manager will play a key role in developing and strengthening this area, and we are currently working towards the Investing in Volunteers quality mark.

These initiatives help people build the skills they need to access and progress in the UK labour market, while also increasing their civic and social participation. All of our work is shaped by the views and experiences of our beneficiaries, and we are committed to keeping our services relevant and responsive.

As Programme Manager, you’ll lead the strategic development of the ETE area, ensuring our work is high-quality, responsive to the needs of our community and making a real impact. You’ll also help grow the programme by strengthening existing partnerships and developing new ones.

To succeed in this role, you’ll bring solid experience as both a project and line manager, with a track record of overseeing multiple initiatives, delivering against KPIs and communicating impact clearly. You’ll be confident managing people and priorities, with a keen eye for detail and a leadership style that brings out the best in your team.

You will have a strong understanding of the barriers Latin Americans face when accessing education and employment in the UK, and a genuine passion for advancing the rights and welfare of migrants and refugees.

You’ll also lead on embedding a human rights-based approach across our work through the London Communities Human Rights Programme – a four-year partnership with the British Institute of Human Rights, focused on shared learning, collaboration and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the ETE area strategy, ensuring we provide high-quality, responsive services that reflect the changing needs of our community

• Ensure grant and contract requirements are met, including achieving KPIs and delivering services on time and within budget

• Produce clear, high-quality monitoring, evaluation and impact reports for funders, partners, the Director and the Management Committee

• Manage existing partnerships effectively while building new relationships with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the ETE area

• Lead, support and inspire the ETE team to perform at their best

• Stay up to date with policy developments and other external factors that may affect our work, identifying opportunities to strengthen and grow our services

• Establish and maintain effective systems for data collection and monitoring to track progress and impact

• Ensure mechanisms are in place to listen to and act on the views of beneficiaries regarding the quality and impact of our services

• Promote our ETE services and communicate their impact to funders, partners and wider stakeholders

• Represent IRMO in relevant networks and forums as required

• Support the development of funding applications

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive and may change depending on the needs and development of the organisation.

Person Specification

The list below outlines the experience, knowledge and skills we’re looking for. It will be used in shortlisting and interviews. If you meet the essential criteria but not the desirable ones, we still encourage you to apply.

Essential

• At least three years’ experience of managing programmes or projects

• Experience in delivering services in line with agreed targets and KPIs

• Experience in line managing staff

• Experience of working in partnership with other organisations and stakeholders

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

• Good written and verbal communication skills in Spanish and/or Portuguese

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, inspire confidence and bring out people’s strengths

• Ability to design, implement and oversee a range of education, training and employment initiatives

• Ability to develop and maintain effective systems for monitoring and evaluating projects and services

• Strong IT skills, including confident use of Google Workspace, Microsoft Office and relevant databases

• Resourceful and solution-focused, with a proactive approach to challenges

• Collaborative and supportive, with a strong commitment to working closely with colleagues, partners and the community

• Strong understanding of the barriers faced by Latin Americans in the UK

• Clear commitment to IRMO’s vision, mission and values

Desirable

• Experience of working or volunteering in the charity sector

• Experience of supporting people into education, training or employment

• Teaching qualification relevant to ESOL delivery (e.g. CELTA or equivalent)

• Qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)

Pre-employment checks 

Enhanced DBS check, two satisfactory references and evidence of right to work in the UK