Early years programme lead jobs

ABOUT THE CLINK CHARITY

The Clink Charity, founded in 2009, aims to prevent and reduce reoffending through training, rehabilitation, and support. We deliver hospitality and horticulture training behind the prison walls and in the community by creating an environment where our students are supported to gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to rebuild their lives.

Since that time, we have trained approximately 5,000 people in prison and delivered 2,600 City & Guilds qualifications in a variety of hospitality and food courses.
What makes The Clink so unique is our post-release support and mentoring programme that rehabilitates an offender back into society through assistance with health and mental health issues, housing, employment, family connections and friendships.

The charity operates an award-winning fine-dining restaurant open to the public inside HMP Brixton, training kitchens in the prison estate, horticulture projects at HMP Send and HMP Erlestoke, a commercial bakery in Brixton, and a bespoke delivery service, Catered by Clink.

Additionally, Clink Events is our social enterprise catering business with food produced by the women in HMP Downview and also in an additional kitchen at Herne Hill and then served by alumni on front of house at some of the best venues in London including: the Guildhall, the Science Museum, Cutty Sark, Kew Gardens and the Camden Roundhouse. In 2024, across 218 events, The Clink fed 36,000 people.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Support and Employment Worker will provide a high quality and responsive mentoring and advocacy service which creatively addresses the needs and risks of our students and graduates to enable them to avoid further offending and to obtain and maintain employment upon release.

Our students and graduates will come from multiple prison sites across the London and the South East region, so careful diary management, logistical planning and travel are key components of the role.

This is a flexible role, mostly based at HMP Brixton, but will also include travelling between

HMP Downview and HMP Send multiple prisons and our Clink Training Café site in Herne Hill, with some working from home and managing a community caseload of graduates who have been released.

The Support and Employment Worker will develop action plans with each student in prison to support them in obtaining employment upon release and also in developing independent living skills to work towards their long-term goals and aspirations.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Support and Employment Worker at The Clink, you are responsible for:

•Mentoring, supporting and being the point of contact for students and graduates as they transition from our hospitality and horticulture training programmes in prison and in the community for up to 12 months.

•Working with and supporting people in prison and students prior to and after release from prison, or from graduation in our community café, to empower them in finding and maintaining accommodation, employment and a drug-free, offence-free lifestyle.

•Building relationships with Clink Chef Trainers, HMPPS Resettlement and Employment Teams, HMPPS Officers and Governing Teams in the prison and all parties invested in the training, support and employment of our learners.

•Working with students and graduates to identify their needs and risks, and to identify short and long-term goals.

•Motivating and engaging students and graduates and to provide practical and emotional support.

•Liaising with employers to secure opportunities for our students and for continuity of employment for graduates upon release.

•Supporting people dealing with drug and alcohol problems and to make referrals to other services as required.

•Undertaking risk assessments for each student, to recognise changes in risk level and take appropriate action.

•Maintaining case records and report on students' progress to external agencies and for our own Clink records on Clink Connect, our CRM system.

•Working in partnership with the team to enhance overall delivery of the service.

•Maintaining a professional approach that enhances the reputation of the charity.

DESIRABLE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience of prisons and/or the criminal justice system. This can be lived experience.
• Experience of working with a variety of client groups both in custody and in the community, including men, women and 16-25-year-olds.
• Experience of working with young people in gangs and/or at risk of exploitation and county lines.
• Experience of working with neurodivergent people and those with disabilities and additional needs.
• Experience and skill in using a trauma informed approach with vulnerable people who present a risk of harm, including knowledge of mental health issues, drug and alcohol use and offending behaviour.
• Experience in setting up a strong employer network and using this to support our graduates into employment post-release.
• Experience referring to other services and using a multi-agency approach.
• A level of numeracy sufficient to carry out tasks such as budgeting with clients, calculating benefit entitlements and understanding rent arrears.
• An understanding of safeguarding issues and PREVENT Duty and the ability to assess risk in consultation with line manager.
• Some knowledge of the benefits system and ability to deal with housing agencies and landlords
• Driver with clean licence.
• IT literate - will need to maintain records about our students on our in-house CRM system and complete assessments for HMPPS.
• Able to adopt a supportive, confident and motivating approach to the client group.
• Willing to engage in training and development of your own knowledge and skills.
• Able to pass a prison security clearance.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Confident and resilient personality, with the strength of character to work in complex prison settings and with highly vulnerable people.
• Perseverence and tenacity — a desire to see our students be successful and to advocate strongly on their behalf which often requires a relentless optimism.
• Highly organised and efficient person - able to juggle multiple responsibilities, manage your own time and schedule, and be a consistent source of support for our beneficiaries.
• A strong networker - your key responsibility will be to manage stakeholders in the prison, in probation, in other third sector support groups, and with employers to advocate for our students to have the chance of quality employment outcomes.
• An assertive communicator - you will need to be patient, kind and compassionate and to communicate with our students with sensitivity and clear expectations.

REPORTING LINES MANAGEMENT EXPECTATIONS

You will report directly to the Support Lead for London and the SE, the Executive Leadership Team, but also work closely with the Operations team in the prisons and related Clink project leads in the community.

GENERAL CLINK CHARITY INFORMATION

All staff are expected to:

• Comply with all current legislation
• Comply with all prison operational policies
• Comply with The Clink Staff Handbook
•  Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager

Special Requirements:

• Must be able to pass prison security vetting process to be able to draw keys.
• Must have a valid driving licence .

Benefits:

• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Company pension scheme
• Free meals on duty when based in a restaurant or visiting for business

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like to apply for this post, please send your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 2 sides of A4) to Lizann Barnwell.

In your supporting statement you should ensure that you try to address the desirable criteria set out in the person specification for the role. Make sure you give evidence which shows how you meet the criteria, not just telling us that you did it.

Interviews will be arranged on a rolling basis for this role, so early applications are encouraged. The deadline for applications is Friday 6 Feb at 0900.

We do not send individual acknowledgment of applications due to the high volume we receive, and we will only contact candidates who are shortlisted for an interview. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, your application has not been successful on this occasion.

If you would like an informal chat about this role, we can offer a call with a member of The Clink Team. Even if you feel you do not meet some of the criteria listed above, we would still welcome applications from passionate candidates who are keen to make a difference.

Appointment process

Applicants who have demonstrated that they meet the desirable criteria set out in the person specification will be contacted and interviews arranged on a rolling basis.

Interview

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be invited to a selection process. A panel of two or more, including the recruiting manager conducts all interviews. If there are any special arrangements associated with the selection process e.g. tests or presentations, you will be informed accordingly.

Interview outcome

If you are invited to attend an interview, you will be informed either verbally or in writing of the outcome. The successful candidate will have the decision confirmed in writing as an offer of employment. Unsuccessful candidates will be offered the opportunity for feedback.

References

If you are successful in your application, you are asked to provide us with the details of two referees. We only contact referees with your permission after an offer of employment has been made.

All offers of employment are conditional upon the receipt of references that are satisfactory to The Clink Charity, verification of right to work in the UK and where applicable, verification of qualifications and Disclosure and Barring Service (where required).

Personal information

The personal information that you have supplied will only be used for recruitment and selection purposes. You should refer to the Privacy Notice on our website, which sets out how The Clink Charity will deal with the personal and sensitive data you have provided in your application form and supporting information.

EDI

We welcome all applicants and are keen to enhance our team to reflect the diversity of the UK and the communities we serve. We would like to encourage applications from disabled people, those from LGBTQIA+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those experiencing other forms of marginalisation, as they are underrepresented at this level. In addition, as this role works directly with people in prison and those at risk of offending, those with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Accessible recruitment

The Clink Charity is committed to making our recruitment process and workplace accessible to all. If you are an applicant with a disability and/or have any specific needs or adjustments that you would like us to consider, at application, interview, or appointment stage, please make us aware in your application.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) provides life-saving emergency relief and longer-term medical care to some of the most vulnerable and excluded communities around the world. As an independent medical humanitarian organisation, we deliver care based only on need, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, religion or political affiliation.

We are excited to offer this temporary position to support the Employee Relations team at MSF UK. 

You will be a pivotal member of the team and will be engaging daily with line managers and employees to support with wellbeing conversations and collaborate with the wider People team to provide a first-class wellbeing and Employee Relations service.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Mon-Fri

Duration: 12-months FTC

Location: London, hybrid - 2 days per week in London office (to include Wednesdays)

Salary: £40,682.16 per annum

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Head of Employee Relations, the People Officer will respond and resolve queries in the UK through great conversations, relating to people management issues in areas such as well-being conversations, absence /performance management, staff exit interviews, flexible working request and fixed term contract meetings. The People Officer will provide professional employee relations support working closely with the ER specialists to ensure line managers deal effectively with people management issues through conversations. There will be a need to engage and guideline managers across MSF UK to ensure people issues are managed and resolved effectively, embedding our values and employment policies and principles into line management practices. In addition, the People Officer will contribute to the continuous improvement of MSF UK’s policies and processes. 

Please download the full job and person specification below for further details.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• CIPD qualified.
• Demonstrable experience in Human Resources at Officer level in the UK, including a substantial amount and case work in a variety of processes.
• Demonstrable knowledge of current UK employment legislation.
• Ability and experience in navigating employee relations conversations – blending advice, listening, facilitation and mediation skills.
• Demonstrable experience of a proactive and inclusive approach to key aspects of staff related health and wellbeing provisions.
• Evidence of connecting effectively with key stakeholders and fostering a culture of health and wellbeing across the staff community.
• Demonstrable experience of organisational and prioritising skills and the ability to manage a variety of tasks simultaneously.
• Demonstrable experience of using analytical skills with a positive attitude in conversations to problem solving and conflict resolution.
• The ability to use data from a wide range of sources to analyse key themes and the potential impact on an organisation.
• Demonstrable commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion and their practical application and integration in the work environment.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Genuine interest in and commitment to the aims and values of Médecins Sans Frontières.
• Experience in the practical use of personal IT equipment and Microsoft Office 365 suite. The ability to effectively collaborate and communicate within a hybrid working environment utilising Teams, SharePoint, One Drive and Yammer.

HOW TO APPLY

Please apply on our website by submitting a copy of your CV together with a letter of motivation (please upload as one document) by the closing date – this does not apply to internal applicants, please refer to email notification.

Please apply as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the application early

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Recruitment timetable:

• Closing date for applications: Monday 2 February 2026, 12 midday (GMT)
• First round interviews: w/c 16 February 2026 - In person

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Safeguarding

MSF UK/IE is dedicated to safeguarding everyone who comes into contact with the organisation, for whatever reason and however brief. All posts are subject to safer recruitment process which include robust reference requests, scrutiny of employment history and where applicable criminal record and barring checks.

Our safeguarding commitment is underpinned by policies and procedures which encourage and promote safe working practice across the organisation. On joining MSF UK/IE you will be required to attend safeguarding training to ensure responsibility for and maintaining safe working practice and to safeguard our teams, beneficiaries, and communities.