Youth Work Manager

What if your career in youth work could sit at the intersection of sport, safety, and genuine transformation? Fight for Peace is looking for a Youth Work Manager who knows that the real work happens in the relationships — and has the experience to prove it.

This is a senior leadership role for someone who understands the realities facing young people in inner-city communities, and who is ready to lead a team that meets them where they are — every evening, every session, every conversation that counts.

Fight for Peace has spent over two decades using boxing and martial arts as a gateway to something bigger, education, employability, personal development, and a real shot at a different future for young people aged 7–25 in East London. As our Youth Work Manager, you'll be the person responsible for making sure the youth work at the heart of our Academy is outstanding.

You'll lead our youth workers, shape our programmes, and act as our primary safeguarding lead within primary interventions. This isn't a hands-off management role, you will be present in the Academy at least four evenings a week, visible to young people and staff alike, and actively involved in the delivery of life-changing work.

What you'll own:

You'll take the lead on designing, developing, and quality-assuring our youth work offer, including programmes like Man Talk and Lutadoras, our gender-specific personal development groups, as well as youth leadership initiatives and open-access evening services. Working alongside our Sports Manager and MEL team, you'll ensure every programme has a clear theory of change, measurable outcomes, and personal development woven into its core.

Safeguarding sits at the very centre of this role. You'll be the named lead for safeguarding across primary interventions, responsible not just for managing individual concerns, but for building a culture where every member of staff is vigilant, confident, and fully trained. You'll know your way around Working Together to Safeguard Children, contextual safeguarding, and trauma-informed practice, and you'll bring that knowledge to life in how the team works every day.

You'll also manage a team of youth workers, recruiting, developing, and holding them to high standards through regular one-to-ones, team meetings, and a genuine investment in their growth. Many of our youth workers are young people themselves who have come through our programmes, and supporting their professional development is a privilege that comes with this role.

What we're looking for:

You'll have a strong track record in youth work, ideally in an inner-city or community setting where the issues of violence, exploitation, and social inequality are not abstract concepts but lived realities for the young people you work with. You'll hold a recognised youth work qualification at Level 3 or above, and have experience acting as a designated safeguarding lead or equivalent.

You'll be a confident leader, a skilled relationship-builder, and someone who genuinely thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Above all, you'll believe without reservation that every young person has the potential to succeed, and you'll bring that belief into work with you every single day.

The details:

• Salary: £37,000 – £42,000
• Location: Fight for Peace Academy, Woodman Street, London E16 2LS
• Academy presence required a minimum of four evenings per week, including Friday evening rota cover

An enhanced DBS check and recognised safeguarding qualification will be required. Right to work in the UK is essential.

Fight for Peace is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We particularly welcome applications from individuals with lived experience of the communities we serve.