Job Description: Restart Contract Manager

TCHC is looking for a motivated and outcome-focused individual who will be responsible for managing the overall operational delivery of our Restart contract. TCHC is a delivery partner to AKG who deliver the government’s Restart Programme supporting unemployed universal credit claimants to enter into work. TCHC delivered this contract across Aylesbury Vale from their flagship office in the centre of Aylesbury.

The purpose of this role is to manage the internal delivery of the Restart contract, ensuring that all contractual and quality key performance indicators are achieved on time and within budget. We are looking for an individual with operational management experience who has successfully managed target-driven services and teams at a senior level with a drive to continuously develop performance improvement throughout the contract. You will work closely and report to the Managing Director to make sure all the operations of the contract are running well, with a smooth, efficient service that meets the expectations, targets, and needs of the participants and AKG.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the management of the whole Restart delivery team consisting of a Restart Performance Manager, Employment Coaches, an Employer Services Consultant, and an Administrator.
• Providing strategic leadership and management to the delivery team and liaising with senior AKG delivery team.
• Providing oversight of performance and managing the financial controls of the contract.
• Ensure that all activity with participants is carried out in a professional and timely manner, to a consistent high quality and that any problems and issues are dealt with effectively.
• Ensure that the delivery team meets all compliance obligations and targets of the contract.
• Recognise and develop future business opportunities and make a positive contribution to their development.
• To ensure all local and national policies are followed for keeping staff and participants safe.
• Manage the processes and procedures timely ensuring deadlines are met.
• Lead and motivate staff to be a high-performing team and ensure that individual and team targets are consistently met and maintained.
• Weekly review and monitoring of key performance indicators using a performance dashboard with Restart Performance Manager – identifying areas for improvement and implementing recovery plans and activity to meet expected performance.
• Supporting the Restart Performance Manager in training and coaching the delivery team to refresh learning and cascade any changes in process.
• Conduct monthly compliance/audit checks of participants in each Employment coach's caseloads.
• Develop strong relationships with AKG Partnership Manager; customer service support centre and compliance teams.
• Develop strong strategic networks with local supporting organisations such as charities; health providers and local stakeholders such as the local authority to encourage collaborative working and attend networking events.
• Complete weekly and monthly reporting MI and reports for AKG and internal reporting.
• Attend weekly and monthly performance review meetings with Restart Performance Manager and with AKG.
• Conduct weekly forecasting of performance to meet contractual targets and ensure contractual performance targets for job starts, job outcomes, and commenced earnings are met.
• Ensure customer service standard minimum thresholds are met on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
• Motivate and mentor the team ensuring they can carry out their roles effectively.
• Arrange briefing meetings and team meetings as required to ensure the team is clear on performance targets, results, validation requirements, eligibility, quality, and project deliverables.
• Monitor performance of delivery team through observations, call monitoring, and appraisal, identifying training and developing needs as appropriate with follow-up Action Plan meetings and assessment of knowledge to make sure the Team members are on track in reaching key objectives.
• Support the Restart Performance Manager with the day-to-day running of the department, assist in helping answer staff queries. Be the first point of call for the Restart Performance Manager for complex participant, employer, and stakeholder enquiries or complaints.
• Update staff with new information and any changes to the delivery of programmes.
• Ensure effective reports are produced and presented for the benefit of colleagues, and other strategic partners on a regular basis, as agreed with senior management and your line manager.
• Manage the effective collection of all information required for the smooth delivery of the projects including submitting in-month pipeline claims of data showing performance against targets.
• Lead, develop and support the work of the delivery team, find out any issues and problems in the delivery of programmes or workload and help to find a resolution.
• Support monthly 1:1 performance review meetings alongside the Restart Performance Manager with all delivery team members including caseload reviews and PIP actions to drive staff progress and performance.
• Weekly review and monitoring of key performance indicators using a performance dashboard – identifying areas for improvement and implementing recovery plans and activity to meet expected performance.
• Develop strong relationships with AKG Partnership Manager and engage in senior Restart meetings and PIP reviews with the Restart Performance Manager.
• Support Restart Performance Manager and ESC to develop strong network and relationships with local employers to generate employment vacancies for all sectors to meet job outcomes and other contract deliverables.
• Support Restart Performance Manager on the weekly and monthly reporting MI and reports for AKG, Managing Director, and internal reporting.
• Attend weekly and monthly performance review meetings with AKG, Restart Performance Manager, and Managing Director.
• Support the Restart Performance Manager in conducting weekly forecasting of performance to meet contractual targets including identifying areas for continuous improvement.
• Ensure contractual performance targets for job starts, job outcomes, and commenced earnings are met.