Howden
Safeguarding and Work Experience Partner
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About Howden
At Howden, creating access to opportunity goes hand in hand with creating a safe, supportive and high-quality environment for everyone who engages with our Early Careers programmes. We take our responsibility to protect and support young people seriously, and this role plays a critical part in ensuring we consistently meet that commitment while also expanding access to meaningful experiences.
As our Safeguarding & Work Experience Strategy Partner, you'll be responsible for embedding a robust, group-wide approach to safeguarding across all Early Careers activity, alongside defining and delivering our UK-wide work experience strategy.
Role Overview
Reporting into the Early Careers & Employer Brand Lead, you'll ensure that every programme we deliver - from insight events and work experience through to internships, apprenticeships and graduate programmes - is underpinned by strong governance, clear processes and full alignment with UK legislation and best practice.
Alongside this, you will lead the design and implementation of a scalable, high-quality work experience model across the UK, balancing a centrally led approach with frameworks and toolkits that empower local offices to take ownership.
You'll work closely with our TA Excellence team and key stakeholders across the business to build and embed policies, frameworks and practical solutions that ensure we operate safely, responsibly and consistently at scale. This is a role with real ownership and impact, combining strategy, policy, risk management and programme design to both protect participants and expand access to opportunity.
Alongside your core responsibilities, you'll contribute to wider Early Careers and Employer Brand projects, supporting the continued evolution of our offering.
What You'll Be Doing
Safeguarding & Compliance
- Owning safeguarding across all Early Careers programmes, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all participants is prioritised in every activity
- Embedding a consistent, compliant approach to safeguarding across Insight days and weeks, Summer internship programmes, Graduate and apprenticeship programmes and Work experience placements
- Partnering with the TA Excellence team to design, develop and embed safeguarding policies, processes and governance frameworks across the Group
- Ensuring full compliance with all relevant UK legislation, regulatory requirements and safeguarding best practices
- Leading risk assessment activity and maintaining clear, accurate and auditable records
- Acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders on safeguarding requirements, risks and responsibilities
- Managing and appropriately escalating any safeguarding concerns with professionalism, sensitivity and care
- Driving consistency, accountability and continuous improvement across all Early Careers programmes
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Work Experience Strategy & Delivery (UK)
- Defining and delivering a clear, scalable UK-wide work experience strategy aligned to Howden's Early Careers ambitions and future talent pipeline
- Designing a central vs. local delivery model, establishing which elements are led centrally and where regional offices are empowered to deliver
- Building a national framework for work experience that ensures consistency in quality, safeguarding and compliance while allowing for local flexibility
- Creating and rolling out toolkits, playbooks and guidance to enable offices across the UK to confidently deliver high-quality work experience placements
- Establishing minimum standards and guardrails to ensure every placement is safe, structured and meaningful
- Partnering with business leaders to embed ownership and accountability for work experience delivery across the organisation
- Scaling work experience opportunities in response to increasing demand driven by changes in education policy
- Developing an inclusive, accessible approach to engaging young people, with a focus on broadening access to underrepresented talent
- Implementing central tracking and reporting to maintain visibility of all work experience activity across the UK
- Ensuring all work experience placements meet government requirements and safeguarding standards
- Using insight and feedback to continuously evolve and improve the work experience offering
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Oversight, Enablement & Collaboration
- Maintaining full visibility and oversight of all work experience placements involving young people across the Group
- Ensuring all activity is recorded, monitored and meets safeguarding and compliance standards
- Ensuring all line managers hosting participants complete required checks and understand their responsibilities
- Creating and maintaining FAQs, guidance materials and resources for hiring managers
- Acting as the internal subject matter expert on work experience and safeguarding best practice
- Collaborating with Early Careers and Employer Brand teams to position Howden as a leading early talent destination
- Supporting broader Early Careers and Employer Brand initiatives as required
What We're Looking For
- Experience in safeguarding, compliance, risk, governance or programme design roles (ideally within early careers, education or youth-focused environments)
- Strong working knowledge of UK safeguarding legislation and best practice
- Experience developing and embedding policies, frameworks and scalable programmes
- Experience designing or delivering multi-site or national programmes (work experience or similar highly desirable)
- Ability to balance risk management with enabling high-quality, accessible programme delivery
- Confidence handling sensitive situations with sound judgement, discretion and professionalism
- Strong organisational skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders across a complex organisation
Who You Are
- Passionate about creating safe, inclusive and high-quality experiences for young people
- Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to translate vision into practical delivery
- Accountable and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership and integrity
- Comfortable providing challenge and driving high standards where needed
- Collaborative and adaptable, with a willingness to contribute beyond your core remit
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