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Youth Employment Programme Manager, LONDON BOROUGH OF HACKNEY
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Youth Employment Programme Manager, LONDON BOROUGH OF HACKNEY
Youth Employment Programme Manager
Hackney Council
Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, proud of our strong, diverse communities and shared values of equity, fairness, anti-racism, gender inclusivity, and support for neurodiverse individuals.
For two decades, Hackney Council has built first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for innovation. As part of our commitment to driving change, we actively advocate for equity—eliminating systemic barriers across race, neurodiversity, gender, and economic disadvantage.
About the Role
The Employment, Skills and Adult Learning Service at Hackney Council is seeking to recruit a Youth Employment Programme Manager, a strategic leader responsible for overseeing two critical initiatives:
- Supported Internship Programme (for young people with SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)
- Youth Guarantee Trailblazer Initiative (for care-experienced and NEET – Not in Education, Employment, or Training young people facing barriers to the labour market)
The ideal candidate will:
- Provide strategic oversight to ensure successful delivery and lasting impact of these initiatives.
- Implement robust monitoring processes, driving operational improvements and governance structures.
- Manage key stakeholder relationships, including commissioned partners, to guarantee high-quality service delivery.
- Lead a team with clear direction, fostering employment outcomes for young people across Hackney.
- Collaborate with Education, Employment and Skills teams to build effective pipelines for participants.
- Champion co-production, ensuring young people’s voices shape programme design while maintaining operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
As the Youth Employment Programme Manager, you will: ✔ Lead strategic delivery of Supported Internship and Youth Guarantee programmes, ensuring alignment with national employment and inclusion policies. ✔ Oversee performance, compliance, and quality across all commissioned partnerships. ✔ Develop and implement effective monitoring tools, analysing success metrics to drive continuous improvement. ✔ Establish governance frameworks to support transparency, accountability, and rigorous evaluation. ✔ Build and maintain relationships with partner organisations, employers, and future participants. ✔ Foster a culture of inclusion, advocating for diversity, equity, and anti-oppressive practices within the programmes. ✔ Work closely with potentially multiple stakeholder groups, including education providers, schools, and support agencies to expand opportunities. ✔ Build Internal and external awareness of opportunities promoting participation, ensuring potentially all eligible young people are reached. ✔ Work across the wider Employment, Skills and Adult Learning team to align priorities and resources. ✔ Lead by example in upholding Hackney’s core values of fairness, anti-racism, and equal opportunity.
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Person Specification – Required Skills & Experience
To thrive in this role, the ideal candidate will have:
Experience & Qualifications
- Significant leadership experience in managing and delivering complex employment or skills programmes, ideally within a target-driven environment.
- Proven track record in coordinating multi-agency partnerships to improve youth employment outcomes.
- Deep knowledge of Supported Employment models and understanding of the pathways for young people with SEND or care-experienced backgrounds.
- Working-level familiarity with the challenges faced by trainee groups at risk of exclusion, including:
- Care-experienced young people
- NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training)
- Young people with SEND
- Disabled young people
- Relevant qualifications in employment support, education, youth work, or a related field are advantageous but not mandatory.
Personal Attributes
We are looking for a proactive, visionary leader who:
- Is passionate about equity and inclusion, with a commitment to tackling systemic barriers.
- Brings innovative problem-solving skills to improve workplace and employment outcomes.
- Demonstrates strong stakeholder engagement abilities, building trust and collaboration internally and externally.
- Exhibits emotional intelligence and a people-focused approach, ensuring programme success through empowered participants and engaged staff.
- Is resilient, adaptable, and inspired by working towards organisational values.
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How to Apply
If you are interested in this role and would like to discuss the position informally, please contact: Anna-Renée Paisley (anna-renee.paisley@hackney.gov.uk) to arrange a phone call.
Application note: To apply, complete your application via the provided link. Supporting statements (CVs) are not accepted. The application process requires you to answer competency-based questions, where you can showcase your skills, experience, and knowledge as described in this job description.
Closing Dates & Important Dates
📅 Closing date for applications: 19 July 2026 (22.59) 🗓 Interview dates: Week commencing (W/C) 3 August 2026
Hackney’s Vision, Values, and D&I Commitment
Hackney Council is a place that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our core values include:
- Proud to serve with passion
- Ambitious about progress
- Pioneering change for our community
- Open and transparent in our approach
- Proactive in addressing inequalities
We are committed to eliminating discrimination based on:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
We also actively seek to bid overcoming social and economic barriers, including disadvantage due to social class.
Hackney welcomes applications from individuals interested in flexible working arrangements.
We especially encourage applications from underrepresented groups, including disabled applicants, as these roles aim to reflect Hackney’s diverse society.
Support Available
If you’d like assistance, Hackney Works provides job application support for residents. For guidance, email: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk or visit Hackney Works.
A reminder for applicants: While AI can offer benefits, Hackney values authenticity and encourages candidates to share their unique perspective through their own words.
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