Head of Work Experience and Employer Engagement

Job Details

USP College is seeking an experienced and proactive Head of Work Experience & Employer Engagement to lead the delivery of high-quality work experience, industry placements, employer engagement and employability opportunities across the College.

This is a key manager role responsible for managing the Work Experience, Industry Placement and Employer Engagement teams, ensuring learners benefit from meaningful employer-led experiences that support their achievement, progression and future career ambitions.

We are looking for a motivated leader with experience in employer engagement, work-based learning, education or skills provision. You will have excellent relationship-building skills, strong operational management experience and a passion for creating opportunities that help learners succeed.

Interviews for this role will be held on Tuesday 11th August.

Duties and responsibilities

Lead and manage the operational delivery of work experience, industry placements and employer engagement activities across the College.
Develop and maintain strong partnerships with employers, businesses and external stakeholders.
Oversee the delivery of T Level Industry Placements, ensuring compliance with funding and quality requirements.
Drive learner participation, placement quality and positive progression outcomes.
Manage performance against KPIs, budgets and service targets.
Ensure all activity complies with safeguarding, health and safety, GDPR and funding requirements.
Use data and reporting to monitor impact, support continuous improvement and demonstrate learner outcomes.
Work collaboratively with curriculum and support teams to embed employer engagement and employability across the student experience.

The right candidate will have:

Essential:

Degree or relevant professional qualification
Significant experience within FE, employability, work experience, careers or vocational provision
Experience of managing or coordinating work experience, industry placements or employer engagement activity
Experience of leading or managing teams
Experience of building effective relationships with employers and external stakeholders

Desirable:

Management or Leadership qualification
Experience of T Levels and Industry Placements
Experience of Gatsby Benchmarks and careers education frameworks
Experience of using placement management systems such as Grofar
Experience of contributing to Ofsted preparation and quality improvement activity