Job Title: Team Lead – Connect to Work
Reporting to: Head of Contracts
Responsible for: Employment Specialists and other programme delivery staff as allocated
Location: Better Pathways, 201–206 Alcester Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B12 0NQ, with regular community and partner-based working across Birmingham
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Salary: £35,000 per annum
Contract: Fixed term until March 2028, subject to programme funding and extension
About Better Pathways
Better Pathways is a values-led charity with over 60 years of experience supporting communities to overcome barriers to employment, skills and social inclusion.
We support people across Birmingham to build confidence, improve wellbeing and develop pathways towards volunteering, training, education and sustainable employment.
Our services are centred around the individual, recognising that every person’s journey is different and that effective employment support often requires strong partnership working across health, community and employment services.
About Connect to Work
Connect to Work is a personalised employment support programme designed to help people overcome barriers to employment and move towards sustainable work.
Delivery is underpinned by Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF), with a strong focus on delivering services in line with the principles and fidelity requirements of these approaches.
Employment Specialists provide tailored, person-centred support including vocational profiling, rapid and personalised job search, employer engagement, job matching, workplace support and ongoing in-work support.
The programme places strong emphasis on participant choice, strengths and employment aspirations, alongside proactive employer engagement, community-based delivery, partnership working and sustainable employment outcomes.
Job Purpose
The Team Lead – Connect to Work is responsible for the effective day-to-day leadership, performance, quality and coordination of the Connect to Work service.
The postholder will manage, supervise and support Employment Specialists, ensuring high-quality, person-centred employment support is delivered in line with contractual requirements, commissioner expectations and IPS and SEQF fidelity standards.
The role will provide oversight of staff performance, participant caseloads, programme compliance, quality assurance, employer engagement, partnership working and continuous service improvement.
The Team Lead will ensure staff are appropriately supported, challenged and held accountable while maintaining a positive team culture focused on achieving high-quality and sustainable employment outcomes for participants.
Key Responsibilities
1. Team Leadership and Management
- Provide effective day-to-day leadership and management to Employment Specialists and other allocated programme staff.
- Conduct regular one-to-one supervision, caseload reviews and performance discussions.
- Ensure staff have clear expectations around their roles, responsibilities, targets and quality standards.
- Provide coaching, mentoring and constructive feedback to support staff development and continuous improvement.
- Support the induction, onboarding and training of new staff and identify ongoing team learning needs.
- Manage staff workloads, capacity and operational cover to maintain continuity of participant support.
- Address performance, attendance, conduct or capability concerns appropriately and in conjunction with senior management where required.
- Lead and contribute to team meetings, Vocational Unit Meetings and other operational meetings.
2. Programme Performance and KPI Management
- Monitor individual and team performance against Connect to Work contractual targets and key performance indicators.
- Review programme activity including referrals, starts, caseloads, employer engagement, employment outcomes and sustainment.
- Use programme trackers, dashboards and management information to monitor progress and support effective decision-making.
- Identify underperformance, delivery gaps and emerging risks and implement appropriate improvement actions.
- Ensure participant caseloads are distributed fairly and appropriately across the team.
- Provide regular performance updates to the Head of Contracts and wider management team.
- Support the accurate and timely completion of commissioner and contractual performance reporting.
3. Quality Assurance and Compliance
- Ensure programme delivery meets Better Pathways policies, Connect to Work requirements and commissioner expectations.
- Conduct regular quality audits of participant records, paperwork, case notes and relevant programme systems.
- Ensure documentation is accurate, timely, complete and completed to the required standard.
- Monitor compliance with programme timescales throughout the participant journey.
- Identify recurring audit findings and provide targeted coaching, guidance or training where required.
- Support internal and external audits, commissioner reviews and fidelity assessments.
- Ensure participant and programme information is recorded and managed appropriately in line with GDPR, confidentiality and data protection requirements.
- Promote a culture where quality and participant experience are considered equally alongside numerical performance.
4. Participant Journey, Caseload and Safeguarding Oversight
- Maintain oversight of the participant journey from referral and engagement through to employment, in-work support, sustainment and exit.
- Review staff caseloads regularly to ensure participants receive appropriate, timely and employment-focused support.
- Identify participants at risk of disengagement and ensure appropriate re-engagement activity is undertaken.
- Provide guidance and management support around complex participant cases and facilitate case conferencing where appropriate.
- Ensure participant support remains personalised, strengths-based and focused on individual employment goals.
- Ensure safeguarding concerns, risks and participant welfare issues are identified, recorded and escalated appropriately.
- Promote safe community working, professional boundaries and appropriate information sharing across the team.
5. IPS and SEQF Fidelity
- Ensure Employment Specialists understand and apply the supported employment model relevant to their role and caseload IPS/SEQF
- Promote consistent delivery in line with IPS and SEQF principles and fidelity expectations.
- Ensure employment remains a central focus throughout the participant journey.
- Promote rapid, personalised job search based on participant preferences, strengths and aspirations.
- Encourage appropriate community-based delivery and integration with employment, health and community services.
- Ensure employer engagement is embedded within Employment Specialist practice and linked to individual participant employment goals.
- Use supervision, case reviews, observations, audits and team meetings to monitor and strengthen fidelity.
- Support preparation for fidelity reviews and implement improvement actions where gaps are identified.
6. Employer Engagement
- Promote a proactive and consistent approach to employer engagement across the team.
- Monitor individual and team employer engagement activity against agreed targets and expectations.
- Support Employment Specialists to build effective relationships with local employers.
- Encourage personalised employer engagement based on individual participant job preferences and vocational goals.
- Support staff with job development, employer conversations, workplace adjustments and disclosure discussions where appropriate.
- Develop strategic employer relationships that strengthen programme delivery and create opportunities for participants.
- Ensure employer activity and opportunities are recorded, evidenced and shared effectively across the team.
7. Partnership and Stakeholder Management
- Build and maintain positive relationships with Connect to Work partners, commissioners, Jobcentre Plus, community organisations, health services, employers and other stakeholders.
- Represent Better Pathways professionally at partnership meetings, programme forums and external events.
- Maintain effective communication between Better Pathways, delivery partners and programme stakeholders.
- Support the development of referral pathways, community delivery opportunities and collaborative working.
- Work closely with partner Team Leads and Employment Specialists to promote consistent programme delivery.
- Escalate programme risks, barriers or partnership concerns appropriately.
- Identify opportunities to strengthen programme reach and improve participant outcomes.
8. General Responsibilities
- Work closely with the Head of Contracts and wider management team to support organisational and programme priorities.
- Maintain accurate management records and meet agreed reporting deadlines.
- Promote continuous improvement by using staff feedback, participant feedback, audit findings and performance information.
- Contribute to the development of processes, guidance, training materials and programme improvements where required.
- Remain informed of relevant developments within employment support, IPS, supported employment and local labour markets.
- Act as a positive and professional representative of Better Pathways internally and externally.
- Follow all Better Pathways policies and procedures, including safeguarding, equality and diversity, health and safety, confidentiality and data protection.
- Undertake any other reasonable duties consistent with the nature and level of the role.
Person Specification
Essential Experience
The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate:
- Experience of leading, supervising or managing staff within employment support/supported employment, health, social care, community services or a related environment.
- Experience of managing staff performance and providing effective supervision, coaching and support.
- Experience of working within a target-driven or contract-funded service.
- Experience of supporting individuals experiencing barriers to employment.
- Experience of monitoring caseloads, performance and service quality.
- Experience of working collaboratively with external partners and stakeholders.
- Experience of completing or overseeing accurate records, reports and management information.
- Experience of managing competing priorities, workloads and deadlines.
Essential Knowledge and Skills
- Strong leadership and people-management skills.
- Ability to motivate, coach and develop staff.
- Strong understanding of person-centred employment support.
- An understanding of supported employment principles and the ability to develop a strong working knowledge of IPS and SEQF fidelity requirements.
- Ability to interpret performance information and translate findings into practical actions.
- Strong quality assurance skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage challenging conversations professionally, fairly and constructively.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills.
- Ability to build effective relationships with employers, partners and external stakeholders.
- Confident use of Microsoft Office, Teams, SharePoint and electronic recording systems.
- Understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality and GDPR.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a wider management team.
- Ability to make appropriate management decisions and escalate risks where necessary.
Desirable
- Previous experience of Individual Placement and Support (IPS).
- Previous experience of the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) or other supported employment models.
- Experience of delivering DWP, local authority or other publicly funded employment programmes.
- Knowledge of the Birmingham employment, health and community support landscape.
- Experience of conducting quality audits or fidelity reviews.
- Experience of employer engagement and job development.
- Experience of programme mobilisation or implementing new services.
- Relevant management, leadership, employability, health or social-care qualification.
Personal Attributes
The postholder will be expected to:
- Lead by example and demonstrate professionalism and integrity.
- Be approachable and supportive while maintaining clear expectations and accountability.
- Be confident in making decisions and addressing issues appropriately.
- Have a proactive and solution-focused approach.
- Remain calm and organised while managing competing priorities.
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to high-quality, person-centred employability support.
- Encourage learning, development and continuous improvement.
- Work collaboratively and build positive relationships across different organisations.
- Be committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Be comfortable providing constructive challenge where standards or expectations are not being met.
- Demonstrate a genuine commitment to helping people overcome barriers and achieve meaningful and sustainable employment.
Additional Requirements
The role will involve a mixture of office-based, community-based and partner-location working across Birmingham.
The postholder may occasionally be required to work flexibly according to programme and organisational requirements.
An appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required.
The duties outlined within this Job Description are not exhaustive. The postholder may be required to undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the nature and level of the role to meet the needs of Better Pathways and the Connect to Work programme.
Benefits
- 30 days' annual leave plus 8 bank holidays per annum.
- Holiday entitlement is pro rata for part-time employees.
- Access to relevant training and professional development opportunities.
- Opportunity to contribute to an employment support programme supporting communities across Birmingham.
Better Pathways is a Disability Confident Employer and welcomes applications from disabled people. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process.
We value lived experience and recognise the strengths that disabled people bring to our organisation. If you require any adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know.
Pay: £35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Canteen
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience supervising or managing staff within employability or supported employment contracts?
- Do you have experience building relationships with employers, commissioners, Jobcentre Plus, health services or other external partners?
- What interests you most about leading a Connect to Work team and supporting Employment Specialists to achieve positive employment outcomes?
Work Location: In person
