Work and Learning Coach – EVOLVE Service
- Job Title: Work and Learning Coach
- Salary: £27,435.20 per annum (pro-rata)
- Location: Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
- Position Type: Full-time, 6-month contract (with possible extension/permanent contract thereafter)
About YMCA Brighton
At YMCA Brighton, our vision is to create an inclusive community where everyone can belong, contribute, and thrive. We provide the home, community, and services that equip individuals to overcome barriers and achieve their personal goals, guided by our core values of Community, Compassion, and Empowerment.
About the Role
Are you passionate about helping people unlock their potential and build brighter futures?
We are seeking an empathetic, resourceful, and driven Work and Learning Coach to join our EVOLVE service in Brighton. Funded by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), this role focuses on delivering tailored, one-to-one coaching to local residents who are currently in treatment with Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services.
As a Work and Learning Coach, your primary goal will be to empower clients to pursue, achieve, and sustain their employment, training, and volunteering aspirations. Whether coaching someone over a standard 12-week programme or adapting support to fit a more complex journey, you will walk alongside clients as they build confidence, overcome barriers, and take meaningful steps towards independence. You will also run engaging workshops, foster vibrant local employer/partner networks, and contribute to multi-agency support systems across Brighton and Hove.
This is a fixed-term role until 31 March 2027, where there will be a possibility of an extension of permanent contract after this period.
Key Responsibilities
- 1:1 Coaching & Progression: Welcome new clients, assess individual strengths, and manage a dedicated caseload. Provide practical and emotional support—such as attending course enrolments, travel, or initial meetings together—stepping back as their confidence grows.
- Workshops & Group Facilitation: Design and run interactive drop-in sessions and workshops covering confidence building, CV writing, interview skills, digital literacy, and workplace expectations.
- Removing Practical Barriers: Offer hands-on help to access essential funding, work clothing, travel costs, or course fees to ensure no client is held back by practical challenges.
- Partnership & Community Engagement: Collaborate closely with drug and alcohol treatment partners, Jobcentre Plus, local colleges, charities, and employers to unlock tailored opportunities matching client goals.
- Performance & Administration: Maintain up-to-date, confidential casework records, manage your diary, and collect outcome data to track positive impact in line with commissioner expectations.
- Safeguarding & Values: Actively promote client welfare, follow Pan-Sussex safeguarding policies, maintain strict confidentiality/GDPR, and represent YMCA Brighton professionally in multi-agency networks.
Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking a collaborative practitioner with a strong coaching mindset and a trauma-informed approach.
Essential Criteria
- Coaching & Qualifications: A sound understanding of coaching/mentoring models and an accreditation/qualification in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), coaching, employment support, or equivalent.
- Sector & Practice Knowledge: Solid grasp of complex needs, homelessness, trauma-informed care, psychologically informed environments (PIE), and safeguarding practices.
- Direct Experience: Proven experience delivering 1:1 employability coaching, IAG support, CV/job search guidance, and running interactive group workshops.
- Communication & Resilience: Exceptional interpersonal and motivational skills, emotional resilience, and the ability to manage complex, fast-paced situations calmly and assertively.
- Digital & Operational Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), database management, and time management across competing priorities.
Desirable Criteria
- Working knowledge of the UK benefits system and how transitioning into work, training, or volunteering impacts individual finances.
How to Apply
If you are ready to help individuals overcome barriers, discover their strengths, and rebuild their lives, we would love to hear from you. Just click the Apply button!
YMCA Brighton is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of clients, volunteers, and staff. An enhanced DBS check and adherence to strict safeguarding practices are required for this role.
Pay: £27,435.20 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person
