Employment and Skills Manager

Location: Walsall, West Midlands

Contract: Full Time, Permanent, 37 hours per week

Closing Date: 6th September 2026

Interview Date: 15th and 16th September 2026

Are you passionate about creating opportunities, tackling inequality and helping people overcome barriers to employment? Do you have a demonstrable commitment to social justice and a passion for improving outcomes for social housing customers?

To help whg achieve outcomes in our Social Justice Strategy, we’re looking for an exceptional and compassionate Employment & Skills Manager to lead whg’s Employment & Skills service and help us make a lasting difference to the lives of our customers and communities.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a team that supports people who may be long-term unemployed, economically inactive, in insecure or low-paid work, or facing barriers that have made accessing employment and training more difficult.

At the heart of the role is a simple ambition: to help more of our customers build their confidence, develop their skills and move towards sustainable employment and greater independence.

What will you be doing?

As our Employment & Skills Manager, you’ll lead the successful delivery of our Work Matters employment and skills programmes and externally funded programmes such as Youth Trailblazer.

Using a compassionate leadership approach, you’ll manage and motivate a team of Employment & Skills colleagues, Community Champions and programme colleagues, creating an environment where they can perform at their best and deliver meaningful outcomes for our customers.

• Lead the day-to-day delivery and performance of our Employment & Skills service, ensuring we achieve agreed outcomes and KPIs.
• Develop a programme of outreach events and activities that connects with customers in their communities and encourages them to take their next step towards employment.
• Support your team to engage customers who may be at different stages of their journey towards change, using coaching, motivational interviewing and strength-based approaches.
• Oversee customer referrals, caseloads and action plans, ensuring customers receive the right support at the right time.
• Build strong partnerships with organisations including the DWP, Walsall College, Walsall Works, local authorities, training providers, community organisations and employers to create opportunities for our customers.
• Work with education and training partners to develop sector-based training and pre-employment programmes that respond to local opportunities.
• Monitor performance, evaluate impact and use data and customer insight to continuously improve our service.
• Manage externally funded programmes, including performance monitoring, contract requirements and grant claims.
• Champion the achievements of our customers through case studies, success stories and collaboration with our Communications team.
• Support the development of funding bids that enable us to grow our social justice work and reach even more customers.
• This is a visible, community-focused role. You and your team will meet customers where they feel most comfortable – whether that’s in their home, a community venue, library, family hub, college, faith organisation or another local setting.

What are we looking for?

• More than anything, we’re looking for someone who shares our commitment to social justice and understands that people’s journeys into employment aren’t always straightforward.
• You’ll be an experienced leader who knows how to motivate both colleagues and customers and who can balance excellent frontline service delivery with performance, partnerships and programme management.

We're looking for someone who has:

• Experience of successfully leading and motivating an employment, skills or employability team to achieve targets and KPIs.
• A strong track record of supporting people who face barriers to employment, including those who are long-term unemployed, economically inactive or not in education, employment or training.
• An appropriate Information, Advice, Guidance and Coaching qualification at Level 4 or above, or equivalent relevant experience, knowledge and skills including lived experience.
• Strong coaching and motivational skills, with experience of helping people build confidence, change behaviours and progress towards their goals.
• Experience of managing employment and skills programmes delivered through community outreach and face-to-face, strength-based services.
• Experience of contract management, performance monitoring and meeting funder requirements.
• A good understanding of the learning, skills and employment landscape across Walsall and the wider West Midlands, including adult skills funded programmes.
• An understanding of the Theory of Change and stages of behavioural change, and how these can be used to design effective interventions.
• An understanding of the wider determinants of health and the impact that unemployment and economic inequality can have on people’s lives.
• Excellent partnership-building and communication skills, with the confidence to work with customers, colleagues, funders, employers and external organisations.
• Experience of safeguarding, health and safety, risk management and delivering safe and engaging community events.

What’s in it for you?

In return, you will receive a competitive salary, 27 days annual leave (plus Christmas shut down), a defined benefit pension scheme, health cash plan, a range of shopping and leisure discounts.

We are output focused and flexible and believe in giving colleagues the right balance of autonomy and support to enable them to work to their full potential. Despite the high expectation for performance and delivery, we are committed to ensuring colleagues have a healthy work-life balance and able to work in agile ways which support them.

About us

At whg, we are dedicated to providing affordable homes across the Midlands and creating sustainable communities. We believe everyone has the right to a safe and secure home, which is the foundation for a successful life. Our values— Trustworthy, Respectful, Accountable, Collaborative and Excellent — guide our work and our commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

whg and Aspire Housing have agreed a merger, which will create a new housing association with 32,000 homes across our Midlands heartlands. These plans do not affect our current recruitment and all advertised posts remain approved and active.

We have been recognised as a top employer in the prestigious Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026. The awards celebrate the top employers in the UK who are leading the way in employee pride, job satisfaction and wellbeing, as well as reward and recognition.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, committed to providing opportunities and support for all applicants, including those with disabilities.

This vacancy is open to both internal and external applicants

whg is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our customers and communities. Please note that for some roles, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check may be required as part of our pre-employment screening process.

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