Are you passionate about helping young people build successful futures?

Do you thrive on building relationships, creating opportunities and connecting people?

Would you love the opportunity to work with employers, businesses and industry partners to open doors for young people and help them take their first steps towards an exciting career?

If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated and personable Employment Engagement Officer to join our team and play a key role in delivering an outstanding careers and employer engagement programme for our students.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about careers, employability and developing young talent and who enjoys making things happen.

The Role

Working closely with the Director of Careers, you will help shape and deliver an inspiring careers programme that equips our students with the knowledge, skills, confidence and experiences they need to succeed beyond the UTC.

A key part of the role will be developing strong relationships with employers and external organisations to create meaningful opportunities for our students, including T-Level industry placements, work experience, employment opportunities, careers events, employer encounters and networking opportunities.

You will be the link between our students and the world of work — identifying opportunities, developing partnerships and helping employers to connect with the talented young people within our UTC.

No two days will necessarily be the same. You could be meeting with an employer, arranging a work placement, supporting a student with their CV, organising a careers event, helping with a UCAS personal statement or working with a curriculum team to bring real-world industry experience into the classroom.

What you will do

You will:

• Work alongside the Director of Careers to deliver an ambitious careers programme and ensure the UTC continues to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks.
• Build and develop strong, long-term relationships with employers locally, regionally and nationally.
• Source and secure T-Level industry placements, work experience and employment opportunities for our students.
• Identify employer recruitment needs and develop creative solutions to connect employers with our students.
• Actively promote our students and the opportunities available to employers through networking, employer visits, events, social media, direct marketing and proactive outreach.
• Develop strategic employer partnerships that create meaningful talent pipelines and raise the profile of the UTC.
• Work closely with curriculum teams to embed meaningful employer engagement and industry experience into students' learning.
• Organise and support careers events, employer talks, careers fairs, networking events and other opportunities that inspire our students.
• Support students with CVs, covering letters, job applications and interview preparation.
• Provide support with UCAS applications and personal statements.
• Help students develop the skills, confidence and knowledge needed to manage their future careers.
• Promote and support the effective use of careers platforms including Unifrog and Compass+.
• Develop engaging resources for students, parents, staff and employer events.
• Maintain and develop the UTC's careers newsletter.
• Liaise with external partners, employers, education providers and careers services.
• Contribute to the planning, delivery and continual improvement of the UTC's careers programme.
• Support the development of positive relationships between the UTC, employers, parents and the wider community.

About You

We are looking for someone who is positive, enthusiastic and passionate about helping young people succeed.

You will be someone who enjoys building relationships and is confident speaking to people from a wide range of backgrounds. You will be comfortable picking up the phone to an employer, attending networking events, developing new partnerships and finding creative solutions when opportunities don't immediately present themselves.

Most importantly, you will genuinely believe in the potential of every young person and be committed to helping our students achieve their ambitions.

You will have:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• A professional, friendly and approachable manner.
• The confidence to build relationships with employers and external organisations.
• The ability to communicate effectively with students, parents, staff, employers and external agencies.
• A proactive approach and the confidence to make things happen.
• The ability to work independently while also being an effective member of a team.
• A positive attitude and a flexible approach to your work.
• The ability to remain calm, professional and solution-focused when dealing with challenges.
• Honesty, integrity and a strong sense of professionalism.
• A genuine commitment to improving outcomes and opportunities for young people.
• A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
• A willingness to engage in continuous professional development.

Level 4/6 qualification in Careers guidance is desirable but are not essential or relevant experience. We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals who can demonstrate the right skills, attitude, enthusiasm and commitment to making a difference.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to take on a role where you can see the direct impact of your work.

Every employer partnership you develop, every placement you secure and every student you support could be the opportunity that changes the direction of a young person's future.

You will work within a supportive and ambitious environment where we are committed to:

• Raising aspirations and creating opportunities for every student.
• Developing strong connections with industry and the wider community.
• Preparing young people for successful careers and further education.
• Encouraging academic and personal ambition.
• Supporting our students to become confident, skilled and employable young adults.

If you are someone who loves connecting people, creating opportunities and helping young people achieve their potential, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Working Arrangements

• £23,305 (£26,886 FTE) Full-time, term-time only. This is negotiable depending on experience and quaifications
• 39 weeks per year – 38 teaching weeks plus 5 INSET days and 2 additional days for GCSE and A Level results in August
• 36.5 hours per week
• Usual working hours are between 8.30am and 5.00pm
• Some flexibility will be required to support careers events and employer activities, with any additional requirements agreed in advance
• Reporting to the Director of Careers, with additional responsibility to the Assistant Principal and Principal

Safeguarding

The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate a strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

The post is subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

As part of our commitment to safeguarding, online searches may be undertaken as part of our recruitment and due diligence process for shortlisted candidates. Any concerns identified will be discussed with the candidate as part of the recruitment process.

All duties must be undertaken in accordance with UTC and Trust policies, procedures, the staff code of conduct and professional expectations.

The successful candidate will also be expected to undertake any other reasonable duties commensurate with the grade and nature of the post.

Ready to make a difference?

If you have the enthusiasm, creativity and relationship-building skills to help us create exceptional opportunities for our students, we would love to hear from you.

Come and help us connect our students with the world of work and inspire the next generation of talent.