Jobs

Youth Service Learning & Development and Data Lead

Permanent, Full Time

£45,202.00 to £53,179.00 Per Annum

Location: Essex

Working Style: Community-based worker

Closing Date: 12th May 2025

Do you have excellent organisation skills?

Are you curious, solution focused and a creative thinker?

Do you have the capability to develop a strategy that aligns youth work curriculum with impact evidence and high-quality data recording?

If so, this is the job for you!

You will lead the design and implementation of strategies to enhance the skills and knowledge of youth service staff and our community volunteers, focusing on professional development and performance improvement.

You will be responsible for coordinating clear and impactful evidence of positive outcomes for Young People through robust quality assurance procedures and high-quality data recording and monitoring

This role requires a deep knowledge of the processes required to produce high-quality, accurate, statistics and the ability to produce clear and concise reports for a variety of internal and external audiences.

The Role

Essex is a diverse county which encompasses some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country as well as some highly affluent communities. This is reflected in a wide variance of educational need and attainment. Essex Youth Service inspires young people to achieve their full potential; to aspire to find their place and to contribute as active citizens enabling their voice to be heard.

This role will lead and oversee the delivery of youth work solutions to young people to enable them to achieve personal, social and educational achievements which enrich their lives and prepare them for adulthood. Working at a strategic level, developing and influencing effective partnerships that work collaboratively with service users and stakeholders.

The Youth Service Lead will provide expert knowledge and strategic direction for specific areas including Curriculum, Policy, Youth Work Practice, Quality Assurance, Learning & Development. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the Organisation to ensure the workforce is equipped with the tools, skills and capabilities required to deliver first class youth work solutions.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

Accountabilities

• Lead on a strategic area of youth work, developing capability frameworks and managing the cultural shift associated with innovative capacity building models and working practices.
• Head of centre for qualification awarding bodies (youth work & young people's qualifications)
• Ensure that appropriate mechanisms and protocols are in place with all other partner agencies for effective discharge of statutory joint obligations and duties including safeguarding, equality and diversity standards, national registration and inspection requirements.
• Develop, sustain and manage strong working relationships within Essex and the UK that influence and promote a coherent, aligned approach to the implementation of youth work and the wider education and skills aims offer to young people in Essex
• Establish, develop and maintain strong working relationships with relevant stakeholders to ensure current and future needs are understood and services are delivered accordingly
• Provide leadership and influence employees and partners to adapt to new ways of working, ensuring the required change journey is understood, accepted and implemented.
• Ensure that ECC policies, procedures and youth work practices are reviewed, developed and fit for purpose.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent by experience in a youth or education setting.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area
• Evidence of leading sector specific innovation and development through ongoing engagement with professional bodies such as NYA, UK Youth, UKYP
• Experience within the Education/Lifelong Learning sector particularly in relation to youth work with significant knowledge of youth work solutions and models.
• Knowledge of commissioning-based service models and their application in a public and/or private sector context. Evidence of success in determining and evaluating service quality and identifying opportunities to achieve efficiencies, best value and/ or cost reduction.
• Demonstrable achievement of outcomes for customers with a strong focus on evidence-based decision making and maximising value for money.
• Evidence of creative, innovative, transformative working practices within the youth work or education professions
• Experience of working at a senior level within a large complex organisation, with skills in understanding and responding to different perspectives and taking a cross organisational perspective

Interviews will take place 29th and 30th May 2025 in person at County Hall Chelmsford.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government's devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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