Vacancy

Employer Partnerships Lead (REF 131)

Could you help open doors to employment for young people across the West Midlands?

At Sport 4 Life UK, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to build a successful future.

We’re looking for a proactive and personable Employer Partnerships Lead to help create more employment, work placement and career development opportunities for the young people we support.

You’ll spend your time connecting with businesses, building positive relationships, identifying vacancies and working with our mentoring team to help young people access opportunities that match their skills and aspirations.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys meeting people, making connections and turning conversations into practical opportunities.

You don’t need an extensive existing employer network or years of experience in the employability sector. We’re particularly interested in your ability to build relationships, take initiative, communicate confidently and follow through on opportunities.

What you’ll bring:

• Confidence engaging with businesses and developing professional relationships.
• A proactive, organised approach and the ability to work towards targets.
• Strong communication skills and a willingness to learn.
• A genuine commitment to helping young people overcome barriers and access employment.

If you’re motivated by building relationships that make a real difference, we’d love to hear from you

Sport 4 Life UK is driven by a set of values that define our mission:

• All that we do is focused on CHANGING the LIVES of young people.
• We are a TEAM
• QUALITY runs through the core of the organisation
• We do not stand still – we are a PROGRESSIVE organisation

Ready to join our mission? Then here’s your chance to join us in shaping and supporting the next generation.

Person Specification

Essential

Experience

• Experience of engaging with employers, businesses, customers or external stakeholders in a professional environment.
• Experience of building and maintaining positive working relationships with a range of individuals or organisations.
• Experience of working towards agreed targets or objectives.
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues or external partners.
• Experience of maintaining accurate records and using IT systems to support day-to-day work.

Knowledge & Skills

• Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to approach employers and develop professional relationships.
• Ability to identify opportunities and communicate effectively with employers and colleagues.
• Good organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Ability to work proactively, use initiative and follow through on agreed actions.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and the ability to learn relevant organisational systems.
• An understanding of the challenges young people may face when seeking employment, or a willingness to develop this knowledge.
• Awareness of equality, confidentiality and safeguarding principles, or a willingness to undertake relevant training.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience in employer engagement, recruitment, employability support or business development.
• Knowledge of the local labour market and employer networks across the West Midlands.
• Experience of supporting young people or individuals facing barriers to employment.
• Experience of identifying employment vacancies, work placements or recruitment opportunities.
• Experience of working within a charity, education, employment support or publicly funded service.
• Relevant qualification in employability, recruitment, careers guidance or a related field.

Ready to apply?

Thank you for showing an interest in this role with Sport 4 Life UK. To apply, please tell us a little more about you and your skills.

As a business centred around team culture, people are always at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the richness of ideas and power of each other’s differences, and we’re striving to be an organisation packed full of people that are truly representative of the world that we live in. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is more than a tick box.

We want to hire people, not statistics or stereotypes, who bring fresh ideas to our work and young people. For impartiality, our applications are divided into two sections. Both sections must be completed to successfully apply for this role.

• Part one: Questions about your experience and relevancy to the role – this excludes any personal information and is reviewed by the hiring manager.
• Part two: Contact information and legally required questions – this is reviewed by our HR team for legal reasons and is not disclosed to the hiring manager prior to the interview.