Talent Development Lead Location: Bolton Salary: £38,242 - £42,536(Grade 5) Contract Type: Permanent Benefits: Hybrid working, generous annual leave, birthday day off and much more Join our team as a Talent Development Lead Were looking for a Talent Development Lead (Early Careers) to design, lead and evolve high-quality, inclusive Early Careers programmes across our organisation, including apprenticeships and graduate pathways. Internally, this role is known as the Early Careers Lead, reflecting its hands-on responsibility for shaping and delivering opportunities for people at the very start of their careers. This is a strategic role with real impact. Youll shape our Early Careers offer to build long-term capability, support workforce planning and succession, and position us as an employer of choice. Working closely with colleagues, senior leaders and external partners, youll ensure our programmes are inclusive, compliant, and aligned with our values and people strategy. What youll be doing Lead the end-to-end design and delivery of our Early Careers and emerging talent programmes, ensuring they meet current and future organisational needs Design and coordinate inclusive recruitment, onboarding and induction for Early Careers entrants, working in partnership with Resourcing and hiring managers Build and maintain strong partnerships with schools, colleges, universities, training providers and community organisations Provide ongoing pastoral and practical support to apprentices and Early Careers participants, working closely with line managers and providers Monitor programme performance using data, insight and feedback to improve completion rates, progression and learner experience Manage and optimise apprenticeship levy spend, ensuring value for money and compliance Ensure all programmes meet funding, safeguarding, health & safety and equality requirements Champion Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, embedding inclusive practices and removing barriers to access and progression across Early Careers pathways What youll need to succeed Experience leading or delivering Early Careers, apprenticeship, graduate or similar entry-level programmes Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, build trust and work collaboratively with learners, managers and external partners Experience providing pastoral, coaching or mentoring support, balancing encouragement with appropriate challenge A strong commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, with experience embedding inclusive practices into recruitment or development activity The ability to manage competing priorities, make balanced decisions and communicate them clearly Confidence using digital tools such as Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint What we offer Hybrid working and flexibility to support worklife balance Generous annual leave starting at 27 days, rising to 32 days after 5 years, plus bank holidays Birthday day off take your birthday as paid leave Buy or sell annual leave to suit your lifestyle Local bank holiday an extra day off around New Year Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay Free on-site parking at key office locations Employee Assistance Programme wellbeing support for you and your family Cycle to Work and Car Leasing schemes Pension scheme with life insurance cover Perkbox perks, discounts and wellbeing resources Healthcare cash plan claim back dental, optical, physio and more Learning and development opportunities to support your career growth Volunteer days up to 5 paid days per year to give back