Head of Training and Impact
Salary: £50,000–£55,000 (subject to experience)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full time, 9am–5pm, hybrid with minimum 3 days in the office, or on site at projects in prison, or in the community.
Location: Head Office in Herne Hill, SE24 London
Application note: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Closing date is Friday 3 April at 09:00.
ABOUT THE CLINK CHARITY
The Clink Charity, founded in 2009, aims to prevent and reduce reoffending through training, rehabilitation and support. We deliver hospitality and horticulture training behind prison walls and in the community to help learners gain skills, confidence and qualifications to rebuild their lives.
Since inception, we have trained approximately 5,000 people in prison and delivered 2,600 City & Guilds qualifications across hospitality and food courses. The charity operates a fine-dining restaurant inside HMP Brixton, training kitchens in the prison estate, horticulture projects at HMP Send and HMP Erlestoke, a bakery in Brixton, and a delivery service, Catered by Clink.
Clink Events is our social enterprise catering business with food produced by women at HMP Downview and delivered from Guildford and Herne Hill, serving alumni in front-of-house roles at venues around London. In 2024, across 218 events, The Clink fed 36,000 people.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Head of Training and Impact oversees the implementation of all training projects across our portfolio (prisons and community), and evaluates outcomes and impact for beneficiaries. The role covers catering, hospitality and horticulture training projects, delivering nationally accredited City & Guilds qualifications to learners.
You will work with project leads in our restaurant, bakery, gardens and youth café in South London, developing training programs, quality assurance processes and reflective evaluation practices. The role also involves mobilising a new project to support NEET 16–25 year olds at Guildford County Court as we scale.
You will onboard referral partners, design the delivery program and impact framework, and collaborate with a support team to ensure site success, with a view to opening more projects in 2027. If you share The Clink Charity’s mission to reduce reoffending through education and training, we want to hear from you.
YOU
You should have a strong hospitality background and a passion for developing others. Experience may include leading hospitality training in a college or cookery school, delivering City & Guilds qualifications, or working as a chef or hospitality professional in a busy setting. We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds who can drive quality training and meaningful outcomes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Leadership and line management
* Work with the CEO, ELT and Board to achieve The Clink’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.
* Lead the design and implementation of a skills and training strategy with KPIs, targets and regular briefings.
* Establish robust systems for the delivery of training programmes and monitor outputs.
* Embed a Quality Assurance programme across all projects.
* Provide line management for programme leads in Restaurant, Bakery, Gardens and Café; support staff in delivering training and measuring outcomes.
* Line manage the Data and Compliance Manager; support data-driven insights for strategic decisions.
* Conduct 1:1s, manage appraisals and performance processes.
* Ensure learning and development needs of delivery staff are met.
* Oversee project delivery for consistency, quality, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
* Recruit, train and develop the delivery staff; review services to improve outcomes.
* Design and implement work based on insights; review existing services and assess new approaches.
* Make operational delivery decisions; oversee logistics, staffing and resource management.
* Provide cover and support for staff delivering projects as needed.
* Ensure CPD needs are met, including IHASCO mandatory training.
* Qualifications, assessing and verification
* Lead liaison with City & Guilds for delivery of training courses; ensure content enables learners to meet high standards.
* Support project leads in compiling portfolios for assessment and verification.
* Oversee verification; act as IQA as part of the team and facilitate External QA visits and inspections.
* Host standardisation meetings and monitor qualification outcomes.
* Monitoring, evaluation and insight
* Develop evaluation processes for impact and outcomes; enable robust reporting to stakeholders.
* Attend quarterly MoJ reporting meetings; prepare reports with colleagues for monitoring bodies.
* Regularly review impact methodology; drive data-driven planning and continuous improvement.
* Develop efficiencies in data collection and analysis.
* Safeguarding
* Champion safeguarding in all work, act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL).
* Approve annual updates to safeguarding policies and ensure staff training in safeguarding practices.
* New business, income generation and programme development
* Lead strategic planning for delivery and programme development across sites; explore opportunities to expand impact.
* Build relationships with MoJ, HMPPS, referral agencies and funding partners.
* Develop The Clink’s network of delivery partners and contribute to funding bids and proposals.
* Support fundraising efforts with the CEO and Grants Manager as needed.
* Finance
* Prepare and oversee budgets for project delivery with the Director of Finance and Resources.
* General duties
* Report on delivery to the Board; prepare papers for subcommittees and board meetings quarterly.
* Carry out other duties as required and uphold The Clink’s values and inclusive practices.
REQUIREMENTS AND ATTRIBUTES
* Desirable experience in leading projects and training teams with varied seniority.
* Experience in social justice, education, youth work or criminal justice projects; hospitality or horticulture background is acceptable.
* IQA qualification or willingness to obtain one.
* Strong project management, GDPR knowledge, and attention to detail at a national level.
* Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to engage senior stakeholders.
* Experience contributing to strategy at senior management level and translating it into operational plans.
* Knowledge of quality assurance systems and evaluating partner performance against competencies.
* Knowledge of report writing and data-driven decision-making.
* Understanding of City & Guilds NVQs for catering, hospitality or horticulture.
* Experience with safeguarding principles and reporting protocols.
* Proficient IT skills, including Microsoft Office.
* Willing to travel between South East projects and able to work flexible hours.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
* Commitment to The Clink’s mission with passion and integrity.
* Collaborative leadership, self-awareness, humility and flexibility.
* Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
* Proactive, adaptable, solution-focused and entrepreneurial.
* Values-driven with commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA).
REPORTING LINES
You will report to the CEO and the MD of Clink Events. You will line manage delivery team members across projects.
GENERAL CHARITY INFORMATION
All staff must comply with current legislation, prison policies and The Clink Staff Handbook. Special requirements include prison security vetting and a valid driving licence. Benefits include 28 days holiday plus bank holidays, a pension scheme, and free meals on duty when based in a restaurant or on site.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please send your CV and a supporting statement (max 2 sides of A4). Address how you meet the desirable criteria. Interviews are rolling; deadline is Friday 3 April. We will only contact shortlisted candidates. If you would like an informal chat, we can arrange a call with a member of The Clink Team.
We encourage applications from diverse backgrounds and those with lived experience, including those working with people in prison.
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