Job title: Employment & Skills Employer Engagement Officer
Salary: SO2 £37,280 - £39,152
Hours: 37
Contract: F/T Permanent
Location: Leeds/Work From Home
As an Employment & Skills Employer Engagement Officer you’ll be passionate about supporting Leeds’ most vulnerable residents into employment using your specialist skills and experience to support businesses to recruit and retain residents who benefit from a supported employment approach. In so doing you will contribute to delivery of both the Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy and the government’s economic growth mission.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our and ambitions.
About you
As an Employment & Skills Employer Engagement Officer, you will bring to the role:
1. Degree or equivalent qualification or with commensurate operational experience in an appropriate working environment/community setting
2. Significant experience of supporting employers to recruit and retain vulnerable and hard-to-reach residents, including those facing barriers to employment
3. Ability to deliver resident-focused employment and training services – particularly to residents with significant barriers to employment who would benefit from a supported employment approach
4. Significant knowledge of the city’s labour market, including growth sectors and trends, and the opportunities this offers to residents to access jobs and apprenticeships
About the role
As an Employment & Skills Employer Engagement Officer, you’ll be working on a national programme with key significance for the local economy. By working closely with employers to recruit adults who have significant barriers to employment you’ll be creating bespoke learning journeys which match customer and employer aspirations.
You will proactively support growth ambitions of businesses in the city through the provision of tailored recruitment and skills support including training on e.g. inclusive selection and recruitment processes, in-work support and job retention support, information using schemes and support such as Access to Work.
The role is integral to our Employment & Skills Service and you’ll be working alongside other advisors in theLeeds Employment Hub offering tailored support to target clients to support a healthier, greener and more inclusive economy that works for everyone.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
5. a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
6. membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
7. flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
8. a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
9. a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
How to apply
Please complete the online short application form.
Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose To support the delivery of work programmes across the Employment and Skills service, particularly those that target customers with significant barriers who would benefit from a supported employment approach. To meet service priorities by serving customers including local and key employers, employer networks and stakeholder groups and residents. To provide support to other teams within the Service as demand and priorities dictate, and carrying out any other duties commensurate with the grade and required for the role
Responsibilities
10. Working with Employment & Skills Advisors (Supported Employment)/Keyworkers to focus engagement efforts on the employers and industries that residents with significant employment barriers are most interested in
11. Use available Labour Market Information (LMI) data to understand the local labour market, identify which employers to approach, understand where job growth would come from, the skills required by employers and the specific needs of the customer
12. Identify receptive employers and engage with internal Business Engagement functions, existing networks and local Chambers of Commerce to make contacts
13. Building Partnerships with businesses and viewing employers as equal customers to develop strong, proactive relationships. Understanding business needs by conducting thorough job analyses to learn about the employer's organisation, culture, and recruitment needs.
14. Facilitating inclusive recruitment by working with employers on reasonable adjustments, changing recruitment practices, and generally making their workplaces more inclusive for disabled talent.
15. Providing ongoing support by offering high-quality assistance not just to the jobseeker, but also to the employer throughout the recruitment, hiring, and retention process.
16. Proactively support growth ambitions of businesses in the city through the provision of tailored recruitment and skills support including training on e.g. inclusive selection and recruitment processes, in-work support and job retention support, information using schemes and support such as Access to Work
17. Organise and support the delivery of recruitment activity in communities including jobs fairs and recruitment activities for key developments/employers/employer networks
18. Promote and deliver positive solutions to achieve diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of service delivery whilst balancing these with a good understanding of specific recruitment and workforce development needs
19. Manage and adhere to effective governance and risk management arrangements as well as meeting fidelity assessment requirements
20. Manage and handle information and data in line with the Council's agreed policies on Information Governance and Data Protection
21. Ensure adherence to Health and Safety in accordance with all statutory obligations and relevant health and safety policies.
22. The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
Qualifications Degree or equivalent qualification or with commensurate operational experience in an appropriate working environment/community setting
Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.
23. Able to deliver employer-focused recruitment and skills services
24. Able to deliver resident-focused employment and training services – particularly to residents with significant barriers to employment who would benefit from a supported employment approach
25. Able to promote and market employment services to businesses
26. Able to work on own initiative and make effective decisions and judgements commensurate with the role.
27. Significant knowledge of employment and skills policy issues at a local, regional and national level
28. Significant knowledge of the city’s labour market, including growth sectors and trends, and the opportunities this offers to residents to access jobs and apprenticeships
29. Significant experience of delivering employer-responsive activity
30. Significant experience of working with key growth employment sectors in the city
31. Significant experience of communicating with employers, delivery partners and other key stakeholders to deliver services
32. Significant experience of supporting employers to recruit and retain vulnerable and hard-to-reach residents, including those facing barriers to employment.
33. Significant experience of productive, collaborative working with a wide range of audiences
34. Significant experience of managing competing priorities
35. Significant experience of preparing and presenting reports
36. Positive attitude towards managing change and the achievement of targets
Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics
37. Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
38. Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
39. Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
40. Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
41. Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
42. Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
43. Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
44. Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
45. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.
46. Knowledge of local and regional skills provision and capacity to meet the city’s needs
47. Knowledge of careers education information advice and guidance policies and practice, and school-employer brokerage
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