Team Leader

Job Description

Working within Catch22’s Employability division, you will lead a frontline delivery team on the National Jobs Guarantee programme, supporting young people to prepare for, enter and sustain meaningful paid employment.

Reporting to the Senior Operations Manager, you will directly manage six Career Coaches and one Trainer, taking day-to-day accountability for team performance, participant experience, quality, compliance and achievement of agreed employment outcomes. You will work closely with the Employer Engagement Lead and employer engagement colleagues to ensure suitable vacancies are matched to participants and progress into job starts.

You will maintain a small, active participant caseload, to remain connected to frontline delivery and model effective practice. This allocation is flexible and your primary responsibilities will be for leadership, staff supervision, performance improvement and operational cover.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Provide effective day-to-day line management, supervision, coaching and development for six to eight Career Coaches and one Trainer, establishing clear individual expectations and accountability.

Hold regular structured one-to-ones, team meetings, case reviews and performance discussions; recognise good practice and take timely, documented action to address underperformance.

Observe and quality-assure face-to-face coaching, Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), training and participant interactions, providing practical feedback and targeted development.

Coordinate team diaries, caseload distribution, workload and delivery locations, ensuring appropriate face-to-face capacity and efficient use of resources.

Plan and coordinate annual leave, sickness and vacancy cover, maintaining continuity of essential appointments, participant relationships and six-month in-work support; escalate material capacity risks promptly.

Support recruitment, induction, probation, wellbeing and development of team members in line with Catch22 policies and agreed management responsibilities.

Take day-to-day accountability for team delivery against agreed KPIs, including engagement of allocated referrals, assessments, action plans, appointments, applications, interviews, job starts and sustained employment.

Maintain a clear, evidence-based view of each Career Coach’s caseload, participant progression, vacancy links, conversion rates, expected job-start dates and risks; challenge assumptions and implement measurable recovery actions.

Ensure timely contact with allocated participants and consistent delivery of the agreed participant journey, including initial face-to-face engagement, individualised assessment, employment preparation, job matching, employer introductions and six-month in-work support.

Coordinate with the Trainer to ensure planned group and individual learning activities respond to participant needs, employer requirements and the agreed programme design.

Work closely with employer engagement colleagues to identify suitable vacancies, strengthen matching and applications, secure interview opportunities and convert employer interest into employment outcomes.

Oversee timely interventions for participants who disengage, face complex barriers or experience placement breakdown, including re-engagement, specialist support and alternative job matching.

Ensure a consistently high standard of face-to-face service across Catch22 offices, Jobcentres, partner, community and outreach settings, with appropriate access to remote support where suitable.

Maintain a small caseload, of a full Career Coach caseload, delivering the same quality of assessment, personalised action planning, IAG, employment preparation, employer matching and six-month in-work support expected of Career Coaches.

Use direct delivery to understand operational challenges, model effective practice and share learning, while prioritising staff leadership and service continuity; agree any temporary changes to caseload allocation with the Senior Operations Manager.

Ensure complete, accurate and timely recording of participant contacts, interventions, employer and vacancy links, applications, interviews, outcomes and supporting evidence in approved case management systems.

Carry out regular case-file, data-quality and compliance checks, ensuring corrective actions are completed and the team remains audit-ready.

Provide accurate team-level performance reporting and realistic forecasts to the Senior Operations Manager, highlighting risks, trends, gaps in the pipeline and required support.

Ensure appropriate safeguarding, Prevent, data protection, health and safety, equality and diversity practice; escalate concerns in accordance with Catch22 policy and contractual requirements.

Build effective operational relationships with Jobcentre Plus, referral partners, employers, training providers, community organisations and internal specialist colleagues.

Identify practical improvements to participant engagement, coaching, training, employer matching, delivery efficiency and sustainment; share learning across both teams.

Contribute to mobilisation, service development, staff training and implementation of agreed programme changes.

WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE

Career Coaches and the Trainer receive consistent leadership, supervision, constructive challenge and development.

Team performance is understood through reliable management information and realistic forecasts; risks are addressed before outcomes are missed.

Participants receive timely, purposeful face-to-face support, suitable employer introductions and effective six-month in-work support.

Employer opportunities convert into applications, interviews and job starts; participants experience a coherent service across coaching and training.

Annual leave and absence cover are planned, caseloads are manageable, and the Team Leader’s own limited caseload does not displace core management responsibilities.

Contractual compliance, safeguarding and case recording are consistently maintained; hub outcomes and positive participant experiences are achieved.

Qualifications

5 GCSEs or equivalent at Grade C or above, relevant professional qualification

Additional Information

Salary: £34,000

The salary shown reflects the band for this role, with the final offer taking account of experience and relevant skills.

Checks: Enhanced DBS check

Please click here to view the full Job Description & Person Specification

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

We aim to review applications as quickly as possible. However, due to the volume ofinterest we receive, we may not be able to contact all applicants individually. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful this time.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media. 

Catch22’s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have “Banned the Box”. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead, we invite disclosures at interview stage, and encourage them at the offer stage. Please see our statement of commitment on hiring people with convictions for more information.

Compensation: N/A to 34000 (GBP) (YEARLY)