Senior Programme Manager

Job title: Senior Programme Manager (Glasgow)

Line Reports: 3 Employment Advisers initially, with scope to change

Location: Glasgow – hybrid working, with a minimum of 2 days a week in the office and occasional travel to London office (every 3 months), and other BB offices where required.

Salary: £36,500 - £39,000

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, with occasional evening or weekend work (TOIL provided), open to flexible working arrangements

Contract: Permanent

Language Requirements: Fluent in English

Context:

The need for employment support for refugees in the UK is growing. Breaking Barriers’ (BB) intention is to deliver employment support to as many refugees who need it, whilst growing the organisation in a sustainable way. Over the coming years we are aiming to significantly scale our programmes and reach communities in new areas of the UK.

As the next step in our growth, BB has an opportunity to establish a presence in Glasgow to work collaboratively to meet the needs of local refugee communities and of the broader sector. We will work closely with local, regional, and national partners to develop programmes in response to the needs of local refugees, organisations and existing infrastructure, flexing our model where needed to avoid duplication and ensure we are filling gaps where our services will have the most impact.

The Senior Programme Manager will be our first hire in Glasgow, and a critical role for launching and shaping our programmes, model, and team in the region. This is an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial and strategic thinker with a passion for employment as a route to independence and empowerment to leave a lasting impact on our clients and our organisation.

Purpose of the role:

Your primary responsibility will be to lead BB’s employment programme strategy and work with the Head of Employment Programmes to establish our Glasgow operations and ensure we provide clients in the region with high standards of delivery.

Working collaboratively with Head of Employment Programmes, you will take ownership of setting up our delivery within this region and lead on the delivery of activities and funding commitments and providing accurate and timely reporting. You will be an ambassador for BB externally and take a lead role in building our networks of referral partners within the region to establish our presence and generate referrals. You will line manage and support a team of Employment Advisers, enabling them to provide high-quality support to clients and coordinate the day-to-day operational activity which keeps our programmes running.

We are looking for someone highly organised and strategic with a good knowledge of employability and/or refugee sector in Glasgow. You should have a demonstrable track record of transferrable work experience in overseeing service delivery and employability projects or programmes. Equally important is a demonstrable commitment to working with marginalised populations who face barriers to employment, particularly refugees. You should be a self-starter who can work autonomously and at pace, with the leadership skills to successfully establish BB’s presence within a new region and build and motivate a team that feels connected to the charity’s identity and mission.

For our part, we offer a strong team environment, where your ideas and drive will be welcomed and where you as an individual can make a real difference in people’s lives.

In summary, you will:

• Establish and build BB’s presence and programmes on the ground in Glasgow, supported by the wider Programmes leadership team to design and implement local delivery models suited to local client needs;
• Provide impactful, inspirational leadership to the BB team in Glasgow and oversee delivery of employment support within the region;
• Ensure that BB’s programmes strategy and delivery within Glasgow is client-led, high-quality, accessible, and adaptable to new opportunities.
• Support the Head of Employment Programmes with the growth and development of BB’s programmes within Glasgow to enable BB to expand our reach, create more outcomes for refugee communities and positively influence partners and the wider sector.

To view the full job description and person specification, please view the attached recruitment pack.

Other considerations:

• As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out pre-employment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include criminal record disclosure, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.
• Breaking Barriers is committed to protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect and for their views, wishes and beliefs to be fully taken into account when deciding action.
• We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.

How to apply

If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a CV and statement (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:

• Why you are interested in the role
• What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
• Any experience you would like to highlight

Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.

Closing date for applications is 9:00am on Monday 29th May. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to employ more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience of seeking asylum and/or a refugee background.

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we are committed to offering an accessible recruitment process and guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role.