Area Manager

CXK; Ashford; Remote; GBP 34,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization in the Southeast is seeking an Area Manager to lead a dedicated team within the National Careers Service. This role involves providing high-quality support to clients and managing a team of advisers. Ideal candidates should possess strong leadership skills, experience in the careers sector, and a commitment to making a difference. Benefits include generous holidays and a collaborative work environment.

Benefits

30-33 days holiday

Defined contribution pension scheme

Private healthcare cover

Flexible working

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in the employability and charity sector.
• Leadership experience with a proven track record in managing performance.
• Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle.

Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and manage a team of careers advisers.
• Design and deliver high-quality, innovative services.
• Monitor performance and uphold standards of service delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Performance management

Negotiation

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Title

Area Manager (National Careers Service)

Location

Field/ Home Based - Southeast Regions - Kent, East Sussex and Berkshire

Salary

£34,325 - £38,658 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours

Full-time (37 hours per week)

Contract

Permanent

Reports to

Regional Manager

About CXK

CXK empowers people to succeed in employment, education and training. The charity strives for a fairer society where everyone can grow and realise their potential. The CXK Way embodies the following core values:

• Ethical We work with professionalism, honesty and integrity
• Passionate We reach out enthusiastically to all who need our support
• Innovative We inspire, enhance and improve
• Collaborative We engage, support and share with others

The National Careers Service

The National Careers Service provides free, professional careers information, advice, and guidance to help our clients make decisions about learning, training, and work at any stage of their career. The service is available to anyone living in England and aged 13 or over. Through the National Careers Service, anyone can access professional careers advice and support for free via webchat, on the telephone, and face-to-face with a qualified careers adviser in the local area. Our skilled careers advisers can provide support on any aspect of our clients career journey.

The Team

As part of the National Careers Service management team in the Southeast, you will be part of a small management and strategic team with an overview of a cohort of highly experienced and qualified Careers Advisers, trainees, tracking and admin staff that support our clients by providing Careers Information, Advice, and Guidance (CIAG) and monitoring our clients journeys.

About The Role

We’re seeking an inspiring, dedicated, and compassionate Area Manager to lead, support, and manage a team of careers advisers delivering the National Careers Service within the community. In this role, you'll be responsible for designing and delivering high-quality, innovative services tailored to customer needs, while driving team performance to meet targets and upholding the highest standards of impartial careers information, advice, and guidance.

You will ensure the successful delivery of services across community venues, Job Centres, education providers, and online platforms. This role blends performance management, resource planning, and partnership building with oversight of daily operations. You will also ensure the effective use of data and CRM systems, deliver clear communication and training to staff, and identify opportunities to expand and enhance service delivery.

This position requires travel and may include covering out of hours, weekends and bank holidays in line with First Contact requirements. There will be an on-call payment that will be received monthly.

About You

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with management experience to lead by example, use innovation and action ideas with urgency. The successful candidate will be passionate about delivering high-quality services that truly make a difference, with an eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. You’ll inspire those around you to meet the highest standards, from National Careers Service and Ofsted requirements to safeguarding and equality. Successful candidates will welcome feedback, see it as a chance to improve, and take pride in your own growth through continuous professional development. You will need to be Adaptable and resilient and be able to thrive in changing circumstances while keeping people at the heart of what you do.

Skills And Knowledge

At CXK we are proud to be a disability confident and equal opportunities employer. We actively promote diversity within our workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Minimum Criteria

• Relevant experience and knowledge of the employability, careers and charity sector
• Leadership experience, set challenging targets and provide robust people and performance management
• Full UK driving licence and use of own vehicle

Essential Criteria

• Experience of using Microsoft Office packages, including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proven track record of working in a target driven environment, and be able to demonstrate an ability to meet or exceed contract targets
• Proven ability to negotiate with others to securing new business opportunities and increase levels of performance or achievement of outcomes
• Prepared to occasionally work outside of office hours to respond to demands of the role
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with experience liaising effectively with multi-agency professionals
• High level of organisational skills, efficient and results orientated with good time management
• Ability to build effective and professional relationships with partner agencies and organisations

Please click here to view the job description and person specification.

Employee Experience

A career with CXK is deeply rewarding and offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of our clients. As part of the National Careers Service team, this role gives you the chance to empower and motivate your staff to ensure our clients take positive steps into education, employment, or training.

At CXK, we are committed to supporting our staff to grow, thrive, and develop their potential. You’ll be part of a supportive and collaborative team that values inclusion, and wellbeing.

Benefits Of Working With Us

Our employee benefits include:

• 30-33 days holiday, plus bank holidays
• Defined contribution pension scheme (matched by CXK up to 10% depending on length of service criteria)
• Benenden private healthcare cover
• Flexible working
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Training and development programmes and opportunities
• Mental and physical healthcare initiatives and more

Recruitment Timeline

Vacancy closing date: Tuesday 30th September 2025

Application review date: Wednesday 1st October 2025

Interviews date: Thursday 9th October 2025

Format

This recruitment round will consist of a competency-based interview and a pre-interview exercise.

Useful Information

If you have any questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at recruitment at cxk dot org.

Please note: Applicants will need to complete an enhanced DBS check and provide references before any offer of employment is made.

Note: This posting has been refined to remove tracking identifiers.