Industry Liaison Officer - Animal and Land-Based Studies

East Kent College; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 6,000 - 9,000; Part time

Job summary

An educational institution in Canterbury seeks an Industry Liaison Officer to bridge the gap between students and employers in the animal and land-based sectors. The ideal candidate will secure work placements, maintain employer relationships, and support student career development. This role offers a salary of £8,170 per year with a commitment to student employability.

Benefits

Generous Annual Leave

Learning and Development Opportunities

Flexible Personal Leave

Competitive Pension Scheme

Exclusive Discounts & Perks

Wellbeing and Health Support

Culture and Recognition

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills and a passion for supporting learners.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for building relationships.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Secure and monitor work placements for students.
• Act as the main point of contact for employers.
• Organise employer events and workplace visits.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Analytical mindset

Education

Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject

Job description

About the Role

Bridge the Student – Employer Gap and empower students' futures. East Kent Colleges Group are seeking an Industry Liaison Officer (ILO) to join the Animal and Land-Based Department at EKC Canterbury College. This is a fantastic opportunity to bridge the gap between education and employment, helping students gain vital experience in animal care, agriculture, horticulture, and other land-based industries.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Securing and monitoring meaningful work placements within animal and land-based sectors.
• Acting as the main point of contact for employers, developing and maintaining strong professional relationships.
• Supporting the organisation of employer events, workplace visits, and guest speaker opportunities for students.
• Ensuring employer documentation is completed promptly and in line with college and national requirements.
• Working with students in one-to-one and small group sessions to explore career aspirations and secure suitable opportunities.

What We’re Looking For

• Organised and proactive, with the ability to manage multiple employer partnerships.
• Strong communicator with excellent relationship-building skills.
• Confident in engaging with both students and industry professionals.
• Passionate about supporting employability and skills development in the animal and land-based sector.

Hours per week: 14.5

Weeks per year: 38

Salary per year: £8,170

Holiday pay: £1,184

Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave – no work during the holidays
• Learning and Development Opportunities – 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke programmes, e.g. First Line Manager Development Programme, strong internal progression; 1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• Flexible Personal Leave – time off for your child’s first day at nursery, school or college, moving homes and for interviews
• Competitive Pension Scheme – 18% employer contribution
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks – discounts on restaurants, groceries, retail, holidays, car leasing and tech purchases; on-site nursery
• Wellbeing and Health Support – generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership, eye tests and glasses vouchers, flexible support for medical appointments and return-to-work
• Culture and Recognition – Community Days, an Annual Staff Celebration Day, and a commitment to net-zero by 2030

About You

We are seeking to appoint an Industry Liaison Officer who can bring strong communication skills and a passion for supporting the next generation of learners in the Animal and Land-Based Department.

What We’re Looking For

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships.
• Clear and confident verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly organised, able to prioritise work effectively while remaining flexible and responsive.
• An inquisitive, analytical mindset with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently, using your own initiative, and collaboratively as part of a team.

Qualifications And Experience

• A Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject is desirable.
• Alternatively, relevant industry experience and a willingness to work towards a Level 3 qualification will be considered.
• Previous experience of working in employer engagement, placement coordination, or a related field would be an advantage.

Why this role?

If you have a passion for sharing your knowledge and expertise, and want to help prepare students for careers in the animal and land-based industries, this role offers the chance to make a real difference.

Ready to Apply?

No need to spend time updating your CV, just click apply and complete our short application form. You can save your progress as you go, and we’ll review all applications and get back to all candidates after the closing date.

If you are interested in an informal chat about the role, or have any queries, please email us on [e-mail].

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles. As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing. It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so. If you are shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce. We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health need or disability. We also support Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and current or former Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the essential criteria and who have declared this on their application. We welcome flexible working and returning to work after a career break. We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.