Team Leader - Midlands

AKG (UK) EMPLOYMENT LIMITED; England; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

AKG (UK) Employment Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking a Team Leader to lead a team of Mentors and Programme Co-ordinators. You will motivate staff, monitor performance against contract targets and ensure high-quality guidance for young people on their journey into sustainable work.

You will manage day-to-day delivery, build relationships with employers and partners, conduct regular coaching and performance reviews, and ensure compliant delivery across sites while supporting career progression

Qualifications

• Experience leading a team in employability or welfare-to-work settings.
• Proven ability to manage performance against targets and quality standards.
• Strong stakeholder engagement with employers, education providers and partners.
• Effective coaching, feedback and staff development through reviews and observations.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and support a team of Mentors and Programme Co-ordinators to deliver the contract and move young people into sustainable work.
• Monitor team performance against targets using MI data; address underperformance and drive job outcomes.
• Ensure mentors deliver a structured participant-centred journey with action planning, regular contact and progress.
• Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, coaching sessions and staff reviews to improve performance and compliance.
• Review participant caseloads with mentors to ensure appropriate support and progression to employment.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and induction of new team members; uphold contract model and quality standards.
• Build relationships with Jobcentre Plus, employers, local stakeholders and training providers to improve referrals and outcomes.
• Maintain accurate recording, case management and compliance in line with contract requirements.

Skills

Team leadership

Performance management

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching & mentoring

Project coordination

Contract compliance

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

AKG Group UK Company:

AKG (UK) Employment Ltd

Position Title:

Team Leader

Reports To:

Service Manager

Roles Reporting to this Position:

Mentors and Activity Co-ordinators

Primary Objective:

The Team Leader will be responsible for leading, motivating and hold Mentors accountable for delivering an effective participant journey that supports young people into sustainable work. You will oversee day-to-day delivery, drive performance against contractual targets, ensure Mentors provide high-quality guidance at every stage of the journey, and work collaboratively with internal teams, employers and external partners to maximise job outcomes, sustainment and progression.

Key Relationships/Interactions

Internal

• Service Manager
• Mentors and Activity Co-ordinators
• Employer Services and Employer Engagement colleagues
• Quality, Compliance and Performance teams
• Customer Excellence Centre and Participant Experience teams
• Wider AKG Delivery colleagues
• Shared Services functions across the Group, including People and Culture, Finance and MI Teams

External

• Participants (young people aged 18 to 24), and, where appropriate and with consent, their support networks and other support services helping young people overcome barriers to work
• Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus contacts
• Local employers providing funded employment opportunities
• Local authorities, education providers, training providers and community partners

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and support a team of Mentors and Programme Co-ordinators to deliver the contract, ensuring young people receive consistent, high-quality support that moves them into sustainable work.
• Oversee the performance of Mentors and Programme Co-ordinators, setting clear expectations, monitoring caseload activity and ensuring each Mentor is actively progressing participants through the full journey from engagement to job start and sustainment.
• Monitor individual and team performance against contract targets, using management information to identify risks, address underperformance quickly and drive achievement of job outcome and sustainable employment targets.
• Ensure Mentors deliver a structured, participant-centred journey, including effective action planning, regular contact, barrier removal, employer engagement and timely progression towards work.
• Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, monthly staff reviews, observations and coaching sessions to improve Mentor performance, strengthen quality of delivery and ensure compliance with contract standards.
• Review participant caseloads with Mentors to ensure young people are receiving the right level of support, referrals, employer introductions and in-work support to achieve and sustain employment.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and induction of new team members, ensuring they understand the contract model, participant journey, performance expectations and compliance requirements.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal colleagues, Jobcentre Plus, local stakeholders, employers, training providers and support agencies to strengthen referral routes, work opportunities and participant outcomes.
• Ensure accurate recording, case management and compliance activity is completed in line with contract requirements, internal policies and audit expectations.
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of the local labour market, youth employment opportunities, benefits system, employability provision and wider support services to help Mentors provide relevant and practical guidance to young people.
• Promote a positive, inclusive and performance-focused team culture where Mentors are supported, accountable and encouraged to share best practice that improves participant outcomes.
• You will ensure delivery complies with DWP requirements, AKG policies and values, data protection, health and safety, safeguarding, equality and diversity legislation, and quality assurance standards.
• You will also undertake any other duties appropriate to the level of this role, for which you have the necessary training or experience.

Essential/Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of leading, supervising or coaching colleagues within an employability, youth employment, welfare-to-work, customer service or performance-led environment.
• Strong understanding of performance management, target delivery, job outcomes, sustainment, quality assurance and compliance requirements within contracted services.
• Experience of holding colleagues accountable for caseload progression, participant engagement, action planning and achievement of performance targets.
• Experience of supporting staff development through observations, feedback, coaching, one-to-one meetings and structured performance reviews.
• Ability to interpret management information, caseload data and performance reports to identify priorities, improve delivery and resolve performance or quality issues.
• A strong track record of building productive relationships with Jobcentre Plus, employers, local stakeholders, training providers and support agencies to create opportunities for young people.
• Knowledge of the local and regional labour market, youth employment challenges, the benefits system, employment support provision and barriers affecting participants is preferred.
• Highly organised, solutions-focused and able to manage competing priorities while maintaining attention to detail and contract standards.
• Confident communicator with strong interpersonal, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Good administration and IT skills, including confident use of Microsoft Office, case management systems and digital communication channels.
• Passionate about delivering high-quality, participant-focused services that help young people move into sustainable work and creating a positive team culture that supports achievement, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ability and willingness to work from an assigned office location, working flexibly across sites, with willingness to travel locally to support delivery, stakeholders, employers and team activity.
• Ability to wo work outside standard hours from time to mine to meet participant and programme needs, with appropriate notice.

Inclusive Recruitment and Accessibility

AKG UK is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We welcome applications from candidates with a range of backgrounds, experiences and working styles. Candidates are encouraged to let us know if they require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Applicants do not need to meet every desirable criterion to apply; we are interested in relevant skills, potential and values alignment as well as direct experience.

Compliance

It is the responsibility of all staff to abide by organisational policies to ensure compliance with relevant standards e.g. ISO 27001 (Information Security), ISO 9001 (Quality) and ISO 14001 (Environmental) as well as adhering to statutory duties in relation to safeguarding, Prevent and health and safety.