Youth & Community Manager

YMCA of the Cedar Rapids Metro Area; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

YMCA South Midlands in Milton Keynes is seeking a proactive Youth & Community Manager to lead day-to-day delivery of youth and community services and drive positive outcomes for young people.

You will manage a small team and partnerships with schools and local authorities, ensuring safeguarding and inclusive practice across programmes and projects.

Qualifications

• Experience in youth services and community development.
• Experience managing people, volunteers, projects or programmes.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage priorities.
• Understanding safeguarding and inclusive environments.
• Experience monitoring outcomes and delivering against objectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of youth mentoring, youth engagement and community programmes.
• Manage funded programmes including Youth Mentoring project.
• Coach and develop team of employees and volunteers.
• Develop partnerships with schools, local authorities, charities.
• Monitor performance and demonstrate impact.
• Champion safeguarding across services.

Skills

Youth services experience

People management

Project coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Safeguarding awareness

Education

Degree-level qualification

Job description

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: 3-year fixed-term contract

Location: Milton Keynes

We're delighted to be partnering with the National Lottery Community Fund as part of our Youth Mentoring MK project. Their funding and support means we're able to expand our mentoring support for children and young people across Milton Keynes, helping those experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination to build confidence, improve their wellbeing and achieve their goals.

We're looking for a passionate and proactive Youth & Community Manager to lead the day-to-day delivery of our youth and community services, making a real and lasting difference to young people across Milton Keynes.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves working with people, enjoys leading a small team and has the drive to turn great ideas into meaningful outcomes.

What you'll be doing

As our Youth & Community Manager, you'll play a key role in ensuring our programmes deliver the best possible support and opportunities for young people.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading our services: Overseeing the delivery of youth mentoring, youth engagement and community programmes, ensuring they are safe, inclusive and impactful.
• Managing projects: Taking ownership of funded programmes, including our Youth Mentoring project, ensuring activities, budgets and outcomes are delivered successfully.
• Supporting your team: Managing, coaching and developing a small team of employees and volunteers, creating a positive and accountable team culture.
• Building partnerships: Developing strong relationships with schools, local authorities, charities and community organisations to create more opportunities for young people.
• Demonstrating impact: Monitoring performance, measuring outcomes and ensuring we can clearly demonstrate the difference our work is making.
• Championing safeguarding: Ensuring the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of young people remain at the heart of everything we do.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who combines a genuine passion for supporting young people with the confidence and organisational skills to manage services and deliver results.

You'll bring:

• Experience working in youth services, community development, mentoring or a similar environment.
• Experience managing people, volunteers, projects or community programmes.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• The confidence to build positive relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• An understanding of safeguarding and the importance of creating safe, inclusive environments.
• Experience monitoring performance, demonstrating outcomes and delivering against agreed objectives.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach and a genuine commitment to making things better.

Above all, we're looking for someone who takes ownership, brings out the best in others and is motivated by seeing young people succeed.

A degree-level qualification in social work, youth work, a social science, education or another relevant field is highly desirable, but not essential.

Why join YMCA South Midlands?

We're more than a charity. We're a community of people who believe in the potential of every young person.

You'll be joining an organisation where your ideas matter, your contribution makes a difference and you'll have the opportunity to shape and develop services that genuinely change lives.

Safeguarding

YMCA South Midlands is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be required to complete appropriate safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check and a children's barred list check where the role is eligible.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best throughout our recruitment process.

If you have a disability, long-term health condition or are neurodivergent and would benefit from any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know when you apply or contact us at any stage. We'll be happy to discuss how we can support you.

Charity number: 1125743