Youth Engagement Specialist

1UP COLLECTIVE CIC; England; On-site; Part time

Job summary

1UP Collective CIC is seeking a Youth Engagement Specialist to support young people in achieving their potential through educational and social inclusion programs. This versatile role requires experience with young individuals facing educational challenges, offering both creative engagement and project leadership opportunities.

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people facing barriers to education.
• Ability to work independently and within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding and Child Protection protocols.

Responsibilities

• Deliver activities to engage hard-to-reach young people.
• Build trusting relationships and support educational goals.
• Mentor and coach young people 1-to-1.

Skills

Resilience

Flexibility

Autonomy

Outcome-focused

Engagement strategies

Education

Degree level education

Job description

Role Description: Youth Engagement Specialist

Location: Basildon / Southend & South Essex area.

Start Date: August 2025.

Contract Type: Part time / Full time self-employed. A salaried PAYE position can be considered for the right candidate. All work is term time with additional over time available during school holidays and evenings.

Salary: £16 - £30 per hour / £140 - £175 day rate depending on skills and experience.

Background to 1Up and the Role

1Up Collective CIC is a not for profit Community Interest Company that supports young people to identify and reach their potential through education & social inclusion.

Beginning in East London in 2015, 1Up has grown rapidly in Essex in recent years and now delivers a range of opportunities for young people through its education provision and youth violence / youth crime reduction projects and programmes including;

• A formal post 16 education offer that includes functional skills, vocational courses, personal development and therapy for students with SEMH, SEND, EHCP in South Essex.
• Alternative education provision for mainstream schools, Pupil Referral Units and local authorities
• Mentoring & sports activities for young people known to the Youth Offending Service and social care
• An evening youth / sport / music provision that focuses on youth violence and youth crime prevention

1Up is currently recruiting experienced individuals, with a wide ranging skill set to deliver services across our projects and programmes. The candidates must have experience of working with young people who face barriers to education and reaching their potential. We welcome applicants from the voluntary, youth, education, psychology, sport and arts sectors, including individuals with lived experience.

The Youth Engagement Specialists will be tasked with delivering a range of activities for young people. The candidates will be required to work in the community and our new facility in Basildon (due to open Autumn 2025), our centre in Southend and the surrounding communities. Staff are encouraged to have an entrepreneurial mindset and will be supported to develop and lead new provision in areas of their specific interest and skill if desired.

Due extensive work in the community a driving licence and use of a car will be required.

Role Description:

• To be able work creatively and to engage young people who are “hard to reach”
• To build relationships of trust and respect with young people that do not engage with other professionals or services
• To be able to support young people to set, work towards and achieve their life, education and career goals
• 1to1 mentoring / coaching
• Supporting young people to access a wide variety of small group and 1to1 enrichment sessions
• Both leading and supporting other staff in the delivery of 1Up education programme activities
• Parental engagement
• Working internally and with partners and as part of a multi-disciplinary team to support young people and their families
• Collecting all monitoring and evaluation information and ensuring all records are kept up to date as required
• Adherence to the policies, procedures and working procedures of 1Up & partner organisations at all times

Person Specification:

• To be resilient, flexible, autonomous, self-managing and outcome focused - Essential
• Experience working with or in partnership with schools, local authorities and other key partners - Desirable
• An understanding of the needs of targeted young people and ability to use effective strategies to help them reach their potential - Essential
• Ability to work independently off own initiative, but also within a multi-disciplinary staff team to support young people - Essential
• Educated to degree level - Desirable
• Extensive delivery experience, including 1to1 and group work programmes for young people - Desirable
• Experience in designing, delivering & managing projects and programmes - Desirable
• Ability to undertake administration, monitoring & evaluation activities and achieve key performance indicators set - Essential
• A clear understanding of Safeguarding, Child Protection and Health & Safety protocols and the ability to demonstrate how this is embedded in their working practice - Essential
• An understanding of how sport and the arts can be used to engage and develop young people - Desirable
• Willingness to undertake additional training as required - Essential
• A driving licence and use of own vehicle - Essential

To apply for this role please use the 'Apply now' button to send your CV and covering letter (maximum x 2 pages). Please note, we will be reviewing and shortlisting applications as they are received.