Head of Youth and Careers

Join as Head of Youth and Careers and champion positive change for young people across the region, helping them to achieve the best outcomes in life.

Welcome to EMCCA

At the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), we are unlocking billions of pounds of investment for our region through our devolution deal with the government. Our elected Mayor will be a powerful voice on the national stage for the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, overseeing devolved powers around transport, housing, skills and adult education, economic development, and net zero. We will make our region more prosperous, sustainable, and fairer, helping our people and businesses to create and seize opportunities. EMCCA's overall work programme is evolving, ambitious and focused on the future to deliver tangible, sustainable, lasting, and systemic change for all our communities.

Your role in elevating the East Midlands

As Head of Youth and Careers, you will be at the heart of our ambition help young people across the region to achieve their best outcomes in life. This will include contributing to both our overall strategy and the operational delivery of that plan. We want you to be the driving force for innovative ideas and authority-wide collaboration to address the needs of young people effectively.

Our existing programmes include:-

• The Youth Guarantee Programme: A flagship initiative from the Get Britain Working white paper, implemented across the East Midlands.
• Connected Futures: A Youth Futures Foundation programme for which EMCCA is one of 15 delivery areas.
• Careers Hub: A partnership with the Careers and Enterprise Company to deliver careers advice and support to people age 3 to 25.
• Youth Committee: Ensuring youth leadership and co-creation to ensure meaningful involvement in shaping regional priorities and programmes.

Key responsibilities include:

• The strategic development and oversight of the implementation of all Youth and Careers programmes across EMCCA, ensuring initiatives achieve their objectives and building the strategic and technical capacity essential for their success.
• Accountability for service delivery, including enforcing rigorous accountability measures, tracking progress and delivering comprehensive reporting.
• Compliance with all contract and grant funding requirements for major stakeholders, including the Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions the Careers and Enterprise Company and The Youth Futures Foundation.
• Championing the East Midlands Combined County Authority's vision and values, serving as a role model and embedding these principles in all programmes and interactions.
• Leading on staff performance and welfare management across all services, fostering a high-performance culture while ensuring the wellbeing of all team members.
• Maximising the financial and operational impact of programmes by delivering robust progress reports and demonstrating measurable outcomes to the EMCCA Programme Board.
• Developing and sustaining high-value relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior education leaders, government departments, regulators, and partners, to ensure the programmes are widely supported and impactful.
• Leveraging additional funding opportunities, integrating new resources and investment programmes to expand impact and drive innovation.
• Collection and provision of detailed data on young people engaged in programs and their post-progression outcomes, using insights to inform service improvements.

Your profile:

• Educated to degree level with and management qualification or equivalent level of experience.
• A strong track record in delivering high-profile programmes, including establishing and managing programme functions.
• Significant experience of service delivery, including resource planning, performance management and effective and efficient delivery, in a relevant service area.
• Experience of high value budget management, generating match-funding, bid writing and budget allocation.
• Extensive experience of working in large, complex political environment with an understanding of the unique role that the EMCCA will have.
• Experience of commissioning careers and youth programmes in alignment with local and place-based initiatives.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, enabling effective guidance and motivation for individuals in a dynamic environment, ensuring meaningful engagement with young people, colleagues, and key stakeholders.

For more details on EMCCA including our rewards and benefits, please visit:

Closing date: 25th May 2025