Head of Restart Programme

What are we looking for?

TCHC is looking for a motivated and outcome-focused individual who will be responsible in managing the overall operational delivery of our Restart contract. TCHC is a delivery partner to AKG who deliver the government’s Restart Programme supporting unemployed universal credit claimants to enter into work. TCHC delivered this contract across Aylesbury Vale from their flagship office in the centre of Aylesbury.

The purpose of this role is to manage the internal delivery of the Restart contract, ensuring that all contractual and quality key performance indicators are achieved on time and within budget. We are looking for an individual with operational management experience who has successfully managed target driven services and teams at a senior level with a drive to continuously develop performance improvement throughout the contract. You will work closely and report to the Managing Director to make sure all the operations of the contract are running well, with a smooth efficient service that meets the expectations, targets and needs of the participants and AKG.

You will ensure the contract are performing as per the KPIs and contract requirements, working with the Restart team to support them to achieve the targets for all deliverables on the contract and maximise all income opportunities.

This role will hold accountability for the successful performance management of the Restart contract to ensure contractual needs are met.

Qualifications & Experience

• Management qualifications (Essential)
• A minimum of 5 years of contract management experience at a senior level in leading and successfully managing delivery teams/people management Experience in managing, coaching and leading a team to drive success in a challenging and target driven contract
• Experience of establishing relationships with partners and stakeholders at a senior level
• Effective leadership skills, ability to lead, support and motivate
• Experience and knowledge of government-funded welfare-to-work/employability programmes
• Experience in working in a Recruitment environment (Desirable)

Main Tasks & Responsibilities

• Responsible for the management of the whole Restart delivery team consisting of a Restart Performance Manager, Employment Coaches, an Employer Services Consultant and an Administrator.
• Providing strategic leadership and management to the delivery team and liaising with senior AKG delivery team.
• Providing oversight of performance and managing the financial controls of the contract.
• Ensure that all activity with participants is carried out in a professional and timely manner, to a consistent high quality and that any problems and issues are dealt with effectively.
• Ensure that the delivery team meets all compliance obligations and targets of the contract.
• Recognise and develop future business opportunities and make a positive contribution to their development
• To ensure all local and national policies are followed for keeping staff and participants safe.
• Manage the processes and procedures timely ensuring deadline are met.
• Lead and motivate staff to be a high-performing team and ensure that individual and team targets are consistently met and maintained
• Weekly review and monitoring of key performance indicators using a performance dashboard with Restart Performance Manager – identifying areas for improvement and implementing recovery plans and activity to meet expected performance.
• Supporting the Restart Performance Manager in training and coaching the delivery team to refresh learning and cascade any changes in process
• Conduct monthly compliance/audit checks of participants in each Employment coaches caseloads
• Develop strong relationship with AKG Partnership Manager; customer service support centre and compliance teams
• Develop strong strategic network with local supporting organisations such as charities; health providers and local stakeholders such as the local authority to encourage collaborative working and attend networking events.
• Complete weekly and monthly reporting MI and reports for AKG and internal reporting
• Attend weekly and monthly performance review meetings with Restart Performance Manager and with AKG.
• Conduct weekly forecasting of performance to meet contractual targets and ensure contractual performance targets for job starts, job outcomes and commenced earnings are met
• Ensure customer service standard minimum thresholds are met on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
• Motivate and mentor the team ensuring they can carry out their roles effectively
• Arrange briefing meetings and team meetings as required to ensure the team is clear on performance targets, results, validation requirements, eligibility, quality, and project deliverables
• Monitor performance of delivery team through observations, call monitoring and appraisal, identifying training and developing needs as appropriate with follow up Action Plan meetings and assessment of knowledge to make sure the Team members are on track in reaching key objectives
• Support the Restart Performance Manager with the day-to-day running of the department, assist in helping answer staff queries. Be the first point of call for the Restart Performance Manager for complex participant, employer and stakeholder enquiries or complaints.
• Update staff with new information and any changes to the delivery of programmes.
• Ensure effective reports are produced and presented for the benefit of colleagues, and other strategic partners on a regular basis, as agreed with senior management and your line manager.
• Manage the effective collection of all information required for the smooth delivery of the projects including submitting in month pipeline claims of data showing performance against targets
• Lead, develop and support the work of the delivery team, find out any issues and problems in delivery of programmes or workload and help to find a resolution.
• Support monthly 121 performance review meetings alongside the Restart Performance Manager with all delivery team members including caseload reviews and PIP actions to drive staff progress and performance.
• Weekly review and monitoring of key performance indicators using a performance dashboard – identifying areas for improvement and implementing recovery plans and activity to meet expected performance.
• Develop strong relationship with AKG Partnership Manager and engage in senior Restart meetings and PIP reviews with the Restart Performance Manager.
• Support Restart Performance Manager and ESC to develop strong network and relationships with local employers to generate employment vacancies for all sectors to meet job outcomes and other contract deliverables.
• Support Restart Performance Manager on the weekly and monthly reporting MI and reports for AKG, Managing Director and internal reporting
• Attend weekly and monthly performance review meetings with AKG, Restart Performance Manager and Managing Director.
• Support the Restart Performance Manager in conducting weekly forecasting of performance to meet contractual targets including identifying areas for continuous improvement.
• Ensure contractual performance targets for job starts, job outcomes and commenced earnings are met.

Note: These responsibilities serve as an initial outline for the tasks that the post holder will initially be expected to perform. Changes may occur over time to accommodate evolving job requirements and adapt to shifting circumstances.

Furthermore, given the dynamic nature of our operational environment, it is crucial for individuals in these roles to demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to travel to different work locations. This outline represents an initial plan and will be subject to periodic review as part of our Continuous Professional Development process.

Confidentiality

The individual in this role is responsible for upholding the confidentiality of information pertaining to clients, staff, and other stakeholders. Certain aspects of their work involve handling confidential information, which should not be disclosed to individuals outside the scope of their official duties. It is imperative that the post holder consistently always adheres to the provisions of the General Data Regulation Act.

Safeguarding, Prevent & Equal Opportunities

TCHC is dedicated to promoting equal opportunities and preventing discrimination for everyone. Our commitment extends to adhering to Safer Recruitment Policies, safeguarding practices, complying with the Prevent Duty, and advocating for the well-being of children, youth, and adults. In pursuit of our dedication, we will continuously enhance and refine our robust safeguarding processes and procedures, fostering a culture of safeguarding among our team members and volunteers.

Commitment to Safeguarding

TCHC is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. All staff are expected to adhere to our Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy and the safeguarding responsibilities outlined in their job description.

We conduct Safer Recruitment Checks on all staff prior to confirming a start date, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. An online search of information within the public domain is conducted on all candidates who are invited to interview.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, amended 2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975 provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions, and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Please see our Recruitment with Safer Recruitment Policy for further information, or get in touch on 01923 698477 or ***email_hidden***

Pre- employment checks

The company also conducts an internal online search on social media platforms in accordance with the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. Should any pertinent information arise from this search, it will be discussed with the applicant as part of the recruitment process.

Please note that upon a successful job offer, the company performs digitalised right-to-work checks and initiates DBS applications through an external service provider. An enhanced DBS check, including the barred list, is mandatory for this role.