Job applicant information pack - Programme Manager (Sept 2025)
Job applicant information pack Programme Manager
talentfoundry.org.uk
We are proud of our long-term, transformational partnerships with business across professional and financial services, technology, healthcare and the built economy. This role will account manage and deliver our skills and employability programmes which are designed in partnership with industry to help young people in underserved communities.
Summary
Starting salary: £35,000 p/a (pro-rata for part time) Hybrid working 37.5 hours p/w 28 days holiday + bank holidays £500 learning and development budget Employee Assistance Programme Cycle to work scheme Morning/afternoon of your birthday off
All too often we hear from teachers in our school network that those from under-served communities are missing out on the skills and development opportunities that could completely change their futures.
This is why we offer free programmes in schools which spark ambition and unlock a young person's confidence in the abilities that they already have. Working with industry we connect them to employers and industries to learn about how they can have a successful career.
We are a growing, sustainable and ambitious charity. We support over 60,000+ young people each year and have doubled our income in three years.
We are continuing to expand our opportunities with our wonderful partners from the commercial and public sectors, including Barclays LifeSkills, ICAEW, KPMG, M&G plc, Network Rail and the NHS (amongst many others).
This role will be managing our award-winning programmes, with activities aligned to our new five-year strategy - Ambition 2030. We want to reach 1 million young people and raise an additional £1m in the same time frame.
I’ve worked in the charity sector my entire career and I am acutely aware the difficulties and challenges facing those we support. Improving social mobility is a team effort and together we can transform young lives.
Jenni Anderson Chief Executive
Ambition is one of our values, driving us to set bold goals for the future.
Our new vision for the next stage of our growth is to: Spark ambition and unlock opportunity so that every young person can succeed and thrive as part of a fairer society.
Priorities
Prepare young people for a future they choose Be a trusted connector between education and employment Scale our impact through sustainable growth
Our strategic ambition
The interventions from The Talent Foundry have significantly enhanced the overall classroom atmosphere.
Students are more engaged, cooperative and respectful to one another. They have become more empowered and accountable as a result. They have learnt to take
ownership of their behaviour and make positive choices inside and
outside the classroom.
The sessions have given the students a purpose to be at school and focus on
their studies.
Head of Year, Macmillan Academy
We offer an opportunity where people from all backgrounds can contribute and a supportive environment to realise your skills and talents.
The Talent Foundry (TTF) is a charity that increases social mobility for young people aged 7 – 18 from under-served backgrounds. Our purpose is to support
young people from under-served backgrounds to discover their amazing talents, think big about their future and build their skills and confidence to take their next step into higher education or the world of work.
employers to value young people's talents (not their background) and connect them to exciting career pathways.
Our values Ambitious We aim high for young people, our partners and ourselves.
Inquisitive We are curious, we explore, ask questions and keep learning.
Do the right thing We act with integrity, are inclusive and stand up for what matters. Embrace change We are adaptable, flexible and open to ideas.
We have a proven track record in delivering high-impact employability programmes in schools and have supported nearly 700,000 young people since 2009. We are dedicated to helping under-served students develop the skills, confidence, and connections needed to succeed and thrive in the workplace. From 2022-2025 we supported over 170,000 young people, made possible by the investment of £5m from our partners and funders into our programmes. Through bespoke partnerships with industry, we deliver free, high- quality and in-person programmes tailored to young people's needs, which are curriculum and Gatsby Benchmark-linked in over 600 UK schools. Our inspiring facilitators and 1000s of industry volunteers equip students with essential workplace skills, financial confidence, technical expertise, big idea creation and bring industry-specific, real-world knowledge into the classroom to enhance their futures. We are proud of our long-term relationships with nationwide employers including Barclays LifeSkills (12 years), Dell Technologies (12 years), M&G plc (11 years), KPMG (7 years), Network Rail (5 years), ICAEW (4 years) and the NHS (4 years) - amongst many others.
Watch our showreel
Programme Manager About this role and where it sits in the team
You will be working collaboratively with our corporate and industry partners to support teachers and students in schools and further education institutions access a range of free, TTF educational programmes.
You will line manage and be responsible for the development of our Programme Coordinators as well as work closely with our inspirational network of freelance facilitators who deliver our workshops in schools.
While you’ll be working remotely, you will not be on your own. You will be talking to TTF colleagues, industry colleagues, schools, facilitators, and volunteers daily. You will also want to regularly visit your projects in schools which could be anywhere in the UK. You are comfortable working to deliver agreed targets, budgets, deadlines and outcomes, while being adaptable to making improvements based the stakeholder feedback you receive.
To succeed in this role you will be an individual who thrives in a fast- paced working environment, be highly organised and not be fazed when your plans need to change to meet schools’ needs (you will always have a plan B).
Most importantly, you will ensure that everything we do is delivered to reach and support young people from underserved communities discover what they’re amazing at.
Key responsibilities
You’ll be a brilliant account manager, someone who is action- orientated and highly organised. You enjoy working in partnership with a variety of people and implement practical solutions to meet TTF goals.
You can balance competing priorities and deadlines to keep projects moving and are comfortable making decisions after gathering insight and information from colleagues and partners.
Multiple projects management
As a skilled account manager, you will nurture and build long-term relationships with major employers and schools to deliver several social mobility programmes. You will take responsibility for all stages of the project lifecycle and plan effectively in line with agreed budgets and timescales. You’ll have considered a plan B for when things aren’t going according to plan and you are comfortable taking the decision to adapt your programmes to meet the agreed objectives.
Team management for programme delivery
You will directly manage individuals who work with you on specific projects and supervise others working with other Programme Managers. Helping your direct reports to manage priority tasks and demand from across our school network is key to meeting our vision. You will help identify learning and development needs and be involved in recruitment, probation through to annual review, providing ongoing supervision and direction to your team.
Build exceptional relationships
You will be an ambassador for your programmes and TTF to develop and maintain excellent working relationships at all levels of our partner organisations. Key relationships include: our industry partners; corporate volunteers who will join sessions throughout the life of the programme; our facilitators who are delivering workshops to thousands of young people every week; and the schools with which we work.
You’ll want to get to know the geographic areas you are working in and be excited by spotting opportunities to grow our pipeline of partners and programmes.
Use systems and administrative processes
Whether you are monitoring budgets, planning school bookings, commissioning facilitators or providing volunteer briefings, you will find the most efficient and cost-effective ways to manage the day-to- day operations of your programme activities. This includes assessing the best delivery model, setting deadlines and confirming suitable logistics and/or technical requirements at schools and venues. You’ll be happy to make recommendations on how we can do this better.
Evaluation and reporting You will advise corporate partners and funders to create ways to support young people through workshops, resources, content, and materials. With the support of our Programme Coordinators, you will seek feedback from students, teachers and volunteers and continuously review opportunities for improvements. You will also write regular reports and impact reports for partners. You want to know that what we do works.
Everyone in our team:
Operates as a flexible team player and provides a high level of self-administrative support to facilitate a ‘one team’ approach Understands and complies with, all policies and procedures at TTF including Safeguarding, Health & Safety and Data Protection & GDPR responsibilities Supports diversity and equal opportunities for all, appreciating, and supporting the role of other professionals Attends and participates in monthly in-person Team Together Days (London), TTF meetings, workshops, events, training and learning activities Visits TTF projects Undertakes all other duties commensurate with the level of the post as required
Experience
Track record of managing multiple projects with a variety of stakeholders and/or funders from the commercial sector Account management Direct line staff management inc. performance management Track record of achieving targets and objectives IT, data, and systems to operate efficient programmes, and evaluate and measure their success Use of CRM (Zoho One, desirable) Budget and resource monitoring
Skills
Excellent business and professional written communications skills Speaking and listening skills with the ability to lead and respond confidently in conversations with senior leaders Administrative skills, using data, spreadsheets and CRM systems to plan and organise your work and support your team do the same Confident using MS packages including email, Teams, PowerPoint, Excel and Word and comfortable using technology to enhance our activities The ability to problem-solve and find solutions without being fazed by logistical or operational challenges Take initiative and make decisions to ensure we are ambitious for our charity and our students
Knowledge Ability to handle and keep commercial information confidential GDPR and safeguarding, particularly in relation to protecting young people Understanding of and interest in the UK education sector
Person specification Knowledge and skills
While it’s not a criteria, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of some of the challenges young people from underserved backgrounds are facing today.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status, or social economic background.
Job details Salary and benefits
Salary - £35,000 per annum
Annual leave - 28 days, plus Bank Holidays
Reports to - Senior Programmes Manager
Hours - 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
`If you are seeking part time hours (0.8 FTE) please note this on your application
Place of work
This is a hybrid role. You will be working from home (with IT equipment provided), with 2-3 individual days per month (on average) in London for Team Together Days in a co-working space. These days are considered as commuting days.
This role also includes regular travel to projects and visits to schools across the UK (expenses paid).
Inclusive of: Employee Assistance Programme Training and development budget Quarterly social activities at a team together day The afternoon of your birthday off (or the morning after) Cycle to work scheme Enhanced maternity package after three years service Pension scheme including employer contributions
Please apply through our CharityJob portal which uses anonymous recruitment.
Include: A comprehensive CV including:
your full work history since leaving full time education please include a note(s) about any employment gaps between roles include start/finish months and years
In the questions tell us: Why do you want to work for The Talent Foundry? Please describe your experience which demonstrates your alignment to our goals for young people (250 words) Choose three of the sub-headings in the key responsibilities section above and describe which of your previous work history demonstrates you would be successful in this role? (500 words)
We know applicants will not have 100% of the skills and experiences outlined in the person specification, so give us a clear and concise review of the strengths you have and where you are looking to learn and develop in this role. There are some key experiences we are looking for including:
Account management - working with corporate funders or businesses and balancing priorities and expectations Project delivery - operational, event and logistics management Staff management
Applications that fail to meet this criteria will automatically be discounted. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure the application process works for you.
To apply
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing and welfare of children and we require everyone associated with The Talent Foundry Trust, including all trustees, employees, and volunteers to share this commitment.
Successful applicants will need to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the role, including completing our Safer Recruitment process, references from past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
How to write a good application
While we encourage the use of innovative technology in our work, we want to hear your voice and personality in your application. AI is a tool, not a shortcut. This doesn’t mean asking AI to do the work for you, or copying and pasting answers, as this would limit the way you can showcase your personal experiences and strengths.
We receive many applications generated by genAI which often include incorrect information about our charity. Please do not rely on AI to write your CV or answers, as providing incorrect or misinformation may mean we discount your application.
Closing date
We are actively hiring for this role and will be interviewing successful candidates on a rolling basis in September 2025.
Next steps
If you are shortlisted for the role, you will be invited to a telephone screening call. If successful, a virtual interview on MS Teams will follow with the hiring team. We always send interview questions for the first round out in advance. Second interviews, including a technical test, will be in-person and reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.
We always let candidates know the outcome of their application, but due to the very high numbers of applications we receive this may not be until a month after the closing date.