Employer Solutions Manager (North West Region) in Preston

Shape employer partnerships that create opportunities & change lives! We're looking for an experienced Employer Solutions Manager to lead our Employer Services team across Lancashire and Cheshire. This is an exciting opportunity to develop and strengthen relationships with employers, ensuring we deliver tailored workforce solutions that meet business needs while creating sustainable employment opportunities for the people we support.

You'll lead a team of employability professionals, working collaboratively with employers, local authorities, partners and operational teams to deliver outstanding performance, exceed contractual targets and embed an employer-led culture across your area. If you're an inspiring leader with a passion for employer engagement, developing people and delivering results, we'd love to hear from you.

Location: This is a regional role covering our North West operations. You can be based within a reasonable commuting distance of any of our offices in Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Crewe, Macclesfield, Preston or Skelmersdale.

Hours: Full-time - 37.5 hours per week. Regular travel between these offices, along with visits to employers, partners and other stakeholders across the region, is an essential part of the role. As such, candidates must be willing and able to travel as required.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead and inspire a team of Employer Solutions professionals, creating a positive, high-performing and customer-focused culture.
• Develop strong relationships with employers, local authorities, funding bodies and partner organisations to maximise employment opportunities for participants.
• Drive employer engagement activity, identifying workforce needs and delivering tailored recruitment solutions that address skills shortages.
• Monitor individual and team performance, providing coaching, feedback and development to help colleagues achieve their full potential.
• Ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality services that meet contractual requirements, organisational policies and our Quality Management Framework.
• Use performance data and management information to monitor outcomes, identify trends and implement improvement plans where required.
• Manage office and team budgets effectively, ensuring resources are used efficiently and financial targets are achieved.
• Identify and escalate risks to service delivery, implementing practical solutions to maintain performance and continuity.
• Promote continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance service delivery, customer experience and employer outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, health and safety requirements and organisational policies.
• Represent Fedcap professionally, strengthening our reputation as a trusted employability partner across the region.

What we're looking for:

• You’ll be an enthusiastic and motivated leader with a passion for employer engagement and helping people into sustainable employment.
• Experience managing teams or services within the employability, public, voluntary or relevant sectors to the role.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach and develop high-performing teams.
• Experience building and maintaining effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with confidence engaging at all levels.
• Experience using performance data and reporting tools to drive continuous improvement.
• Financial awareness, including experience managing budgets and resources.
• The flexibility to travel regularly across the region.

It would be great if you also had knowledge of the employability sector and local labour markets.

You’ll make a real impact: Every success story you help write will be felt in homes, workplaces, and communities across the county.

You’ll grow: With access to training, reflective practice, and a national network of likeminded colleagues.

You’ll be supported: We believe in team working, wellbeing check-ins, and manageable caseloads.

You’ll be part of something bigger: From mental health awareness to inclusive recruitment and sustainable employment, your work contributes to broader change.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone is treated fairly, feels they belong, and can do their best work. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and communities, and we value the different perspectives and lived experiences they bring. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Fedcap Employment is a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will consider reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and, where required, in the workplace. We will not exclude a candidate with a disability unless they are unable to carry out a duty that is intrinsic to the role, after reasonable adjustments have been considered.

We are positive about employing veterans, serving personnel, and spouses/partners and family members, as part of our commitment to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

As a Ban the Box employer, we assess applicants on their skills and potential. We do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and any relevant information is considered fairly and in line with the role.

If you need any adjustments to apply for this role or to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know. We’re committed to making our recruitment process fair, accessible and inclusive for everyone.

About Fedcap UK: In the UK, Fedcap is a not-for-profit organisation committed to improving people's economic mobility. We support people to find work and access better health, education and learning opportunities. Working across our four integrated practice areas – education, workforce development, health, and economic development – we deliver research-based solutions that remove barriers and open doors to economic mobility and wellbeing for individuals and communities.

We’re part of The Fedcap Group which serves more than 332,000 people each year through a network of not-for-profit affiliates in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

Our Values:

• Kindness: Be kind to each other, treat all those around you the way you would like to be treated.
• Respect: Always be respectful to each other, our customers, partners, stakeholders and funders – we are dedicated to exceptional service.
• Integrity: Act with integrity – always be open and honest in our dealings with all people and stakeholders.
• Innovation: Be innovative – always try to do things better, to look for new solutions that improve our services to customers.

Mission: To create opportunities for people by designing and delivering innovative, sustainable solutions and creating measurable changes for those who are socially disadvantaged.

Fedcap Employment and Fedcap Employment Scotland delivers employability solutions across the UK to build communities through a blend of local frontline professional teams and like-minded supply chain partners, using innovative and tested ideas developed both locally and internationally. Our service is designed to give each individual the best opportunity according to his/her abilities and needs. Our programs provide targeted employment supports to a range of underserved groups, including single parents, people who were previously incarcerated and individuals with health, mental health and/or substance use conditions.