Team Leader - Employment Support Service

We're recruiting a Team Leader - Employment Support Services to lead and develop a dedicated service that helps some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents across Milton Keynes access employment opportunities, improve their earning potential and achieve positive outcomes. At Milton Keynes City Council, we provide more than 200 services that make a real difference to local people and communities. Our priorities include building a diverse and inclusive economy, tackling social inequalities and creating opportunities for residents to thrive.

As Team Leader, you'll lead a team delivering employment advice, guidance and support services, ensuring high quality outcomes, strong performance and excellent customer experiences. You’ll play a key role in developing local employment pathways, managing funding requirements, working with partners and ensuring residents receive the support they need to move towards sustainable employment. We are dedicated, respectful and collaborative and we are looking for a leader who shares these values and wants to make a meaningful difference across our city.

This is a Site-Based role, and you'll be expected to work from the designated workplace. Interviews for this role will be held on 11th September 2026.

At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We're dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.

Main Responsibility

• Design, develop and manage employment support services that create effective pathways into paid employment for residents who face barriers to work.
• Lead, support and develop a team delivering employment advice, guidance and support services, ensuring professional standards and performance targets are achieved.
• Drive the delivery of employment support strategies and programmes, helping residents improve their employment prospects and earning potential.
• Monitor performance, quality standards and funding requirements to ensure services achieve agreed outcomes and funding targets.
• Manage budgets responsibly, maximise income opportunities and ensure compliance with funding and audit requirements.
• Build strong relationships with partners and stakeholders, using data and performance information to improve services and support informed decision-making.
• Ensure services continue to meet quality standards, including inspection and information, advice and guidance requirements.

The Ideal Candidate

• You hold a relevant degree, or equivalent level qualification and experience, together with at least two years' frontline careers or information, advice and guidance experience.
• With a strong understanding of employment support and adult guidance services, you can help shape services that improve outcomes for residents.
• Experienced in leading and developing teams, you know how to motivate colleagues, plan resources effectively and achieve high standards of performance.
• Confident in managing budgets and funding requirements, you can balance financial responsibilities with service delivery priorities.
• A skilled communicator, you can produce clear reports, analyse data and use evidence to drive improvements and informed decision-making.
• Thriving in a fast-paced environment, you can prioritise competing demands, solve problems creatively and respond positively to challenges.
• Committed to our values, you work in a dedicated, respectful and collaborative way and build positive relationships with colleagues, partners and residents.

Safer Recruitment

Safer Recruitment applies to this role. This means that, before any appointment is confirmed, we'll carry out a range of pre-employment checks to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and vulnerable adults. These checks may include identity verification, where candidates will be required to provide original identification documents, including a full birth certificate, employment history and reference checks, qualification checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, unless you are currently registered with the DBS Update Service.

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can lease an electric or low-emission vehicle at a reduced cost through salary sacrifice, subject to National Minimum Wage and other eligibility requirements.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Why join us?

Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you.

Roles are either 'site based' or 'home based'. Site based roles are mainly based at the workplace, with the option to work from home for up to two days a week, depending on service needs. Home based roles are mainly based at home, with the expectation of attending the workplace up to one day a week. The working arrangement for each role is set by the manager, based on service requirements.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live. We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. We're very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.