Employability Programmes Assistant

The Sutton Trust believes that every young person deserves access to the skills, networks, and opportunities needed to pursue their dream career. We deliver a suite of employability focused programmes which offer young people enriching professional experience in their chosen industry, and the work of our Employability Assistant is essential to this mission. The Employability Assistant will play an integral part in the Employability team to help deliver on the initiatives and the long‑term aims of the organisation. This is a varied role that will support across a range of the Trust pre‑18 employability programmes. The role will also provide some support across our other programmes and events, including supporting launch events, residentials and work placements. This is an exciting time to be at the Trust, and the role will require individuals to be creative, flexible and to adapt to a fast‑paced environment.

Main duties include:

• Assisting with planning and delivery of a range of online and in‑person events including residential conferences for students on Pathways programmes, and both online and in‑person workshops for the Access Apprenticeships programme.
• Supporting with the recruitment and onboarding of students to the residential activities, focusing on student engagement and retention.
• Assisting in the design and delivery of training and administrative processes to ensure high‑quality and effective programme delivery.
• During event delivery, acting as a first point of contact for a range of stakeholders, organising logistics and supporting student engagement.
• Managing student logistics including booking travel and accommodation across a range of programmes.

Student & Stakeholder Communication:

• Responding to multiple student‑facing email inboxes to ensure timely and effective communication with beneficiaries.
• Assisting student communication during work placements, working toward having as many well‑attended, high‑quality work placements as possible.
• Liaising with external stakeholders such as universities and employers to support logistical and administrative elements of programme delivery.
• Supporting on the creation of reports for funders and programme partners based on student engagement and feedback data.

Administration & Data:

• Providing administration support across the employability team, ensuring efficient processes for effective programme delivery.
• Maintaining and updating the Trust's CRM system (Salesforce) to ensure accurate beneficiary details and activity records.
• Attend and support at 3 residential events, requiring overnight stays.
• Other duties as necessary from time to time.

Person Specification:

• Has some experience working with young people, particularly on long‑term or residential programmes.
• Is confident working toward multiple deadlines simultaneously and managing your own workload.
• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills and first‑class interpersonal skills.
• Has an interest or understanding of the education or not‑for‑profit sectors.
• Can learn and use a wide range of digital tools to engage with students and monitor activity effectively, including the Microsoft Office suite.
• Demonstrates a personable, adaptable approach and works effectively as part of a small team.

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Is sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage.
• Has knowledge and experience of the higher education and/or education sectors.
• Has excellent attention to detail.
• Has first‑class interpersonal skills – a natural ambassador able to represent the Sutton Trust in a range of settings.
• Is eligible to work in the UK.

Terms of Appointment:

• Contract: Full‑time, Permanent.
• Salary: £30,800-£31,500.
• Working location: Minimum of two office days per week. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.
• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21‑24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP.
• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. This role is likely to also be required to attend events or meetings outside of normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends, in line with organisational policies.

Interviews:

Applications should reach us by 23:59, Monday 25th May, with interviews being held at our London offices on Wednesday, 10th June and Thursday, 11th June.

Safeguarding statement:

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment:

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.