Employment Support & Development Coordinator in Portsmouth

Location: City Buildings, Lake Road, Portsmouth, PO1 4BD and local area

Employment type: Part-time – 22.5 hours per week

Working pattern: Office-based with community outreach; evenings and weekends required as part of the programme schedule

Salary: Offered subject upon qualifications and experience

Responsible to: URBOND Management Team

DBS requirement: Enhanced DBS including Adults' and Children's Barred Lists checks

Contact:

The Role

An exciting opportunity to take a lead role in URBOND's employability and skills programme. The Employment Support & Development Lead will provide tailored, person-centred support to young people and their families — helping individuals with employability skills including CV writing, attending courses and training to progress through stages of economic engagement through to sustainable employment and self-sufficiency. Working primarily across URBOND's youth development strand, you will meet people where they are and walk alongside them as they build confidence, develop skills and access new opportunities. This includes supporting some members of our community, including those facing significant barriers to employment.

Key responsibilities

• Employability support & casework: Provide tailored, one-to-one support with personal statements, application writing, interview preparation and self-presentation to employers.
• Casework & action planning: Develop and manage individual action plans, working with people at all stages — including food bank users, individuals without right-to-work documentation and those with limited English.
• Programme design & delivery: Design, develop and deliver workshops and group sessions on topics including application skills, interview techniques, workplace confidence, financial literacy and digital skills.
• Progression pathways: Develop and maintain a clear progression pathway from initial engagement, including volunteer pathways, through to sustained employment.
• Work experience management: Work with the Partnerships Coordinator to feedback areas of interest around young people's career interests, training and work experience opportunities. Where relationships are established, manage the transition of young people's attendance to external work experience opportunities, including all administration and logistics tasks.
• Data & reporting: Maintain accurate case records and outcome data; contribute to funding reports and impact assessments.
• Training & development: Participate in regular training and any other requirements as directed by URBOND, in line with the needs of the organisation.

What we are looking for

• Experience in an employability, careers guidance or skills development role, with a track record of supporting individuals into employment or education.
• Experience working with young people, families and/or adults facing multiple barriers to employment, including low literacy, language barriers or financial hardship.
• Experience designing and delivering workshops or group sessions for diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of the UK employment, education and training landscape including apprenticeships, Further Education and government schemes such as Skills Bootcamps and Multiply.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust with people from all backgrounds.
• Strong organisational and case management skills with the ability to manage a varied caseload.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to working in a trauma-informed, person-centred way.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as required.

About URBOND

URBOND is a registered charity, formed in 2013. URBOND's Youth Development strand is designed to support young people and provide them with the best opportunity to fulfil their potential, particularly those in settings where limited opportunities, inequality or risk factors such as anti-social behaviour are prevalent. We welcome young people from all walks of life to our activities and events. Driven by a commitment to opportunities, wellness and success, our programme spans 15 programmes of support including careers and employability, access to education, mentoring, physical and mental wellbeing, family support, art and creativity, and our Youth Ambassadors initiative, with more expanding all the time. We work to a strength-based approach. Skills and knowledge can be developed through training, but natural passion, drive and the ability to connect with and value people are harder to teach. We will value your individual qualities and approach over specific qualifications.

Safeguarding & DBS

URBOND is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults and children. This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check, including checks of the Adults' and Children's Barred Lists, under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. URBOND operates a Safer Recruitment process. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. You are required to declare any convictions, cautions or warnings that are not 'protected' as defined by the ROA 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended 2013 and 2020). Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with URBOND. Each application will be considered on its merits, taking into account the nature of the role and the circumstances of any offence.

Equality & diversity

URBOND is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We particularly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of marginalisation. We are committed to an accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, have access needs, or would like to disclose a disability or additional need, please let us know. All disclosures will be treated in the strictest confidence.

What URBOND offers

• Pro-rata annual leave per year, including bank holidays, with annual increases.
• Workplace pension scheme with employer contributions.
• A genuinely meaningful role at the heart of a growing, values-led charity.
• A supportive, passionate team committed to making a real difference in Portsmouth.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• The opportunity to shape your own programmes and community partnerships.
• A strength-based, inclusive working culture that values who you are as much as what you know.