Head of Youth Work & Delivery Partnerships

Help us to shape the future of young people in West London

Are you an ambitious and experienced youth work professional ready to lead a large, ambitious service and make a lasting difference to young people's lives?

WEST Youth Zone is the leading provider of universal access youth work in Hammersmith and Fulham, and part of the OnSide network. We are looking for an exceptional Head of Youth Work & Delivery Partnerships to join our Senior Leadership Team and lead our seven-day youth work offer.

You’ll lead, inspire and develop a workforce of up to 60 youth workers, including 10 full-time staff, take senior responsibility for safeguarding and programme quality, build influential delivery partnerships, and ensure young people's voices remain at the heart of everything we do.

WEST welcomes up to 200 young people per session, making this a significant opportunity for an experienced youth work professional who combines outstanding people leadership with strong operational delivery.

ABOUT WEST

WEST Youth Zone - Where Everyone Sticks Together - opened in April 2024 as a purpose-built Youth Zone for young people in West London.

We provide young people aged 8-19, and up to 25 for young people with additional needs, with affordable access to a broad range of sport, arts, mental health support and employability opportunities.

Open seven days a week when schools are closed - including evenings, weekends and school holidays - WEST provides a safe, active and inclusive environment where young people can discover their passions, build confidence, raise their aspirations and fulfil their potential. This is a charity that the whole community can be proud of, and you can be part of that journey.

THE ROLE

As Head of Youth Work & Delivery Partnerships, you will lead the development and delivery of our core youth work provision, including junior, senior and holiday clubs, ensuring high standards of practice and a culture of continuous improvement.

You will ensure the Youth Zone remains a fun, supportive, safe and inclusive environment that attracts and retains young people, helping to raise aspirations and support positive outcomes.

As a member of WEST's Senior Leadership Team, you will work in tandem with the Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees to help WEST achieve its goal of delivering life-changing youth work to young people in West London.

Your key responsibilities will include:

1.Staffing

• Lead and inspire a workforce of up to 60 youth workers, including 10 full-time staff, ensuring high-quality delivery, effective supervision and a positive team culture.
• Manage, coach and develop staff and volunteers to achieve their full potential and deliver an exceptional experience for young people.

2.The Offer (Programme)

• Lead the delivery of an inclusive, seven-day-a-week universal offer within a culture of continuous improvement.
• Support coordinators and club leads to plan and deliver safe, engaging and effective sessions.
• Ensure programmes remain responsive to young people's needs and interests, and participation, attendance and funded programme outcome targets are achieved.

3.Partnerships & Stakeholders

• Build and maintain strong relationships with external organisations, partners and stakeholders to champion WEST and strengthen community engagement.
• Co-design and manage delivery partnerships that create new opportunities for young people's development and participation.
• Work with schools, community groups, health and children's services to maximise the number of young people accessing WEST, particularly those who could benefit most.
• Ensure young people and their ideas actively shape the planning and delivery of activities.
• Maintain high standards of behaviour, supporting staff to manage conflict, challenging behaviour and safeguarding concerns.
• Ensure young people's voices are heard and represented within the Senior Leadership Team.

5.Leadership, Compliance & Quality

• Provide strategic oversight and operational leadership for targeted youth projects, outreach and community engagement.
• Be a member of the senior safeguarding team and line manage the organisation's Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion requirements.
• Work with the Fundraising team to capture and demonstrate the reach, outcomes and impact of WEST's activities.
• Manage budgets effectively and promote a culture of feedback, reflection and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across the OnSide network to share best practice and professional development opportunities.

ABOUT YOU

We are looking for an experienced, values-driven youth work leader who can demonstrate:

• Substantial experience in youth work or youth services and significant experience leading staff, volunteers and activities.
• Significant safeguarding experience, for example as a DSO, DSL, Deputy DSL or in a comparable safeguarding leadership role.
• Strong people management, coaching and team leadership skills.
• A track record of successful project and budget management and delivering results through effective leadership and collaboration.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to engage effectively with young people from all backgrounds.
• Experience working with IT systems such as databases, dashboards or CRM systems.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines while remaining calm under pressure.
• A non-judgemental, open-minded and empathetic approach.
• Degree-level education in a relevant subject or equivalent experience.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends when required.
• Experience working with external funders and a professional Youth Work qualification are desirable.

OTHER DETAILS

• Salary: £52-58k (dependent on experience)
• Contract: Permanent, Full time 37.5 hours per week, 5 out of 7 days
• Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer
• Closing date: 19th October 2026, We will review applications and interview candidates as they are received and may close the vacancy early if we find the right candidate, so early applications are encouraged.
• WEST Youth Zone is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups. This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check.