Skills and Communities Lead
East Midlands Freeport
£45,000 – £50,000 pa, depending on experience
Do you want to make a difference in the East Midlands? Are you looking for a new challenge?
This is a unique opportunity to join the growing team at East Midlands Freeport, leading the implementation of our Skills Delivery Plan and Skills and Communities Fund.
East Midlands Freeport is set to create 28,000 jobs over the coming years, creating a once in a lifetime opportunity for communities across the region. The Skills Delivery Plan sets out our ambition to support our investors and communities to succeed, effectively deploying our investment to provide a range of services and skills initiatives which ensure that local people can access the opportunities the freeport presents.
We are looking for a driven self-starter to join our ambitious team as our Skills and Communities Lead. You will lead the implementation of our Skills Delivery Plan and Skills and Communities Fund, working closely with our partners and managing a range of skills initiatives to support our investors and local communities. This highly rewarding role will see you deploying funding to charities and skills providers, managing programmes which support young people and those furthest from work, and delivering tangible outcomes which raise ambition, skills and ensure that local people benefit from the Freeport.
East Midlands Freeport (EMF) is the UK’s only inland freeport, bringing bold ideas and long-term growth to develop the surrounding areas and propelling progress for our communities, investors and partners. Backed by the UK Government, we collaborate with local authorities, leading international businesses and regional universities to drive global innovation and make positive change to the East Midlands that will last for generations to come.
About You
To apply for this post, you should have:
- Been educated to degree level with relevant experience of delivery or management of skills and communities initiatives.
- Working knowledge of the skills system, preferably with knowledge of the local skills landscape in the East Midlands or relevant transferable experience for example in the charity sector or CSR initiatives.
- Proven experience of successful project management.
- Proven experience of successful contract management.
- Experience of deploying or managing public funding.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with experience of building and developing effective working relationships across stakeholders, peers and partners.
- Experience in preparing reports, spreadsheets, presentations and other documentation.
- Strong organisational skills, confidence to work autonomously, flexibly and at pace to prioritise workloads effectively.
- Highly motivated, proactive, and able to drive initiatives forward independently to realise outcomes.
- An active and enthusiastic team member, supporting colleagues when required and contributing to a culture of continuous improvement.
It isn’t necessary to have a detailed working knowledge of Freeports, but some sectoral and/or regional experience is useful as you’ll need to quickly get up to speed in new fields and operate credibly with senior leaders.
If you have any queries, please contact: recruitment@emfreeport.com
What we offer
- £45,000-£50,000 pa, depending on experience
- 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
- Full time, permanent
- Flexible working arrangements
Initially the office base will be at County Hall in Leicestershire, with the opportunity to work from home for 2-3 days each week. There is a requirement to travel across the East Midlands on a regular basis.
Closing Date: 20th July
Interviews will be held week commencing: 28th July (flexibility may be provided in exceptional circumstances)
How to Apply
To apply for this role, please email your CV and a supporting statement on how you meet the requirements of the role (no more than 500 words) to: Recruitment@emfreeport.com
Please note, we are unable to accept any applications that do not include a supporting statement.
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the business.
If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact Recruitment@emfreeport.com. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc. We will also consider requests for a fixed term secondment to deliver the role.
East Midlands Freeport is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our success.
Our values
At East Midlands Freeport we are:
Bold Innovators
We are committed to setting the pace, continuously refining our approach to maximise our efforts and arrive at the most effective, efficient solution to drive meaningful, positive change.
Catalysts for Change
We will spark positive change across the region to drive forward our goals to improve innovation, skills, net-zero. We believe in the power of working together across sectors to leverage diverse strengths to create impactful solutions.
Driven Competitors
We will continually strive to place the East Midlands at the forefront of global investment locations and will act as ambassadors for the region to showcase the wealth of talent, innovation, skills, and opportunities on offer to foreign and domestic investors – linked to our key sectors.
Empowered & Supported
We empower everyone to contribute, fully fostering a supportive environment that nurtures growth and confidence – underpinned by honesty, integrity, and trust.