Business and Skills Manager

Location: North of England (hybrid working with occasional travel to London office)     

We are the national body for careers education in England, delivering support to schools and colleges to deliver modern, 21st century careers education.

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is a great place to work. We operate within a fast-paced and collaborative environment. We are brought together by one thing: our passion to ensure young people get the best possible start in life and are supported to find their best next step.

Do you want to be part of a mission-driven team focused on transforming young people’s lives? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Role summary:

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is looking for a Business and Skills Manager based in the North of England to support our mission to help every young person find their best next step. You will play a crucial role in ensuring employer voice, experiences, and skills priorities are at the heart of careers education and the work of the CEC.

Collaborating with the Business and Skills Senior Manager and two fellow Managers, you will ensure our approach to work experience, sectors and skills, including technical and vocational education, are aligned. As part of the wider Network Team, you will support a select number of Careers Hubs across the North of England (final geography to be confirmed upon appointment), driving high-quality employer engagement in careers education outreach.

This is an exciting and important time for the CEC. You will contribute directly to the government’s ambition of a new work experience guarantee by supporting the CEC and Careers Hubs to build a quality pipeline of employers offering meaningful experiences, with a strong emphasis on reaching underrepresented and disadvantaged young people.

Essential criteria:

• Relationship management and collaboration:
• Build effective collaborative and trusted relationships with colleagues, partner organisations and stakeholders.
• Engage with others to gain input and commitment to plans and decisions.
• Project and delivery management:
• Take concepts and goals and convert them into practical plans.
• Lead multiple projects in a controlled and disciplined way, some of which are managed personally and others by team members.
• Identify risks and overcome problems or barriers.
• Communication:
• Written communications - for example, presentations, reports and proposals - which are clear, concise, and make the right impact on the audience.
• Verbal and presentation skills which influence and engage, either on a one-to-one basis, or in a group or formal presentation, including to employer stakeholders.
• Analysis and problem-solving:
• Analyse complex situations and data to provide clarity, set out issues, and make decisions.
• Adopt a practical approach to problem-solving, which shows business acumen.
• Innovation:
• Drive to find new effective ways of providing solutions and services.
  
  

TO APPLY: Please complete the application form including your cover letter and upload a copy of your most recent CV removing any personal details (ie) name, DOB, address.

Closing date: Monday 25th August 2025 (Midnight)

Please be aware that this role may close earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive a high volume of applications.

• PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE THIS ADVERT EARLY SHOULD WE RECEIVE SUITABLE APPLICATIONS*
  
  

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

At the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) we are committed to fostering a culture of belonging. We know that engagement at work relies on feeling included and valued. Inclusion is both a choice and a practice, for us as an organisation and for individuals within our team. We aim to drive inclusion through every aspect of our work and we understand that diverse teams are essential for innovative careers education and are central to our mission and impact. CEC values the visible and invisible qualities that makes each member of our team who they are. We are a disability confident employer and if you need any help or support through the application process, please contact the HR team and details can be found on our website