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Introduction to EY Foundation
The EY Foundation is a charity established in 2014 to help young people from a low-income background to develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. We were founded by EY, the professional services firm, who continue to be our primary funder.
Our ambition is that all young people eligible for Free School Meals have an employment and earnings potential equitable to other young people in the UK. We do this through a deep understanding of both sides of the labour market, bringing together employers and young people. We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to deliver employability skills programmes, scalable digital interventions, and by leveraging our convening power to influence systemic change.
We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week, however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.
As an independent charity we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants.
EY Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring service, where appropriate.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
At the EY Foundation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the transformative power of embracing differences and creating a culture where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves.
We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates diversity in all its forms, ensuring that everyone – regardless of background, identity, or experience – feels safe, accepted and that they truly belong. Our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging means continuously learning, improving, and challenging ourselves to build a workplace where every individual can thrive.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you share our commitment to creating a culture of belonging and inclusion, we encourage you to join us and help to make a difference.
Your role as Employer Strategy Manager
We’re thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for an Employer Practices and Behaviour Change Manager at the EY Foundation. As a key part of our strategic ambitions, you’ll lead and drive our work to ensure employers actively engage and recruit young people from Free School Meals backgrounds. The successful candidate will report directly to our Director of Communications and Influence.
Our Goal: To ensure employers are actively engaging and recruiting young people from Free School Meals backgrounds.
In this role, you’ll work closely with our employer network, partner organisations, and EY Foundation teams to engage employers in identifying, implementing, and evaluating practices which will provide the young people we support with equitable employment opportunities. This will include developing and nurturing relationships with employers, generating insights through surveys and events, and convening a network to share best practice. You will work with partner organisations to collaborate on research, and furthering the business case for social mobility.
Within the Foundation we adopt flexible roles that reflect the dynamic nature of our charity and enable our people to learn, develop and grow their skills and open up career opportunities. This is part of our investment in you. This role profile provides an outline of what will be involved in your role rather than an exhaustive list of duties. Both you and this role will naturally evolve.
The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:
Employer Behaviour Strategy Design and Implementation
- Lead on development and implementation of employer behaviour strategy at the EY foundation, and where appropriate, work with relevant members of the EY Foundation Leadership Team to embed this strand of work in overall EYF ambition.
- Lead the development and implementation of specific strategies to influence employer policies and practices, based on evidence and best practices which emerge from our own data collection and from other credible sources
- Work closely with the Policy & Public Affairs and Digital Managers, to ensure opportunities to engage employers with EY Foundation’s Policy and Digital work are maximised.
- Work closely with Comms colleagues, to lead on the development of comms strategies to raise the profile of our employer practice work with employers, and other relevant audiences, and key EY Foundation moments such as the annual impact report.
- Work with the Youth Engagement Lead and others colleagues in the Young People Service department as required to create strategic engagement opportunities for young people in employer practice work.
Employer Engagement and Relationship Management
- Build and maintain strong relationships with EY Foundation employer network, providing excellent support as required for employer practice projects, leading to improved outcomes for employers and young people, working closely with the Employer Engagement Manager
- Build and maintain strong relationships with external organisations EY Foundation partners with to further their strategic goals of influencing and changing employer practice
- Oversee the delivery of employer practice activities within Corporate Partnership (CP) objectives, including surveys and roundtables
- Oversee development of high-quality materials to engage and support employers to create change
- Work with the CP Account Manager(s) and Head of CP to identify how employer practice activities can be used as a retention tool to maintain and increase income
Impact Measurement, Reporting and Due Diligence
- Support the Director of Influence and Communications with planning and reporting requirements for the Finance and Operations team and the Board, including annual business planning and budgeting
- Present to Board, Leadership Team, and other relevant stakeholders on progress of this strategic aim, delivering reports on successes, challenges, and future plans
- Work with the Head of Technology & Data Analytics to ensure that employer practice data is captured and analysed effectively and in line with our theory of change
- Utilise CRM to record employer practice activities and better engage with EYF’s wider employer network
- Ensure all external relationships related to employer practice projects meet EY independence rules
Profile Raising
- Work with the Leadership team to engage senior stakeholders internally and externally to gain support and momentum on this workstream.
- Stay informed about the latest research and evidence-based practices in workforce development and employer engagement and leverage opportunities to feed EYF findings into reports and consultations.
- Represent EY Foundation at forums, conferences, and other events as required.
- Identify opportunities to raise profile of EY Foundation as a go-to organisation in driving social mobility within businesses.
Your Skills, Knowledge, Experience And Qualification
What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable experience and knowledge in the following areas:
Required:
Skills
- Ability to effectively communicate, convey information and collaborate with colleagues, stakeholders and clients
- Programme and Relationship Management: Ability to manage employer-facing projects and partnerships with a focus on outcomes.
- Communication: Ability to effectively communicate, convey information and collaborate with colleagues, stakeholders and clients
- Collaboration: Skilled in working cross-functionally and co-producing with young people and corporate partners, but also able to work independently and take initiative
- Analytical Thinking: Ability to interpret data and feedback to inform practice and improve delivery.
- Time and Task Management: Able to manage multiple priorities and deliver to deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Problem Solving: Strong problem solving skills and developing solutions
Experience
- Experience in organising roundtables, workshops, or communities of practice.
- Demonstrable account management and project management experience with multiple stakeholders
- Experience of working with research or evaluation and translating this for employers to drive action
- Experience of working with employers to change their behaviour and practice
- Experience of managing projects, contracts and milestones to deliver outcomes
- Experience using data and insights to inform practice and reporting.
Knowledge:
- Social Mobility and Inclusion: Understanding of the challenges faced by young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
- Employer Engagement: Familiarity with how employers approach diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruitment and retention.
- Impact and Evaluation: Knowledge of how to measure and report on programme outcomes and impact.
- CRM and Data Tools: Understanding of how to use CRM systems and data dashboards to track engagement and outcomes.
Desirable:
- Experience in the charity, education, or youth sector is desirable but not essential.
Qualification:
- Masters in a Workplace related discipline
Recruitment process
Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best candidates through a comprehensive evaluation of their skills, motivation, and potential. The process includes:
The first stage interview will be based on:
- Competency-Based Interview Questions: We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
- Motivational Interview Questions: We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
- Scenario-Based Questions: You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Key dates
- First round interviews: 12th/ 13th August
- If you are invited to interview and are unavailable, please let the recruiter know, we will do our best to offer an alternative.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let the recruiter know when contacted.
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