Modern Day Work Experience Lead

Job Title: Modern Day Work Experience Lead
Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum (pro rata for part time) - Pay award pending
Hours: 37
Location: Stevenage - Hybrid
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until 31st August 2027
Directorate: Growth & Environment

About the team

Hertfordshire Futures is a dynamic partnership between businesses and the public sector, driving sustainable economic growth across the county. It is the leading voice for the Hertfordshire’s economy, setting the strategic direction to accelerate business growth, job creation, innovation and investment.

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is the national body for careers education in England, supporting schools and colleges to deliver modern, 21st-century careers education. CEC coordinates and funds a network of Careers Hubs, bringing together schools, colleges, employers, and apprenticeship providers to improve career preparation for young people.

In Hertfordshire, Careers Hub delivery is led by Hertfordshire Futures under a grant agreement with CEC, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) Services for Young People. The strategic focus for the Hertfordshire Careers Hub includes delivering impactful careers education, targeting inclusion, and building a sustainable system for high-impact careers education.

About the role

As the Lead on Modern Day Work Experience Lead the successful candidate will be leading on these key strands of work:

• Work directly with a caseload of schools, c20 institutions (complimenting Enterprise Co-ordinator and existing Hub support) to help them work towards the governments plan for two weeks of work experience.
• Support modernisation of the wider “work experience system”, beginning with those schools in the caseload by building on the foundations of the work already done by schools. Activities will be aimed at year 7-10 students.
• Work towards a guarantee for modern work experience for students in line with the development of DfE expectations, the equalex framework and CEC guidance.

You will need :

• The ability to work with Employers by:
  • Building relationships between local/national employers and the school caseload.
  • Supporting employers to be targeted in their approach.
  • Upskilling employers to host meaningful equalex-ready experiences to deliver activity for the c20 schools identified.
  • Supporting employer understanding and behaviour change to develop and innovate on opportunities that align to the equalex framework, looking at how to extend this in future years.
  • Stimulating more employers including from growth sectors, to support meaningful WEx opportunities.
• The ability to work with schools/education by:
  • Supporting the school caseload to assess current provision against the equalex framework, Internal Leadership Reviews (ILR) and new Gatsby benchmark requirements. Identifing opportunities, strategies and relationships to enhance existing and new provision, which can be embedded in the curriculum working with SLT.
  • Using data from school’s ILR and engage with peer-to-peer opportunities to better understand their current need and gaps, assuring experiences’ provision for all - including for the most disadvantaged learners.

You will also need to participate in a national community of improvement to support system development and share best practice.

About you

Essential

• Strategic and Leadership Skills:
  • Strategic planning: Ability to develop and implement long-term strategies.
  • Leadership and influence: Leading initiatives across multiple stakeholders, including schools/SLT and Head Teachers, employers, and local authorities.
  • Change management: Driving systemic change in work experience provision, especially for disadvantaged learners.
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management.
    
    
• Employer engagement:
  • Building and maintaining relationships with local and national employers, including those in growth sectors.
  • Education sector collaboration: Working closely with school leadership teams (SLTs), understanding school systems and challenges.
    
    
• Data and Analytical Skills:
  • Data interpretation: Using Compass Survey data, ILR, FSQ, and Employer Standards to inform decisions and strategies.
  • Needs assessment: Identifying gaps in provision and opportunities for improvement using diagnostic tools and surveys.
  • Monitoring and evaluation: Tracking progress and impact of interventions and using data to refine approaches.

Desirable

• Project and Programme Management
  • Caseload management: Supporting a portfolio of ~20 schools, prioritizing those with the greatest need.
  • Action planning: Developing and implementing local action plans within the Careers Hub framework.
  • Pilot and innovation management: Testing and scaling new approaches to modern work experience.
  • Clear communication: Articulating the vision and benefits of modern work experience to diverse audiences.
  • Advocacy: Promoting the importance of equal access to quality work experience, especially for disadvantaged students.
  • Training and upskilling: Supporting CPD for educators and employers to deliver meaningful experiences.
    
    
• Digital and Administrative Competence
  • Digital tools: Supporting the rollout and adoption of digital platforms for employer engagement and health & safety. Be able to use excel and reporting toolkits.
  • Process improvement: Identifying and reducing administrative barriers for schools and employers. System navigation: Linking local efforts with national systems and guidance.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date should we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 10. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Community services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact steve.Trotter@hertfordshirefutures.co.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: week commencing 7th September 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This role is open to secondments for eligible employees who work for HCC. If you wish to apply on a secondment basis, you must have your line manager’s approval before submitting your application. You will be asked to confirm this within your application form. If you are not eligible for a secondment (e.g., you are currently on a fixed‑term contract that would end before this positions ends) or you indicate that your manager cannot support a secondment, your application will be considered on a fixed‑term contract basis instead.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Councilis undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.