Employability and Skills Officer

BSNI are working with Belfast City Council to recruit a Employability and Skills Officer – Admin & Clerical. This role is temporary.

Employment type
Temporary
Number of people required
1
Target start date
21 May 2026
Duration
12 Weeks
Hours per week
37

Rate
PAYE: £23.37 per hour

Job location
9-21 Adelaide Street, Belfast, Antrim, BT2 8GD, United Kingdom

Work pattern
Normally 3 days in office, two days remotely – Hybrid workstyles policy ratio of 60:40

Main purpose of job

Reporting to the Employability and Skills Manager, the post will be responsible for:

Initiating, leading and managing programmes of work identified within the Employability and Skills Framework and the Belfast Agenda, in order to address economic inactivity, increase skills levels and deliver positive employment outcomes.

Identifying, scoping and developing employability and skills propositions which support the development and growth of the city and the economy, and which contribute to the ongoing delivery of the council�s strategic priorities and the Belfast Agenda.

Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with other key organisations in the public, private and VCSE sectors to ensure a strategic, sustained and coordinated approach to employability and skills in the city.

Working across the council and with external partners to shape and deliver on key aspects of the council�s inclusive growth agenda.

Summary of responsibilities and personal duties

Contribute to the design, development and implementation of the Employability and Skills Framework and other relevant strategies, taking account of wider departmental and corporate objectives, including the ongoing delivery of the Belfast Agenda and the Belfast Region City Deal.
Initiate, develop and manage programmes of work in line with the Employability and Skills Framework and Labour Market Partnership Plans, in order to create employment opportunities, improve skills development and maximise opportunities to achieve positive employment outcomes.
Undertake relevant procurement exercises including development of specifications, management of pre-market engagement activity and advising on appropriate financial arrangements in order to ensure effective delivery while meeting funder requirements.
Undertake �market-making� by brokering and developing partnerships with key employers and representative bodies in order to identify employability challenges and co-design solutions that support inclusive growth commitments.
Initiate, develop and deliver targeted interventions to address corporate and city challenges in the field of employability and skills, working closely with partners across the public, private and VCSE sectors to ensure added value and avoid duplication.
Lead on stakeholder engagement activity within respective work areas, securing the commitment of employability and skills providers to ensure a cohesive, coordinated approach to provision and to drive consistent quality standards across the sector.
Identify and pursue opportunities to work collaboratively with other Employability and Skills Officers and with colleagues across the department and wider organisation in order to maximise the council�s contribution to employability and skills and inclusive growth in the city and wider city region.
Ensure effective contract management of all programmes of work including performance management, financial management and risk management, working closely with third party delivery organisations to ensure delivery in line with funder requirements and agreed outcomes.
Provide advisory input into relevant corporate activities and work areas in order to ensure that employability and skills ambitions are appropriately referenced and that opportunities for funding and leverage are maximised.
Initiate, develop and cultivate local, national and international partnerships to share experience and best practice, develop relationships and exploit opportunities for the economic development of the Belfast City Council area.
Ensure adherence with agreed quality standards by implementing programme-level evaluation reviews and developing quality improvement plans across respective work areas.
Commission and carry out research which will track, monitor and evaluate the performance of the economy and will assist in the identification of appropriate mechanisms and initiatives to address the key employability and skills challenges in the city.
Draft reports, corporate briefings, policy responses and speeches for council members and officers and prepare committee reports.
Work with the Marketing and Communications team to develop and manage appropriate forms of communication in order to promote the work of the team including website, promotional materials, newsletters and press briefings.
Identify and optimise all opportunities to leverage external and match funding, to support the delivery of the employability and skills work programme and undertake the necessary applications and business cases required to access these resources.
Represent Belfast City Council on all appropriate partnerships, strategic groups and advisory committees as required.
Represent the Employability and Skills Manager as required.
Organise events, conferences, exhibitions, visit programmes and other promotional activities.
Motivate and manage all allocated staff that may be assigned to ensure effective service delivery and to be responsible for reviewing and implementing a proper staff training and development programme.
Participate as directed in the council�s selection interview procedure.
Act in accordance with the council and departmental policies and procedures including customer care, equal opportunities, health and safety, safeguarding and any pertinent legislation.
Participate in induction and in-service training provided by Belfast City Council and in the induction and support of all newly appointed staff and other human resource management procedures as appropriate.
Undertake the duties in such a way as to enhance and protect the reputation and public profile of the council.
Undertake such relevant duties as may from time to time be required.
This job description has been written at a time of significant organisational change and it will be subject to review and amendment as the demands of the role and the organisation evolve.  Therefore, the post-holder will be required to be flexible, adaptable and aware that they may be asked to perform tasks, duties and responsibilities which are not specifically detailed in the job description but which are commensurate with the role.

Essential criteria

Qualifications and experience

Applicants must, as at the closing date for receipt of application forms, either:

have a third level qualification in a relevant subject such as Education, Community and Youth Work, Careers Guidance, Business Studies, Management, Human Resource Management or an equivalent qualification and be able to demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples, that they have at least one year�s relevant experience in two of the following four areas:
or

be able to demonstrate on the application form, by providing personal and specific examples that they have at least two years� relevant experience in two of the following four areas:
scoping, designing and delivering innovative employability and skills solutions with successful outcomes within the scope of inclusive growth;
managing employability and skills projects including undertaking all aspects of project management such as procurement, contract management, financial management, ensuring compliance with relevant corporate policies or funding conditions, managing risks and quality assurance;
proactively engaging with employers across a range of occupational sectors to co-design and deliver employability and skills interventions with successful job outcomes; and, or
proactively initiating and managing relationships with key stakeholders within the employability and skills ecosystem.
Desirable criteria

In addition to the above qualifications and experience, Belfast City Council reserves the right to short-list only those applicants who, as at the closing date for receipt of applications:

in the first instance, can demonstrate either a relevant third level qualification and one year�s relevant experience or two years� relevant experience (as outlined above) in three of the aforementioned four areas (a � d);
in the second instance, can demonstrate either a relevant third level qualification and one year�s relevant experience or two years� relevant experience (as outlined above) in all four of the aforementioned four areas (a � d); and
in the third instance, can demonstrate either a relevant third level qualification and two years� relevant experience or three years� relevant experience (as outlined above) in all four of the aforementioned four areas (a � d).

Special skills and attributes

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following skills and attributes which may be tested at interview:

Communication skills:  the ability to prepare briefings and presentations and write clear analytical reports and the ability to make presentations, deliver workshops and influence and persuade a range of audiences on complex issues.

Project management skills:  good organisational skills with the ability to initiate, develop, manage and monitor complex projects and to oversee effective delivery by third party organisations.

Partnership working skills:  the ability to establish good working relationships and work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders across different sectors to develop and deliver a shared agenda to meet common objectives.

Analysis and decision making skills:  the ability to produce and implement new ideas and innovative solutions and the ability to make decisions which will contribute to enhanced project delivery.

Technical knowledge: knowledge of local and wider economic issues with recognition of key economic challenges and drivers in the city and identification of both the strategic and operational role for local government in addressing these.

Resource management skills:  the ability to manage and monitor project budgets and associated project resources.

Team-working skills:  the ability to work within a small team to ensure the delivery of agreed work objectives.

Political sensitivity skills:  the ability to treat confidential matters with the appropriate discretion and the ability to work with elected representatives with an appreciation of the sensitivities of working in a political environment.

For more information contact Jessica or Debbie on 02895219313

BSNI are an acting recruitment agency.