Southend on Sea City Council is a Unitary local authority, providing vital services to meet the needs of the local community. We employ around 1,800 staff who are working alongside our partners and local communities to deliver the city vision and make lives better for the people of Southend.

Working for Southend on Sea City Council offers a challenging and rewarding career in local government within a collaborative and innovate environment, with the benefit of flexible working practices to support a positive work life balance. As a Unitary Authority we are responsible for all local government functions ranging from social services, transport, public health and parks through to planning, trading standards, community safety and education, so we offer a wide range of career opportunities. The diversity of our economy and communities and investment in a number of exciting regeneration projects makes our Council a great place to work, learn and make a difference.

This role is hosted by Southend-on-Sea City Council, funded through The Careers and Enterprise Company, and it will cover the whole the of the county of Essex.  The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) is the national body for careers education in England, delivering support to schools and colleges to deliver modern, 21st century careers education.  This is a collaborative partnership between Southend-on-Sea City Council, The Careers and Enterprise Company and the Greater Essex Careers Hub.

Are you a tactical leader with a passion for partnership working, operational excellence, and improving career outcomes for young people?

Southend-on-Sea City Council is seeking a dynamic Operational Careers Hub Lead to join Greater Essex Careers Hub team on a full time and fixed term contract basis (until 31/8/2026 with possibility for extension).

As an Operational Careers Hub Lead, you will be part of the team leading the planning, implementation, and management of the Hub’s strategy and operational delivery. You’ll work closely with schools, colleges, employers, and stakeholders to ensure alignment with local economic and skills priorities, while managing performance, quality assurance, and stakeholder relationships.

Key responsibilities include:

• Align Hub activities with local and national economic growth and skills strategies.
• Represent the Careers Hub on education and employer boards and networks across Essex.
• Manage a team of Enterprise Coordinators in stakeholder and volunteer engagement.
• Monitor and analyse performance data to identify gaps and drive improvement.
• Ensure robust systems are in place for research, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
• Plan, implement and evaluate initiatives, in line with the Hub strategic plan.
• Build a vibrant, diverse community of practice to share best practice and scale impact.
• Collaborate with The Careers & Enterprise Company, local councils and other partners to remove barriers to system change.

Although this role will be offered on a hybrid basis, the post holder will be expected to be out and about on visits to schools, colleges, employers and partners across Essex.

To be successful in this role:

• Previous experience of engaging and building relationships with stakeholders from business, education and / or the careers sector is essential.
• A proven track record of delivering programmes or projects with multiple stakeholders on time and to budget is essential.
• An articulate and confident public speaker and effective communicator is essential.
• Previous experience in building strong relationships and be able to engage, influence and drive collaboration with a variety of stakeholders to achieve results.
• Confidence with analysis of data/information with the ability to use this to influence and drive new ways of working, drive change and manage performance.
• Proven experience in managing people and driving performance in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Ability to lead, influence, and collaborate across sectors to drive systemic change.
• Experience of effective process design, development and implementation including quality assurance and standardisation of operating procedures and practices is desirable, along with experience of development and implementing strategies and action plans.

 A full and clean driving license as well as access to own car will be highly advantageous but not essential.

When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training. A full list of benefits provided by Southend Council can be viewed on the "Why Work For Us?" tab.

If you are interested in this role, please click 'apply online' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV.

If you would like a copy the Job Description, please Click here

Please note: Applications for this vacancy may close prior to the date advertised above so you are advised to apply as soon as you are able to.

Southend-On-Sea City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. All applicants for this role will require an enhanced DBS check.