Talent Development Partnerships Manager

Salary: £38,000 - £43,000 (dependent on experience)

Location: Hybrid / multi-site (with travel to our branches as needed)

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours) - flexible working considered

Contract: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of HR

Accountable to: Director for Business Development and Innovation

Team: Works closely with local Recruiters, Service Managers, Training and Development Lead

Be Caring is the UK’s largest employee-owned provider of social care. We’re a social enterprise, committed to making a lasting difference in our communities - for the people we support, our colleagues, and the wider system.

Our mission is to be care-giving day-makers, hope-builders, smile-givers, life-changers, community-warriors with the will to make a difference.

Our values are: Be Kind. Be Proud. Be the Best You Can Be. Be Happy. Be Safe. Be Involved.

Our Leadership values are:  Be Empowering. Be Visionary. Be Authentic. Be Bold. Be Compassionate.

At Be Caring, we believe outstanding care starts with kind people. When those people feel valued and proud of where they work, they choose to stay and grow. We recognise and reward our colleagues through training, support and a genuine commitment to their development.

We are the only provider under local authority contracts in our areas that pays care workers on a block pay basis, from the start of the first visit to the end of the last, every shift. If we invest in our colleagues, they stay. When they stay, we can invest more. That is how we become and remain the provider of choice.

This role exists to bring that commitment to life, identifying and recruiting talented, values-driven people through regional and organisation-wide partnerships across the North of England. You will build a sustainable talent pipeline through colleges, apprenticeship providers, back-to-work programmes, Care Leaver partnerships and national workforce initiatives, harnessing the opportunities available through programmes such as the DWP Youth Guarantee and the King's Trust.

You will hold relationships at a regional and national level while working alongside local Recruiters to set up, embed and maintain the right partnerships in each of our communities.

This is an outward-facing role at the heart of how Be Caring attracts, develops and retains its workforce for the future. This is about building the right foundations so that talented, values-driven people find their way to Be Caring, grow with us and stay.

Building Our Pipeline

This is the strategic heart of the role. You will develop and lead Be Caring's approach to talent development partnerships across the North of England, building a long-term pipeline of values-driven people at regional and national level.

• Develop and lead Be Caring's talent partnerships strategy, creating a suitable pipeline across all locations and services with the support of local teams and Recruiters
• Identify and build relationships with colleges, universities, training providers, back-to-work organisations, careers services, community partners and national workforce bodies
• Hold and develop a portfolio of national and regional partnerships, including the DWP's Strategic Relationship Team, the King's Trust, Paragon Skills, the Careers and Enterprise Company, Care Leaver Covenant partners and sector workforce bodies
• Work alongside local Recruiters and Service Managers to activate and embed partnerships locally, making effective handovers so relationships are well maintained and purposeful
• Build relationships with Combined Authorities and their Employment and Skills Boards, staying connected to what is available across our regions and drawing on support, resources and funding where relevant
• Maintain warm, consistent contact across all partnerships so referral and development routes stay active and confident in Be Caring

Creating Pathways for People

Be Caring is committed to opening care as a genuine career choice, not just for young people but for anyone who has never considered it before. This includes people returning to work, care leavers, those facing barriers to employment and anyone looking for a role with real purpose.

• Lead Be Caring's engagement with the DWP Youth Guarantee and Jobs Guarantee as an employer partner, working with DWP and local delivery organisations to bring people into care through funded routes
• Lead on employer access to the Youth Jobs Grant, working with DWP to navigate the application process as guidance is published
• Build and maintain relationships with Jobcentre Plus, Youth Hubs, the King's Trust and other employment partners across our areas
• Develop and support structured pathways for care leavers entering work with Be Caring, drawing on our Care Leaver Covenant commitments
• Support local Recruiters with initial connections to college and school careers fairs, community events and employability programmes
• Work with schools, colleges and careers networks, including through the Careers and Enterprise Company, contributing to employability sessions, taster days and curriculum development where the opportunity exists
• Work with Service Managers and local Recruiters to ensure everyone coming through these routes is well supported into induction and beyond

Talent Development

You will work with the Head of HR and Training and Development Lead to make sure our colleagues have access to the right learning, qualifications and development opportunities, and that we are making the most of every resource available to support them.

• Build on Be Caring's existing partnerships, scaling our apprenticeship programme across all services and increasing the number of under-25 apprentices joining and developing with us
• Identify and draw on regional funding streams for workforce development, working with Combined Authorities and their Employment and Skills Board across our regions
• Work with the Training and Development Lead and external providers to identify where accredited training pathways can strengthen our talent pipeline and support colleague progression
• Stay connected to national developments including the Care Workforce Pathway and Skills for Care frameworks, bringing relevant opportunities to the attention of the Head of HR and Training and Development Lead

Demonstrating Our Impact

This role is not just about building partnerships and pipelines. It is about showing that they work. You will track, measure and report on the strength of Be Caring's talent strategy, making the case internally and helping to position Be Caring as a leader in care workforce development across the sector.

• Develop and maintain a clear picture of partnership activity across the organisation: who we are working with, what routes are active and what they are delivering
• Track people through each partnership and pathway, from first contact through to recruitment, induction and retention
• Produce clear, compelling reporting for Board and senior leadership, demonstrating the impact of this strategy on recruitment, retention and workforce quality
• Work with the Communications Team to develop content, assets and stories that build Be Caring's reputation as an employer of choice in local communities 
• Share insight and learning with partners, sector bodies and Combined Authorities, helping to position Be Caring as a model of good practice in talent development
• Contribute to Be Caring's wider story as a values-led, employee-owned provider that invests in its people and its communities 

We are looking for someone who is confident building relationships, thinks strategically about talent pipelines, and can work effectively across a complex, multi-site organisation without needing formal authority to make things happen.

Essential:

• Experience developing and managing external partnerships that contribute to recruitment, workforce development or talent pipeline building
• Strong influencing and stakeholder skills: able to work alongside local teams and national partners with credibility and warmth
• Confidence tracking, analysing and presenting data and insight to senior audiences, including Board level
• Good written communication skills, with the ability to present Be Caring compellingly to partners, candidates and communities 
• A strategic mindset with a practical streak: able to set direction, open doors and hand over effectively to others
• Organised and proactive, able to manage multiple partnerships and workstreams across different locations

Nice to have:

• Knowledge of apprenticeship frameworks and levy funding, and experiences working with training providers and educational institutions
• Understanding of government employment programmes including DWP partnerships, the Youth Guarantee or similar back-to-work routes
• Knowledge of accredited training pathways in social care, including the Care Workforce Pathway or Skills for Care frameworks
• Experience developing inclusive pathways into work for people facing barriers to employment, including care leavers, people returning to work or those not in employment, education or training
• Experience in social care recruitment or an understanding of regulated recruitment requirements
• Experience accessing regional workforce funding through Combined Authorities, Employment and Skills Boards or similar bodies

Joining Be Caring means becoming part of something different: a values-led, employee-owned organisation where colleagues are co-owners and every role contributes to something that genuinely matters.

• A strategic, outward-facing role with genuine variety: partnerships, apprenticeships, DWP engagement, attraction and storytelling
• The chance to shape how Be Caring builds its workforce for the future
• Supportive working relationships with local Recruiters, Service Managers and the Training and Development Lead
• 33 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Mileage: 45p per mile
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Long service awards, Above & Beyond awards, birthday voucher and annual Christmas bonus

If you are passionate about building meaningful partnerships, opening up pathways into care, and helping a values-led organisation grow its workforce in the right way, we would love to hear from you.