Programme Lead - 12 months - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow

Role Profile:

Job Title: Programme Lead

Application Deadline: 17/10/2025

Job Type: FTC – 12months

Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow

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.

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.

We’re thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for a Programme Lead at the EY Foundation. Join our Programmes Team and make a national impact across the UK. The successful candidate will report directly to one of our Regional Programme Managers (dependent on location).

In this role, you’ll be responsible for delivering exceptional programmes (across our programme portfolio) for young people across our delivery hubs (be willing to travel to Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London or any other area as required) in line with EY Foundation business plan and strategic targets. You’ll work closely with our business development and volunteering teams to support the stewardship of our corporate partners and volunteers.

This role is for an initial 12 month period to support an increase in young people numbers across a number of new delivery windows.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.

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: 

• Leading on all aspects of programme planning, management and delivery including recruiting, on-boarding and training young people, employers and volunteers involved in the programme. This also includes coordinating programme logistics and admin including room bookings, catering, risk assessments, safeguarding etc.
• Development and delivery of programme curriculum and content
• Stakeholder management including developing and maintaining positive relationships with local schools and colleges (including virtual schools), local authorities, employers, corporate partners and key EY stakeholders.  
• Evaluate the impact of programmes in line with the Theory of Change and make recommendations for continuous improvement 
• Collect and analyse data and feedback from the young people, volunteers and employers taking part in the programmes 
• Staff management of secondees or other members of the team where relevant
• Represent the Foundation at events (internal/external and includes evening/breakfast events) 

What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable skills, experience and knowledge in the following areas:

Required:

Skills

• Demonstrable ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities  
• Excellent project management experience, including managing people and resources 
• Delivering against a portfolio of projects/tasks effectively 
• Ability to foster positive relationships with a range of people  
• Delivering excellent customer service, to internal or external customers or service users 
• Team player with a confident manner. Professional, flexible, positive, calm and resilient approach  
• Strong influencing skills and ability to establish positive and effective relationships and local networks 
• Highly organised individual, who plays close attention to detail, accuracy and quality 
• Ability to effectively communicate, convey information and collaborate with colleagues, stakeholders and clients
• Collaboration and flexibility in your team working, whilst also being able to work with minimum supervision

Knowledge

• Professional or technical knowledge and experience in your specialist area
• Demonstrable knowledge of issues and opportunities facing young people from low income backgrounds in relation to their transition to work 

Experience

• Working in a delivery-focused organisation
• Developing professional or technical qualitative improvement
• Delivering against a portfolio of projects/tasks effectively
• Experience of working with corporate clients and delivering professional services 
• Experience in running complex projects with diverse stakeholder involvement 
• Experience of managing diverse teams, including third party relationships and staff volunteers 

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.

The second stage interview will be based on:

• Presentation Development: Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of Our Organisation: We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.

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: 29/10/2025
• Second round interviews: 06/11/2025

If you are invited to interview and are unavailable on one or both dates, 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.