Apprenticeships & Employer Based Delivery Manager

Permanent, Full Time

£54,758 to £64,421 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 27th April 2026

*Please note this is a fixed-base role. Whilst contractually based in Chelmsford, the role allows for some home-working and a requirement to attend ACL sites 2-3 days per week, in line with business need.

Adult Community Learning (ACL) Essex is Essex County Council’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. ACL Essex offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL Essex learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and engagement.

The role will provide operational leadership for ACL’s employer-based learning and apprenticeships delivery portfolio, ensuring high-quality, responsive provision that meets local labour market needs and supports progression into sustainable employment and higher-level skills. Drive apprenticeship and other funding draw down, and outstanding learner outcomes through effective leadership of curriculum and delivery teams, while ensuring compliance with funding and inspection frameworks. Build on council relationships with employers to ensure the learning offer is fit for purpose and evolves on an ongoing basis.

The post holder will demonstrate strong leadership, commercial acumen, and the ability to influence and build collaborative relationships with employers and internal stakeholders. They will need excellent communication and negotiation skills, a results-driven approach, and the ability to manage complex funding and compliance requirements. Operating in a dynamic environment, the role requires strategic thinking, adaptability, and the capacity to balance short-term delivery with long-term planning.

Role responsibilities

Manage development and delivery of apprenticeship and employer-based training and assessment across priority sectors, ensuring compliance with Department for Education (DfE)/Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Ofsted standards.
Build and maintain effective employer partnerships to co-design training that supports workforce development and productivity.
Drive income growth through learner retention and achievement, along with organic business development and effective partnerships with employers and agencies, securing new opportunities to deliver agreed revenue growth
Ensure effective staff and team management drives high quality outcomes for learners, and ensures the team is fully ready for future Ofsted inspections in line with Quality team requirements.
Manage staff performance, curriculum design, and learner achievement ensuring they meet the agreed KPIs.
Monitor learner and employer satisfaction, ensuring services are responsive and continuously improving in line with the Quality Assurance and Improvement Policy.
Manage compliance with funding, audit, and safeguarding to ensure all relevant requirements and standards are met.
Champion digital learning and innovation to enhance teaching, learning, and assessment to enable a positive learner experience.
Use digital tools and innovation to enhance accessibility, efficiency and learner experience, embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in decision making.
Ensure teaching, learning and assessment meet the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and service quality standards; manage the community learning contribution to the annual Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP).
Contribute to ACL leadership and ECC’s wider business and skills growth priorities, supporting delivery of strategic objectives and agreed targets.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Educated to RQF Level 6 or equivalent in a teaching and/or assessor related qualification or equivalent by experience.
Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
Substantial experience managing apprenticeship or work-based learning provision.
Strong understanding of employer engagement and curriculum design aligned with sector standards.
Knowledge of funding, compliance, and quality frameworks for apprenticeships and adult skills.
Skilled in using digital performance tracking and reporting systems to analyse and improve outcomes.
Excellent leadership, analytical, and relationship management skills.
Proven success in improving outcomes, growth, and quality within a learning environment.

To read more about us please visit: Policy, Economy, Investment and Property - Working for Essex

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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