Principal Programme Team Leader

Lead, coach, empower and deliver impact.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is committed to improving the lives and opportunities of residents through high-quality employment, skills and training support. Our award-winning GLLaB (Greenwich Local Labour and Business) service plays a vital role in connecting local people to sustainable employment and progression opportunities.

We are now seeking a skilled and motivated Principal Programme Team Leader to lead a team of Employment Specialists, ensure excellence in frontline delivery, and drive high performance across GLLaB’s supported employment and IAG provision.

This is a key leadership role for someone who is passionate about delivering quality employment support, confident operationally, and committed to modelling best practice in both IPS and SEQF approaches.

As the Principal Programme Team Leader, you will:

• Line manage up to 10 Employment Specialists, providing supervision, coaching, guidance and performance management.
• Role‑model best practice in IPS/SEQF approaches and ensure staff deliver high-quality, person-centred employment support.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, caseload reviews, PDCs, group supervision and lead the development of work plans and team targets.

• Coordinate day-to-day operational management of GLLaB’s frontline services, including duty management cover.
• Maintain high standards of delivery across all externally funded programmes, ensuring SEQF fidelity, quality assurance and audit compliance.
• Monitor caseloads (typically 20–25 per specialist), support effective triage, identify barriers, and ensure timely and tailored interventions.

• Guide and equip Employment Specialists to engage employers confidently through patch walks, employer visits, remote outreach and events.
• Support job development, job matching and the creation of inclusive opportunities for residents.
• Ensure all employment checks, safeguarding documentation, health & safety, and service level agreements are robust and up to date.

• Build and maintain referral networks with health partners, community organisations, voluntary groups and local services.
• Support outreach in priority areas to increase engagement among under-represented and disadvantaged groups.
• Represent GLLaB at external meetings, events and partnership forums.

• Identify and address underperformance, creating a culture of accountability, learning and development.
• Support the design and delivery of in-house training, peer learning and staff development.
• Lead on service improvements, participant feedback, complaints resolution and quality/performance improvement plans.

• Provide cover for Employment Specialists when required, including carrying a small caseload.
• Support weekend or evening outreach where needed to ensure accessibility of services.
• Contribute to emergency planning, business continuity and council-wide priorities as required.

We are looking for a confident leader with a strong understanding of supported employment models and frontline programme delivery.

• Strong knowledge of IPS and/or SEQF supported employment models.
• Ability to supervise, motivate and develop Employment Specialists to deliver outstanding IAG and employment support.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage complex workloads and support staff caseloads.
• Highly effective communication skills, able to represent GLLaB at meetings, events and partnership forums.
• Strong IT and CRM capability, with accuracy in data management and reporting.

• Proven experience supervising or leading frontline employment, training or advisory teams.
• Experience supporting employer engagement activity and building partnerships with businesses.
• Track record of working collaboratively with multi‑agency partners — including clinical teams, community groups, and employers.
• Experience meeting KPIs, compliance standards and customer service expectations.

• A strong commitment to…