Personal Adviser Team Leader

Salary: £47,665 - £50,908 per year
Location: Various
Hours: 37 Hours
Closing Date: 18/10/2026
DBS Requirement: Enhanced (Other Workforce No Barring)
Contract Type: Permanent

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for young people?

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Personal Adviser Team Leader to join our Employment, Skills and Adult Education Service. This is an exciting opportunity to lead a dedicated team supporting young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) to overcome barriers and progress into positive destinations.

The Opportunity
In the role of Personal Adviser Team Leader, here’s an example of what you’ll be doing to make an impact:

You will lead and support a team of Personal Advisers delivering Derby's statutory participation duties and targeted support services for vulnerable young people. You will provide supervision, coaching and professional guidance to staff, ensuring high-quality information, advice and guidance is delivered consistently across the service.
The role is responsible for monitoring team performance, undertaking quality assurance activity and supporting continuous improvement to help reduce the number of young people who are NEET and improve participation outcomes across the city.
You will work closely with schools, colleges, training providers, employers and partner agencies to improve opportunities for young people and remove barriers to education, employment and training.
Alongside your leadership responsibilities, you will maintain a reduced caseload of young people with complex barriers to participation, providing direct support, advocacy and coordination of multi-agency interventions where required.

What you’ll be doing
As Personal Adviser Team Leader, you will provide day-to-day operational leadership, supervision and quality assurance for a team of Personal Advisers, ensuring high standards of practice, safeguarding and service delivery. You will also maintain a reduced caseload of young people with complex needs, enabling you to model best practice and remain connected to frontline delivery.

About you
To be successful in this role, you’ll ideally have…
You will have significant experience of delivering information, advice and guidance to vulnerable young people and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by those who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.

You will have experience of supervising, coaching or developing staff and be able to motivate and support others to achieve high standards of performance and practice.

You will demonstrate a strong understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, experience of managing complex cases and the ability to make sound professional judgements in demanding situations.

You will be an effective communicator, confident in building relationships with young people, families, schools, employers and partner agencies and able to influence positive outcomes.

Essential requirements:
• Significant experience of delivering information, advice and guidance to vulnerable young people.
• Experience of supervising, coaching, mentoring or supporting the development of staff.
• Experience of safeguarding practice and managing complex or high-risk cases.
• Knowledge of participation duties, NEET reduction activity and post-16 progression pathways.
• Level 6 or Level 7 Careers Guidance qualification or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience.
• Ability to analyse information, manage competing priorities and exercise sound professional judgement.
• Commitment to safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Desirable:
• Qualification or accredited training in leadership, management, supervision or coaching.
• Experience of working within a statutory participation, employability or careers guidance service.
• Experience of using management information systems and data to support performance improvement.

Who We Are
At Derby City Council, we're proud to deliver over 250 essential services that support our residents, communities and businesses. Guided by our vision to create an Inclusive, Green, Growing and Vibrant City, we put people at the heart of everything we do.

Our values shape how we work every day. We believe in Great People, One Team, we're Bold in embracing change, Strong in delivering for our communities, and We Care about making a positive difference.

Join us and you'll be part of an ambitious, collaborative organisation where you can develop your career while helping to shape Derby's future.

Why join Derby City Council?
At Derby City Council, you'll have the opportunity to make a real difference while building a rewarding career in an organisation that values, supports and invests in its people.
Alongside the opportunity to help shape the future of Derby, you'll benefit from a comprehensive range of employee benefits, including:

Financial Benefits
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a secure, defined benefit pension with life cover
• Team Derby Rewards – discounts across a wide range of retail, leisure and lifestyle brands
• Tusker Car Benefit Scheme – a salary sacrifice scheme for leasing a brand-new, fully maintained and insured vehicle
Work-Life Balance
• Generous annual leave, starting at 27 days and rising to 32 days after five years' service (plus bank holidays, depending on your contract)
• The option to purchase additional annual leave
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements for many roles
• Flexible retirement options, where eligible
• Support for colleagues with caring responsibilities
Learning and Development
• Learning and development opportunities, with regular career conversations to support your growth
• Leadership and management development programmes, mentoring and professional qualifications
• Modern workspaces designed to support collaboration, productivity and wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing
• Employee Assistance Programme, wellbeing support and a year-round wellbeing calendar
• Free annual flu vaccinations
• Cycle2Work Scheme and free cycle training
Community and Inclusion
• Up to 15 hours of volunteering leave each year
• Recognition through initiatives including the Here for Derby Awards and Long Service Awards
• The opportunity to join one of our Employee Networks, including LGBTQ+, Disabled Employees and Carers, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Employees, and Neurodiversity

At Derby City Council, we believe our people are our greatest strength. Whatever stage you're at in your career, you'll be joining an inclusive organisation where you'll be supported to develop, feel valued and make a meaningful difference to the communities we serve.

Some benefits are dependent on your role, contract or length of service.

How to apply
If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an application form, please submit an application via the Derby City Council website.

The closing date for this vacancy is specified at the top of the advert. Applications received after midnight on the closing date will not be accepted.

Applying using your CV
We recognise that people apply for roles in different ways and want our recruitment process to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you would prefer to apply using a CV rather than completing an application form, please complete the attached Declaration Form and send it, together with your CV, to Bronagh.Quigley@derby.gov.uk .

When applying by CV, please ensure your CV clearly demonstrates how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role. We strongly recommend that you also include a supporting statement outlining how you meet the essential criteria set out in the person specification, as this will help us assess your suitability for the post.

Applications submitted by CV must include a completed Declaration Form to be accepted. The Declaration Form can be found at the bottom of this advert.

We also encourage you to complete the attached Equalities Form and return it to recruitment.team@derby.gov.uk. This is entirely optional and will not affect the outcome of your application.

Important Information
Links to the full Job Description and Person Specification are available below.

Before submitting your application, please read our guidance on completing the application form and ensure your supporting statement clearly demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification.

All employees will normally be appointed to the minimum of the grade for the role.

Where a DBS requirement is indicated at the top of this advert, the successful candidate will be subject to the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of our safer recruitment process.

Where a Market Rate Supplement is indicated at the top of this advert, it is paid in addition to the basic salary and is subject to regular review. The supplement may be reduced or withdrawn and will reduce in line with incremental progression and pay awards.

The Council has a legal obligation to consider suitable redeployment opportunities for employees at risk of redundancy. Consequently, this vacancy may be withdrawn before the advertised closing date if it is filled through the Council's redeployment process.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At Derby City Council, we're committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and can thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we serve.

As a Disability Confident Leader, disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can choose to apply through our Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

We are also proud to hold the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award, recognising our commitment to supporting serving personnel, veterans and their families. Members of the Armed Forces community, veterans and their close family members who meet the essential criteria are also eligible for our Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, including during your application, interview or onboarding, we'll work with you to provide the support you need.

If you have any questions about this vacancy or need assistance with your application, please contact the Recruitment Team on 01332 640844 (Relay UK: 18001 01332 640844) or email recruitmentteam@derby.gov.uk.

Please see here for Job Description
Please see here for Person Specification
Please see Declaration Form for CV Applications here
Please see Equalities Form for CV Applications here
Please see here for DBS Code of Conduct