Head of Communities and Young People

About The Role

London’s VRU is focused on stopping violence before it happens through an approach that is rooted in prevention and early intervention.

We are tasked with focussing on a strengths-based and health & wellbeing approach to reducing violence across the capital, increasing feelings of safety for all Londoners especially children, and ensuring that communities and young Londoners are at the heart of sustainable and long-term change. We also have a Young Persons Advisory Group who guide our activity & play an active role in our governance.

We are looking for an experienced Head of Communities and Young People to lead a team of programme managers & community engagement leads, working with children & communities to identify what builds resilience, wellbeing & safety and translate that into strategic direction working across partners from young people, parents, youth workers, child protection specialists, police & professionals & directors from government & the voluntary sector.

You Will Have Demonstrable Experience In The Following Areas

• Ability to galvanise rapid action across a broad programme, with demonstrable experience of developing new policies and delivering programmes across communities and young people portfolios.
• Proven expertise in handling crisis/challenges real time within a public sector and political environment.
• Exceptional ability to, and experience of, communicating, building relationships, influencing and negotiating with prospective providers, stakeholders and partners, across both statutory and voluntary community sector
• Committed to quality outcomes and value for money for commissioned and operational services, ensuring that the youth voice and engagement with communities are embedded within this.
• Experience of managing high performing and multi-disciplinary teams to deliver outcomes and maintain service delivery.

Application Process

Candidates Must Submit Their CV And Employment History And Must Answer (using Around 1,500 Characters Per Answer) The Supplementary Questions Which Are

• Describe your leadership experience of developing policy, programmes or services that have improved outcomes for young people and communities. How did you ensure your approach was informed by evidence and stakeholder engagement?
• Describe a time when you built and maintained effective strategic partnerships across multiple organisations to achieve a shared objective. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you secure commitment and results?
• Please tell us about a time where you have had to manage a team in a fast-paced and reactive environment. How have you supported a high performing diverse team?
• Tell us about a situation where you had to deliver a major programme or organisational priority at pace. How did you maintain quality, manage risks and achieve results?

Want to find out what it’s like to work with MOPAC and the VRU?

You can also find out more about the VRU itself by visiting our website.

Please ensure you read the Candidate Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document attached to the vacancy as it contains key information regarding the recruitment process.

If you have a question about the role or the recruitment process, please contact a member of the HR team via email on [email protected].

Selection Process

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview on Friday 27 November.