Employment Advisor – Young Adults (18-24) - - 42146 - Maximus

General information

Job Posting Title

Employment Advisor – Young Adults (18-24)

Date

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

City

Barking

Country

United Kingdom

Working time

Full-time

Closing Date

14-Aug-2026

Description & Requirements

Be part of something great

Maximus is a global organisation that specialises in providing health and employment services to millions of people every year. Here in the UK we employ around 5,000 people across the country to deliver services that have a profound impact on people’s lives. From assessments and health services to employability programmes and specialist support, we do work that matters with people who care.

To deliver specialist employability support to Restart Scheme participants aged 18–24, enabling young adults to overcome barriers to employment, develop work readiness skills and progress into sustainable employment. The post holder will build trusted relationships with young people, using coaching, mentoring and youth-focused engagement approaches to maximise participant outcomes and achieve contractual performance targets. The role will ensure all activity is delivered in line with contract requirements, safeguarding expectations and Maximus quality standards.

1. Manage a caseload of Restart participants aged 18–24.

• Deliver tailored employability support that reflects the specific needs of young adults, including confidence building, motivation, career exploration, work readiness and employability skills development.

• Use youth engagement, coaching and mentoring techniques to build positive relationships and sustain participation.

• Support participants to access employment opportunities and work experience placements.

• Identify and address barriers commonly experienced by young people, including lack of work experience, low confidence, mental wellbeing concerns, housing instability, digital exclusion and financial hardship.

• Identify risks of disengagement and implement early intervention strategies to sustain participation and progression. Maintain awareness of local youth support services and make appropriate referrals to specialist provision where required.

• Assign the participant to the most appropriate element of the Maximus service or that of another service partner. Manage the candidate experience, inspire and gain commitment to overcome barriers through successful delivery of development plans at all stages of the candidate journey through to sustained employment.

• Meet or exceed KPIs and performance targets as set by the Line Manager

• Ensure contract compliance by accurate data entry, completion of contractual and internal documentation and/or provider guidance

• Make effective use of appropriate resources to ensure commerciality and value for money

You may be required to perform one or more of the activities below as required

2.Deliver a menu of appropriate development activities to create a pipeline for employment opportunities and which addresses the candidate’s barriers to gaining or sustaining employment.

• Design and deliver engaging workshops, peer activities and employability sessions tailored to young adults.

3. Use a range of recruitment activities to match and market candidates to relevant vacancies and/or potential employers.

• Promote the benefits of recruiting and developing young talent to employers.

• Support employers to create suitable entry-level, apprenticeship and progression opportunities for young adults.

4. Build strong relationships with referral partners, employers and contractors to generate a flow of suitable candidates to meet or improve employment opportunities and generate new business.

• Work collaboratively with Youth Hubs, Local Authorities, education providers, training organisations, social care teams, mental health services and community organisations to coordinate support for young people.

5. Providing mentoring support, advice and guidance for both candidate’s employers to ensure sustained employment, incorporating reasonable adjustments where appropriate

6. Determine the most appropriate occupational direction through core and job skills assessments, producing assessment reports, and either take actions or ‘sign posting’ the candidate to the appropriate service based on the recommendations

Additional Responsibilities (below are examples of the types of activities this could include)

Supporting the local management team with activities for successful delivery of the business plan, this could include, generating pipelines of employment opportunities, increasing flow of vacancies and/or referrals, maintaining external relationships to securing repeat or generating new business or forecasting outcomes against budget.
Supporting the line manager by leading and developing a small team, planning activity, monitoring progress against targets and KPIs as set by the line manager
Acting for the line manager in their absence

Key Contacts & Relationships:

Internal

• Service Delivery Manager

• Employability Coach

• Partnership Executive

Further Information: This is a 9 months Fixed Term position

Role Requirements:

Qualifications & Experience

ESSENTIAL

Experience of supporting young people aged 16–24 in employability, youth work, education, careers guidance, welfare-to-work or related settings.
Experience of coaching, mentoring or motivating young adults facing barriers to employment.
Understanding of the challenges affecting young people entering the labour market.
Experience of delivering one-to-one and group-based interventions for young people.
Ability to build rapport quickly and maintain positive professional relationships with young adults from diverse backgrounds.
Knowledge of safeguarding principles and working with vulnerable young people.
Experience of working with outcome-based performance measures and targets.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to adapt to a wide range of communication and learning styles.
Strong interpersonal skills, specifically around listening, questioning, and building relationships.
Influencing skills that promote commitment and action.
Customer focused with a strong commitment to customer care.
Strong team player with a positive and flexible approach to both work and colleagues.
Creative problem-solving skills and a positive approach to challenging and overcoming limiting beliefs.
Ability to plan and organise workload to meet required targets and deadlines.
Experience of people development in an individual and group environment
Experience of working to structured targets and deadlines

DESIRABLE

• Level 3 or above qualification in Youth Work, Youth Studies, Community Work, Careers Guidance, Information Advice and Guidance (IAG), Education, Social Care or a related discipline.

• Level 4/6 Diploma in Youth Work Practice.

• Level 3 Award/Certificate in Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG).

• NVQ Level 3 Employment Related Services.

• Qualification in Coaching, Mentoring or Career Development.

• Experience working on government employability programmes, including Restart, Kickstart, Apprenticeship, Youth Hub or similar provision.

• Experience working with NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people.

• Knowledge of local youth support networks and services.

Individual Competencies

• Ability to engage and motivate young adults who may have had negative experiences of education, employment or support services.

• Strong coaching and motivational interviewing skills.

• Ability to adapt communication styles to suit younger participants.

• Understanding of trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches.

• Enthusiastic, resilient and passionate about supporting young people into positive destinations.

EEO Statement

• MAXIMUS is committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process. We know that feeling included has a dramatic impact on personal wellbeing and are working to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment due to any personal characteristic. Advertisements for posts will include sufficiently clear and accurate information to enable potential applicants to assess their own suitability for the post. • We are a Disability Confident Leader, thanks to our commitment to the recruitment, retention and career development of people with disabilities and long-term conditions. The Disability Confident scheme includes a guaranteed interview for any applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for a job. When you complete your job application you will find a question asking you if you would like to apply under the Disability Confident Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you feel that you have a disability and apply under this scheme, providing that you meet the essential criteria for the job, you will then be invited for interview. Your Guaranteed Interview application will only be shared with the hiring manager and the local resourcing team. • Where reasonable, MAXIMUS will review and consider adjustments for those applicants who express a requirement for them during the recruitment process.