Safeguarding and Work Experience Partner

About the role

As our Safeguarding & Work Experience Strategy Partner, you'll be responsible for embedding a robust, group-wide approach to safeguarding across all Early Careers activity, alongside defining and delivering our UK-wide work experience strategy. Reporting into the Early Careers & Employer Brand Lead, you'll ensure that every programme we deliver - from insight events and work experience through to internships, apprenticeships and graduate programmes - is underpinned by strong governance, clear processes and full alignment with UK legislation and best practice.

What You'll Be Doing Safeguarding & Compliance

• Owning safeguarding across all Early Careers programmes, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all participants is prioritised in every activity
• Embedding a consistent, compliant approach to safeguarding across Insight days and weeks, Summer internship programmes, Graduate and apprenticeship programmes and Work experience placements
• Partnering with the TA Excellence team to design, develop and embed safeguarding policies, processes and governance frameworks across the Group
• Ensuring full compliance with all relevant UK legislation, regulatory requirements and safeguarding best practices
• Leading risk assessment activity and maintaining clear, accurate and auditable records
• Acting as a trusted advisor to stakeholders on safeguarding requirements, risks and responsibilities
• Managing and appropriately escalating any safeguarding concerns with professionalism, sensitivity and care
• Driving consistency, accountability and continuous improvement across all Early Careers programmes

Work Experience Strategy & Delivery (UK)

• Defining and delivering a clear, scalable UK-wide work experience strategy aligned to Howden's Early Careers ambitions and future talent pipeline
• Designing a central vs. local delivery model, establishing which elements are led centrally and where regional offices are empowered to deliver
• Building a national framework for work experience that ensures consistency in quality, safeguarding and compliance while allowing for local flexibility
• Creating and rolling out toolkits, playbooks and guidance to enable offices across the UK to confidently deliver high-quality work experience placements
• Establishing minimum standards and guardrails to ensure every placement is safe, structured and meaningful
• Partnering with business leaders to embed ownership and accountability for work experience delivery across the organisation
• Scaling work experience opportunities in response to increasing demand driven by changes in education policy
• Developing an inclusive, accessible approach to engaging young people, with a focus on broadening access to underrepresented talent
• Implementing central tracking and reporting to maintain visibility of all work experience activity across the UK
• Ensuring all Work experience placements meet government requirements and safeguarding standards
• Using insight and feedback to continuously evolve and improve the work experience offering

Oversight, Enablement & Collaboration

• Maintaining full visibility and oversight of all work experience placements involving young people across the Group
• Ensuring all activity is recorded, monitored and meets safeguarding and compliance standards
• Ensuring all line managers hosting participants complete required checks and understand their responsibilities
• Creating and maintaining FAQs, guidance materials and resources for hiring managers
• Acting as the internal subject matter expert on work experience and safeguarding best practice
• Collaborating with Early Careers and Employer Brand teams to position Howden as a leading early talent destination
• Supporting broader Early Careers and Employer Brand initiatives as required

What We're Looking For

• Experience in safeguarding, compliance, risk, governance or programme design roles (ideally within early careers, education or youth-focused environments)
• Strong working knowledge of UK safeguarding legislation and best practice
• Experience developing and embedding policies, frameworks and scalable programmes
• Experience designing or delivering multi-site or national programmes (work experience or similar highly desirable)
• Ability to balance risk management with enabling high-quality, accessible programme delivery
• Confidence handling sensitive situations with sound judgement, discretion and professionalism
• Strong organisational skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders across a complex organisation

Who You Are

• Passionate about creating safe, inclusive and high-quality experiences for young people
• Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to translate vision into practical delivery
• Accountable and proactive, with a strong sense of ownership and integrity
• Comfortable providing challenge and driving high standards where needed
• Collaborative and adaptable, with a willingness to contribute beyond your core remit

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity - there is no one Howden type. Instead, we're looking for individuals who share the same values as us: Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new.

We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges. We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond.

Reasonable adjustments: We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs. Beyond the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours or hybrid working .

Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent position.