Placement & Career Services Lead

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement career services and placement strategies to improve the employability and employment outcomes of programme beneficiaries.
• Deliver career coaching, employability training, and one-on-one career guidance to help beneficiaries identify career pathways and achieve their professional goals.
• Review and enhance beneficiaries' CVs, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and other career documents to improve their competitiveness in the job market.
• Prepare beneficiaries for interviews, aptitude tests, assessment centres, and workplace readiness through mock interviews, coaching sessions, and employability workshops.
• Match qualified graduates with suitable employment, internship, apprenticeship, and work-based learning opportunities based on employer requirements and beneficiary skills.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with employers, recruitment agencies, industry partners, and other stakeholders to expand placement opportunities for programme participants.
• Collaborate with the Employer Engagement & Partnerships team to understand employer hiring needs and facilitate successful candidate placements.
• Coordinate career fairs, employer networking events, recruitment drives, job matching sessions, and other employment-focused activities.
• Track graduate placements, employment outcomes, job retention, and career progression, ensuring accurate records are maintained throughout the placement lifecycle.
• Provide post-placement support to graduates and employers by monitoring job satisfaction, addressing workplace challenges, and promoting successful employment retention.
• Collect employer and beneficiary feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of career services and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate placement records, beneficiary databases, and employment tracking systems while ensuring data quality and confidentiality.
• Prepare placement reports, employment outcome reports, success stories, and performance dashboards for programme management and donor reporting.
• Monitor placement targets, employment KPIs, and career services performance, recommending improvements to maximise programme impact.
• Ensure all placement and career services activities comply with donor requirements, programme guidelines, safeguarding standards, and organisational policies.
• Perform any other duties assigned to support the successful implementation of the iDICE BPO South-West Programme.

 Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Guidance and Counselling, Education, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years' experience in career services, recruitment, talent acquisition, workforce development, employment services, or graduate placement programmes.
• Experience working on donor-funded programmes, workforce development initiatives, graduate employability programmes, or within the BPO sector is an added advantage.
• Experience working on donor-funded programmes, workforce development initiatives, graduate employability programmes, or within the BPO sector is an advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, applicant tracking systems, and digital collaboration platforms.
• Strong coaching, facilitation, networking, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid, fast-paced environment and travel within the South-West region as required.

Technical Skills:

• Career coaching and employability development
• Recruitment, talent acquisition, and candidate placement
• CV writing and interview preparation
• Employer engagement and relationship management
• Career counselling and workforce development
• Performance tracking and reporting
• Microsoft Office Suite and digital collaboration tools

Core Competencies:

• Leadership and accountability
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Career coaching and mentoring
• Stakeholder engagement and relationship management
• Planning and organisational skills
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving
• Attention to detail and professionalism
• Integrity, empathy, and teamwork

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Achievement of graduate placement and employment targets
• Graduate employment and retention rates
• Employer and beneficiary satisfaction levels
• Timeliness and quality of placement and career services reporting
• Number and quality of employer partnerships supporting placements
• Compliance with donor and programme requirements
• Accuracy of placement records and employment tracking
• Continuous improvement of career services and placement processes