As our Head of Programmes and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), you will be a senior leader shaping the strategic vision, growth, and impact of Spiral’s work. You will oversee the design, planning, delivery, and evaluation of our core programmes, championing a culture of safeguarding and trauma-informed practice across all teams and partners.

Specifically, you will provide leadership across:

KS4 Schools Programmes (Engage & Inspire) – immersive employability and skills programmes for young people at risk of exclusion, delivered in secondary schools, PRUs, and special schools across South London, reaching over 300 young people annually.

Post-16 Employment Support Services – personalised one-to-one mentoring, employability training, and job placements, delivering over 500 mentoring sessions a year and supporting young people furthest from the labour market into sustainable jobs, training, or education.

Changemaker Programme – Spiral’s youth leadership and advocacy programme, where lived-experience young people become youth workers and policy advocates, influencing local and national systems from Lambeth Council to the Met Police.

Community & Outreach Programmes – Spiral’s estate-based youth outreach and McDonald’s Detached. Outreach programme, designed and led by Changemakers. These initiatives engage over 150 young people with 2,000 attendances annually, building trust in accessible spaces, tackling violence affecting young people, and connecting young people to safety, opportunities and support.

Lead the design, planning, delivery and evaluation of Spiral’s programme portfolio; align delivery with organisational strategy, youth needs and local priorities; pilot and scale new models; (including train-thetrainer/licensing).

Lead on the delivery of staff training (design and delivery)

Lead the design and delivery of bespoke careers programmes with high-profile partners

Own programme budgets, contract compliance; ensure on-time, high-quality funder reporting and demonstrable value for money.

Set KPIs and run quarterly performance reviews; course-correct through feedback loops with data, team reflections and those of young people to iterate programmes.

Build and maintain delivery frameworks (schools, post-16 employment, Changemakers, Outreach) to ensure consistency, quality and sustainability.

Oversee delivery of community outreach programmes (estate-based and McDonald’s Detached Outreach), ensuring they are youth-led, trauma-informed, and integrated with Spiral’s schools, employment, and Changemaker pathways.

Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead: champion a safeguarding and trauma-informed culture across all teams and partners; keep policies, risk assessments and safer-recruitment practices current.

Lead safeguarding casework and referrals; maintain secure records; liaise with statutory agencies and provide clear escalation working; deliver staff/volunteer training and briefings; report to SLT/Trustees.

Significant experience (c.5+ years) teaching, leading youth or education-to-employment programmes, with a track record in design, delivery and evaluation.

Safeguarding leadership (DSL/DDSL) and confident management of complex casework.

Line-managing managers and multi-disciplinary delivery teams; recruiting, coaching and progressing staff.

Budget ownership and contract management; delivering on time, on budget and to funder requirements, supported by Finance Lead.

Building delivery partnerships with schools/PRUs, employers, and community/statutory stakeholders

Experience scaling programmes (e.g., multi-site growth or train-the-trainer/licensing).

Experience supporting fundraising/bid development and producing funder-ready impact reports.

Confidence in policy/sector forums and media speaking.

Formal DSL certificate (if not already held).

Experience working with and designing interventions for young people with SEND

Strong understanding of GDPR and information governance

You will line manage 2 Programme Managers, overseeing a delivery team of 3 core staff and 10 freelance facilitators working across Spiral’s programmes. This role is both strategic and hands-on: you will support and develop a diverse, high-performing team, drive innovation and co-production with young people, and ensure Spiral’s programmes grow sustainably in line with our 3-year plan to double reach and expand nationally.

You will also play a key role in organisational leadership, working closely with colleagues in Fundraising, Impact, and Communications to secure resources, provide evidence of impact, and represent Spiral externally with schools, employers, funders, policymakers, and sector networks. By combining operational excellence with visionary leadership, you will help position Spiral as a national leader in youth employability, youth work, and systems change.