The Skills Federation represents 19 members, encompassing 150,000 employers across the UK. They are entirely voluntary organisations funded by their industries to provide a collective voice and vital support on skills issues. This includes workforce planning and intelligence, professional standards, tailor-made skills solutions, qualifications, kitemarking, accreditation and quality assurance. We believe it is essential to contribute to a cohesive employer perspective to the Government’s strategic oversight of the skills system. At the same time, we are committed to collaborating with social partners in both the oversight and operation of the skills eco-system. Finally, we want to enable members to contribute to the effectiveness of the skills eco-system through EdTech services for members and others.

THE ROLE

This is a great time to be joining the Federation. We have invested in some policy activity in the run up to the general election. We have found a hunger for our industry perspective among parts of government, regional government, political parties, and others in the skills system who are passionate about making it more effective. We are particularly pleased about the collaboration with social partners from the Association of Colleges to the TUC and regional governments to develop policy solutions and practical activity to improve the skills eco-system.

We are therefore seeking a new Chief Executive who will build on this potential and momentum to accelerate the impact of the Skills Federation. The focus of the chief executive role is taking member insight and experience in different sectors and using the collective perspective to influence for an effective skills system. In addition, the chief executive will provide the vision and leadership for the diversification of our commercial EdTech services.

They will ideally already understand the complexities of the skills landscape and be passionate about what it needs to work effectively. Possessing a deep understanding of the skills policy environment, they will help our members and stakeholders shape coherent positions through joint effort and collaboration to help government and policymakers find future direction.

A visible and innovative senior leader, you will have maturity of judgement, alliance-building capability and quickly build credibility across a range of senior audiences to move our agenda forward. You will be a collaborative influencer, able to convene our members and listen to their needs, drawing out common threads and synthesising complex issues into clarity
of thought and idea. Pragmatic, tactical and with an entrepreneurial mindset, you will be able to pull together a wide range of stakeholders to build a platform of policy insight, with which to influence the key decision makers in the UK, including the devolved nations. Above all, you will provide the leadership that maintains the organisation’s forward momentum, motivates our talented team, and put the Skills Federation at the heart of skills policy making in the UK.