Partner Manager

About the Company

PeoplePlus, together with our expert delivery partners, is recruiting for a range of roles to support the delivery of the Jobs Guarantee programme across North & East Scotland.

About the Role

We are looking for a confident and collaborative Supply Chain Manager to join our team and lead the day-to-day management, performance and assurance of delivery partners supporting the Jobs Guarantee across North and East Scotland. This is a home-based role, but it is not a fully remote/no-travel position. You will need to be based in Scotland and able to travel regularly across the Scottish region, particularly across North and East Scotland, to meet delivery partners, undertake quality and assurance activity, attend meetings and support effective programme delivery. As part of our coordinated recruitment campaign, applications will be managed by the relevant expert delivery partner based on the area and role to which you have applied. As a Supply Chain Manager, you’ll be responsible for building strong and constructive relationships with delivery partners while maintaining clear accountability for performance, quality, compliance and participant outcomes. You’ll manage a portfolio of subcontractors, using performance data, quality assurance and regular engagement to identify risks, address underperformance and drive continuous improvement. You’ll play a key role in ensuring participants receive a consistent, high-quality service across North and East Scotland, including rural, coastal and island communities.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of delivery partners against agreed contracts, service levels, participant volumes, budgets, performance indicators and quality standards.
• Build effective and professional relationships with subcontractors, acting as a key contact for operational performance, compliance, risk and continuous improvement.
• Lead regular partner performance reviews, using management information and dashboards to assess referrals, engagement, job starts, sustainment, completions, quality and participant experience.
• Maintain clear performance ratings, action plans and escalation records, intervening promptly where performance, capacity, quality or compliance falls below expectations.
• Carry out root-cause analysis and agree clear, time-bound improvement plans with delivery partners.
• Escalate sustained underperformance and make appropriate recommendations around referral reallocation, management intervention or other contractual remedies where required.
• Undertake scheduled and no-notice quality monitoring visits, file checks and assurance activity, ensuring agreed actions are completed and evidenced.
• Ensure delivery partners meet relevant Grant Funding Agreement requirements, including safeguarding, UK GDPR, data security, fraud prevention, audit access, evidence retention, branding and employer gateway requirements.
• Monitor the accuracy and timeliness of partner data in ICONI and other required systems, resolving data-quality issues ahead of reporting deadlines.
• Work closely with Finance and Central Operations to validate eligible expenditure, payment evidence and subcontractor invoices, supporting accurate and timely payments.
• Coordinate referral allocation and capacity planning across partners and geographies, helping to ensure appropriate coverage and continuity of service across the region.
• Support mobilisation, onboarding and readiness assurance for new delivery partners, including due diligence, training, process testing and implementation of contractual requirements.
• Facilitate collaboration across the supply chain, sharing effective practice, standardising delivery and helping to reduce duplication in employer engagement and participant support.
• Maintain oversight of supply-chain risks, issues and dependencies, escalating safeguarding, fraud, financial, operational or reputational concerns through the appropriate routes.
• Prepare clear and concise performance reports, insight and recommendations for the Operations Manager, governance meetings and commissioner reviews.
• Promote the principles of effective supply-chain management, including fairness, transparency, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support delivery partners to achieve agreed referral, engagement, job-start, sustainment and completion expectations.
• Build strong, professional partner relationships while maintaining clear accountability for performance and quality.
• Identify and address underperformance, risks and capacity issues early.
• Ensure partner reviews, quality visits, improvement plans and contractual actions are completed effectively and on time.
• Maintain accurate, complete and timely management information, evidence and financial submissions.
• Ensure delivery partners consistently meet contractual, safeguarding, data protection, audit and grant-control requirements.
• Support consistent, high-quality participant experiences across all delivery locations.
• Strengthen collaboration and share effective practice across the supply chain.
• Support effective referral allocation and capacity planning to maintain service coverage across North and East Scotland.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and ensure supply-chain risks and issues are actively managed.
• Support effective use of programme resources and strong value for money through robust contract and performance management.

Required Skills

• Experience in supply-chain management, contract management, partnership management, employability, employment support, commissioning or a similar environment.
• Experience managing subcontractors, delivery partners or external organisations against agreed performance, quality or contractual requirements.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to develop constructive partnerships while maintaining clear accountability.
• Confidence using performance data and management information to identify trends, risks, underperformance and opportunities for improvement.
• Experience managing performance through action plans, root-cause analysis, corrective action and escalation.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance, compliance, risk management and contractual requirements.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple partners, priorities and deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly when reviewing evidence, data, financial information and compliance requirements.
• Confidence working collaboratively with operational, finance, central support and senior management teams.
• The ability to provide professional challenge and have difficult conversations in a fair, constructive and solutions-focused way.
• A proactive approach to identifying risks and resolving issues before they impact participants or programme performance.
• A commitment to equality, inclusion, safeguarding and delivering a consistent, high-quality experience for participants.
• A full driving licence and ability to travel regularly across Scotland.
• Because of the geographical nature of the supply chain, you'll need to be comfortable managing a varied diary of virtual and face-to-face meetings and travelling to different delivery locations, including rural, coastal and island communities where required.

Preferred Skills

• Experience of working on employability, skills, youth employment or government-funded programmes, particularly where this has involved subcontractor management, DWP requirements or Grant Funding Agreements.