Business & Engagement Officer

Build lasting partnerships with local businesses to secure quality jobs, apprenticeships and training for our residents.

As our Business & Employer Engagement Officer, you will lead the way in creating inclusive workforce opportunities across Kensington and Chelsea. It is a role with genuine community impact—giving you the chance to work directly with employers, unlock career pathways and ensure local people benefit from local economic growth.

You’ll be based in the Borough for three days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you’re meeting local business leaders, collaborating with partners or working alongside internal council teams, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives.

Your focus will be on building and managing productive relationships with employers across key sectors, including construction, retail, hospitality, health and culture. You will engage directly with local businesses, major developers such as the Earls Court Development Company, property estates like Cadogan Estates and Business Improvement Districts to unlock quality job, apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for local residents.

A typical day will see you collaborating with internal council services, training providers and community organisations to connect residents—particularly priority groups such as young people, residents with SEND, refugees and underrepresented communities—with meaningful employment pathways. You will work closely with businesses to shape flexible recruitment methods, encourage commitments such as Disability Confident and the London Living Wage and feed local employer needs back to training providers to shape customised pre‑employment provision.

Operating in a busy and politically aware environment, you will balance the needs of businesses, residents and partners while managing multiple priorities with care and composure. You will also establish and maintain accurate tracking systems to monitor performance, assess outcomes and ensure our service continuously adapts to deliver practical benefits for the community.

For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.

You’ll bring proven experience in employer engagement, partnership working and delivering employment or skills-related outcomes. You are a confident communicator who builds credibility easily with business leaders, community partners and education providers alike. With strong influencing, negotiation and relationship-management skills, you know how to bring different groups together around shared goals, even in complex or changing environments.

You have a clear understanding of the barriers residents face when accessing work, combined with a genuine commitment to creating inclusive opportunities. Experience using performance-tracking systems and managing competing priorities under pressure will be key to your success. We welcome backgrounds from local government, employment and skills providers, further education, housing associations, charities, community organisations or workforce development teams within larger institutions such as the NHS or corporates.

Most importantly, you are someone who believes in the potential of our residents and is ready to do the work to help them reach it.

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.

Joining our growing Economy & Learning service under new management, you will be part of a collaborative, supportive team focused on innovation and partnership working. We actively invest in your professional growth, offering access to development networks and learning opportunities through bodies such as…