Performance Manager

WHO WE ARE

Apprentify Group is a portfolio of six companies, each with its own culture, personality and people. Across the group we support around 10,000 learners a year and we're scaling fast, with a delivery function that needs experienced people leaders to keep performance, quality and learner outcomes consistently strong.

We are looking for a Performance Manager who brings structure and accountability to a growing delivery team. Someone who knows how to get the best out of coaches and trainers, and who understands what good looks like in an apprenticeship context.

THE QUICK FACTS

Location: Hybrid, Wilmslow
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Reports to: Head of Delivery

LIFE IN THE ROLE

This is a people leadership role first. Your primary accountability is the performance, capability and day-to-day management of a team of Development Coaches delivering apprenticeship programmes across digital, data and AI standards.

Day to day that means 1:1s, performance reviews, objective setting, development planning and addressing underperformance early and constructively. It also means maintaining oversight of caseloads, learner engagement and progression and acting when risks emerge.

You will work in close partnership with Quality, Enablement and Compliance, but accountability for results sits with you. Delivery teams should be clear on expectations, supported to meet them and held to a consistent standard.

Apprentify is a scale-up. The structure is still maturing and the pace is fast. We need a Performance Manager who can operate with clarity and confidence in that environment and who can build stability within their team without waiting for everything above them to be settled first.

THE HONEST HARD BIT

This role carries real accountability. If a team member is underperforming, you own that conversation and the plan that follows. If learner outcomes are slipping, you are expected to identify it early and act.

You will also need to hold quality and compliance standards consistently, even under delivery pressure. That requires a strong grasp of what good apprenticeship delivery looks like and the confidence to call it when it isn't happening.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Proven experience managing the performance of delivery or professional staff in education, training or a regulated environment

• A track record of running structured 1:1s, performance reviews and development plans that actually change outcomes

• Confidence handling underperformance directly — you can have the hard conversation and build the plan that follows

• Solid understanding of quality and compliance expectations within apprenticeships or similar regulated delivery settings

• A data-led approach to managing performance, rather than relying on gut feel

• The judgement to balance coach workloads, learner progression risk and delivery pressure without dropping any of them

• A collaborative style that works in partnership with Quality, Enablement and Compliance, while still owning the result yourself

IS THIS FOR YOU?

This is you if:

✔ You have managed delivery or professional staff in education, training or a regulated environment
✔ You are comfortable with performance management, including difficult conversations
✔ You understand quality and compliance expectations within apprenticeships or similar settings
✔ You use data to manage performance rather than relying on intuition alone
✔ You can build high-trust, high-accountability team cultures in fast-moving environments

Not for you if:

✘ You prefer to influence rather than own performance outcomes
✘ You want a fully established operation with mature processes in place
✘ You are more comfortable as an individual contributor than as a people leader
✘ Compliance and documentation feel like a chore rather than a professional practice

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive salary

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service

• Private medical insurance

• Birthday leave and a volunteer day

• Hybrid working with regular collaboration days

• Ongoing professional development and leadership support

• Enhanced family leave

INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. Recruiter call – a short call to talk through your experience, what you're looking for and to answer any initial questions about the role.

2. One-hour interview – a deeper conversation covering your approach to performance management, quality and compliance and how you'd operate in a fast-moving scale-up environment.

The postholder will be required to undergo Safer Recruitment check prior to starting work, including an appropriate level of DBS check (dependent on role) and a reference check.

At Apprentify, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. We value different perspectives, lived experiences and ways of thinking, and we recognise the positive impact they have on our learners, our culture and our organisation.

We are dedicated to removing barriers in our recruitment process and will provide reasonable adjustments where needed to ensure all candidates have a fair opportunity to succeed. If you have any questions about the application process or would like to discuss reasonable adjustments, please get in touch with us – we're here to support you.