Data Lead

AVision for Empowerment CIC is recruiting an experienced, highly organised and analytical Data & Performance Lead to support the successful delivery of our Birmingham Connect to Work programme.

The Data & Performance Lead will be responsible for ensuring that programme performance is accurately recorded, evidenced, analysed and reported across AVision’s internal systems, Birmingham City Council systems and the DWP Provider Referrals and Payments (PRaP) system.

You will providing the Programme Manager and Team Leader with accurate and timely management information showing whether the programme is on target, where performance is at risk and what action is required.

You will also play a key role in ensuring participant starts, employment outcomes and sustained employment outcomes are correctly recorded and fully evidenced so that eligible outcomes can be validated, claimed and withstand commissioner or audit scrutiny., * Support the accurate and timely management of participant information on the DWP Provider Referrals and Payments (PRaP) system.

• Ensure participant referrals, starts, status updates and relevant outcomes are recorded accurately within required timescales.
• Monitor PRaP activity and identify missing, incomplete or outstanding actions.
• Ensure information held on PRaP reconciles with Birmingham City Council systems, AVision’s internal CRM and programme monitoring records.
• Support the resolution of data discrepancies between systems.
• Monitor participant progression and outcome information recorded through PRaP.
• Maintain clear audit trails for information submitted through programme systems.
• Support staff to understand their responsibilities for providing accurate information required for PRaP updates.
• Escalate PRaP, system or data issues promptly where they may affect participant delivery, reporting or payments.
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of Connect to Work data, evidence and reporting requirements.

Previous experience of PRaP is desirable; however, strong experience using similar DWP, local authority, CRM or performance-management systems will also be considered.

Performance Reporting

• Maintain accurate Connect to Work performance dashboards.
• Track participant starts against monthly and cumulative targets.
• Track performance by individual IPS Employment Specialist.
• Clearly show whether each Employment Specialist is achieving their monthly target
• Monitor referral-to-start conversion.
• Track employment and First Earnings outcomes.
• Track sustained employment milestones.
• Produce weekly performance information for the Programme Manager and Team Leader.
• Produce monthly contract-performance reports.
• Identify trends, risks and areas of underperformance.
• Provide accurate forecasting information.
• Support preparation for Birmingham City Council and commissioner performance meetings.
• Reconcile reported performance with PRaP, CRM and supporting evidence.

Individual Employment Specialist Performance

Maintain a clear performance position for every IPS Employment Specialist, including:

• Monthly participant-start target.
• Actual participant starts.
• Variance against target.
• Active caseload.
• Referral pipeline.
• Participants awaiting onboarding.
• First Earnings outcomes.
• Employment outcomes.
• Sustained employment outcomes.
• Outstanding evidence.
• Outstanding PRaP or CRM actions.
• Data-quality issues.
• Monthly forecast.
• Required corrective action.

The purpose of reporting is to support early action, rather than simply recording historical performance.

Data Quality

• Ensure participant information is entered accurately and within required timescales.
• Conduct regular data-quality checks across programme systems.
• Reconcile data between AVision records, Birmingham City Council systems and PRaP.
• Identify missing, inconsistent or incomplete records.
• Issue corrective actions to relevant staff.
• Follow outstanding actions through to completion.
• Prevent duplicate, inaccurate or unsupported records.
• Maintain clear data-validation processes.
• Escalate persistent data-quality issues to the Programme Manager.
• Ensure management reports are based on reliable and validated information.

Outcome Evidence and Claims

• Ensure participant starts have the required supporting evidence.
• Validate First Earnings evidence.
• Validate employment and sustained employment evidence.
• Maintain clear outcome and evidence trackers.
• Monitor relevant milestones through PRaP and programme systems.
• Identify outcomes at risk of becoming unclaimable.
• Ensure evidence is collected within required timescales.
• Work with Employment Specialists to resolve missing or incomplete evidence.
• Maintain complete audit trails for reported and claimed outcomes.
• Support financial reconciliation of eligible outcomes where required.
• Minimise rejected, invalid or delayed claims.

An outcome that cannot be evidenced cannot safely be treated as achieved or claimable.

Contract Monitoring

• Maintain oversight of contractual KPIs.
• Track actual performance against monthly and cumulative delivery profiles.
• Identify variance against contractual expectations.
• Maintain programme monitoring tools and trackers.
• Support preparation of commissioner returns.
• Ensure performance submissions are accurate and delivered within deadlines.
• Maintain supporting evidence for reported figures.
• Support responses to Birmingham City Council, DWP and commissioner queries.
• Monitor whether PRaP records align with reported contractual performance.

Audit and Compliance

• Maintain programme audit readiness.
• Undertake regular participant-file and data-quality checks.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Maintain clear document-control processes.
• Ensure evidence can be retrieved quickly when requested.
• Maintain accurate PRaP and CRM audit trails.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and information-governance requirements.
• Escalate data, evidence or compliance risks immediately.
• Support preparation for IPS fidelity and contract-monitoring reviews where data evidence is required.

Performance Analysis

The Data & Performance Lead will not simply report figures - you will be expected to understand and communicate what the data means.

For example:

• Which Employment Specialists are ahead or behind target?
• Where is referral conversion falling?
• How many participant starts are forecast before month-end?
• Is there sufficient pipeline to achieve next month’s target?
• Which participants are approaching employment or First Earnings?
• Which participants are approaching sustained employment milestones?
• Which outcomes are missing evidence?
• Are there discrepancies between PRaP, the CRM and internal monitoring records?
• Which PRaP actions are outstanding?
• Where are participants disengaging?
• Which referral sources are converting most successfully?
• Which employer relationships are generating outcomes?
• Which outcomes may be at risk of becoming unclaimable?

The Data & Performance Lead will turn this information into clear and practical management information to support operational decision-making.

Working With the Delivery Team

• Provide Employment Specialists with clear information about outstanding records, PRaP actions and evidence.
• Support staff to understand programme data and evidence requirements.
• Work closely with the Team Leader to ensure data drives weekly performance conversations.
• Provide clear deadlines for corrective actions.
• Support staff with CRM and programme-recording requirements.
• Provide guidance on information required for PRaP updates.
• Work collaboratively with Finance where outcome evidence or payment reconciliation is required.
• Maintain professional and constructive working relationships across the programme.

Performance Expectations

Your performance will be assessed against:

• Accuracy of programme data.
• Accuracy and timeliness of PRaP records and actions.
• Timeliness of reporting.
• Completeness of participant records.
• Accuracy of performance dashboards.
• Timely identification of underperformance.
• Percentage of outcomes fully evidenced.
• Number of rejected, invalid or delayed claims.
• Accuracy of reconciliation between PRaP, CRM and programme records.
• Audit findings.
• Outstanding data-quality actions.
• Compliance with commissioner deadlines.
• Quality of management information and forecasting.

The expectation is that programme management should always have a reliable and current view of, Success means that the Programme Manager and Team Leader never have to guess how Connect to Work is performing.

They will have accurate, current information showing exactly where the programme stands, which outcomes are coming next, where performance is at risk and what action needs to be taken.

It also means that information across PRaP, Birmingham City Council systems and supporting evidence reconciles accurately, and that every legitimate outcome AVision delivers is properly evidenced, reported and claimable.

Success in This Role

Success means that the Programme Manager and Team Leader never have to guess how the programme is performing.

They will have accurate, current information showing exactly where the programme stands, which outcomes are coming next, where performance is at risk and what action needs to be taken.

It also means that every legitimate outcome AVision delivers is properly evidenced and claimable.

We are looking for someone who combines excellent attention to detail with the ability to understand the wider performance picture., * Experience working with data within an employment, skills, public-sector or outcome-funded programme.

• Strong Excel and spreadsheet skills.
• Strong numerical and analytical ability.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Experience producing performance reports, trackers or dashboards.
• Experience validating evidence and maintaining accurate audit trails.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Ability to identify discrepancies quickly.
• Confidence challenging incomplete or inaccurate information.
• Ability to work to strict reporting deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding of GDPR and the management of confidential information.
• Ability to translate data into clear management information.
• Confidence using CRM, database or case-management systems.

Desirable

• Previous experience using the DWP Provider Referrals and Payments (PRaP) system.
• Connect to Work experience.
• Experience of DWP or local-authority employment programmes.
• Experience working within payment-by-results or outcome-funded contracts.
• Experience supporting commissioner monitoring or audits.
• Advanced Excel or Power BI skills.
• Knowledge of IPS employment services.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is:

Meticulous - someone who notices when numbers, records or evidence do not reconcile.

Analytical - able to understand what performance information is telling us, not simply report it.

Organised - able to manage multiple deadlines, systems and evidence requirements.

Persistent - prepared to follow outstanding actions through until they are resolved.

Confident - comfortable challenging inaccurate or incomplete information professionally.

Proactive - able to identify emerging data or performance risks before they become problems.

Solutions focused - someone who helps the delivery team resolve issues rather than simply highlighting them.

Accountable - someone who takes ownership of the accuracy and integrity of programme information.