Team leader

Key information

Reference: ST0384
Date updated: 25/09/2024
Level: 3
Route: Business and administration
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

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Occupation summary

This occupation is found in small, medium, large, and multinational organisations in private, public, and third sectors across all areas of the economy.

A team leader is found in organisations where there is a need for first-line management and support for teams and senior management.

The broad purpose of this role is to provide leadership with operational and project responsibilities. Team leaders manage individuals, teams, or elements of a project, offering direction, instructions, and guidance to achieve set goals. They are vital for the smooth functioning of all departments within an organisation and are often responsible for ensuring that functions are correctly administered and maintained in line with legislation and the organisation’s procedures.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues from various internal departments, including operations, human resources, finance, legal, IT, sales, and marketing. This role also involves interaction with external stakeholders such as customers, clients, and suppliers. It may include off-site and hybrid working.

An employee in this occupation is responsible for supporting, managing, and developing individuals; managing projects; planning and monitoring workloads and resources; delivering operational plans; resolving problems; and building relationships both internally and externally.

Team leaders may work as part of a network or in various team settings. They operate within agreed budgets and available resources, reporting to mid-level and senior managers. While they may occasionally make decisions, they more often guide or influence the decisions of others, including collecting and interpreting data to identify trends, analysing resources, and finding ways to save money and improve efficiency.

Team leaders understand how their role supports the broader organisational structure. They apply codes of practice, legislation, and regulations relevant to their organisation’s areas of operation. This includes not only legal and ethical responsibilities but also equity, inclusion, and the sustainability impacts of the organisation.

Typical job titles include:

Duty lead Project lead Shift supervisor Supervisor Team leader Trading manager

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Sets, monitors, and manages objectives and performance which link to organisational outcomes.	K1 K2 K5 K6 K7 K9 K10 K17 K18 K19 K23 S1 S2 S4 S9 S11 S13 S17 B1 B2 B4 B5
Duty 2 Manage resources to deliver tasks within budget and targets.	K1 K2 K7 K8 K14 K19 K22 S1 S2 S5 S14 S19 B3 B5
Duty 3 Contributes to the training and ongoing development needs of the individual or the team.	K1 K2 K3 K5 K6 K10 K16 K17 K18 K19 K23 S3 S4 S7 S9 S18 B2 B4
Duty 4 Collates and interprets data and shares outputs with stakeholders to support decision-making.	K9 K12 K14 K15 K20 K21 S2 S3 S5 S7 S8 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 B1 B2 B5
Duty 5 Contributes to projects, initiatives, and their implementation to achieve organisational goals.	K1 K4 K6 K7 K8 K9 K11 K12 K13 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K22 S1 S2 S3 S5 S6 S7 S8 S10 S11 S13 S14 S15 S16 S18 B1 B2 B3 B5
Duty 6 Monitors and applies operational policies, relevant legislation, and regulation, and makes recommendations to ensure individual and team compliance.	K1 K3 K5 K9 K10 K20 S3 S12 S17
Duty 7 Identifies, assesses, and monitors potential risks, and supports the mitigation of risk within the organisation.	K4 K5 K7 K9 K10 K13 K15 K16 K21 K22 K23 S5 S6 S7 S8 S10 S12 S17 S18
Duty 8 Contributes to change and support others through change.	K1 K2 K4 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K15 K16 K17 K19 K21 K23 S4 S5 S6 S7 S10 S11 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 B1 B2 B5
Duty 9 Support the development and implementation of sustainable operational plans to achieve organisation goals.	K1 K3 K6 K7 K11 K13 K15 K21 S1 S11 S13 S14 S16 S18 B2
Duty 10 Lead and manage the team to ensure the application of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles.	K1 K5 K10 K17 S4 S9 S12 S17 B1 B2 B3
Duty 11 Collaborates and builds relationships with stakeholders to identify and support improvement opportunities.	K4 K9 K11 K12 K13 K15 K16 K19 K23 S5 S6 S7 S8 S10 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S18 B1 B2
Duty 12 Communicates information to drive operational activities and improve organisational performance.	K9 K11 K12 K13 K14 K20 S3 S5 S8 S11 S12 S13 S16 B1 B2 B3 B5
Duty 13 Manage the team and resources to reduce carbon footprint and reduce business costs.	K1 K2 K3 K5 K6 K7 K12 K13 K15 K16 K17 K21 K22 S1 S5 S7 S10 S11 S12 S18 S19 B1 B2

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Performance management techniques. Back to Duty

K2: How to identify the learning needs of others and solutions to address them. Back to Duty

K3: Processes and policies which support the delivery of operational requirements. Back to Duty

K4: Project management tools and techniques. Back to Duty

K5: Relevant regulation, legislation, and compliance that impacts their role and the organisation. Back to Duty

K6: Organisational strategy and objectives and how their role impacts on them. Back to Duty

K7: How to manage resources to implement operational and team plans. Back to Duty

K8: Time management and prioritisation tools. Back to Duty

K9: Communication techniques including presentation skills, negotiation and influencing skills. Back to Duty

K10: Policy and procedure relating to people and organisational culture. Back to Duty

K11: Stakeholder management. Back to Duty

K12: Problem-solving and decision-making principles. Back to Duty

K13: Principles of change management and continuous improvement. Back to Duty

K14: IT and software used to support the activities of the business. Back to Duty

K15: External factors that affect the workplace, such as sustainability and net carbon zero, and how they are managed. Back to Duty

K16: The impact that internal and external factors such as environmental impacts, have on their role. Back to Duty

K17: Leadership and management approaches. Back to Duty

K18: The purpose of their role within the organisation, including their level of responsibility and accountability. Back to Duty

K19: The impact that cross-team working has in the delivery of organisational objectives. Back to Duty

K20: How to collate, interpret and communicate data and information to meet the needs of different audiences. Back to Duty

K21: The wider social and economic environment in which the organisation operates. Back to Duty

K22: Approaches to managing budgets, and options and choices to maximise efficient use of resources. Back to Duty

K23: Principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and their impact on the organisation and the team. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Use resources to implement operational and team plans. Back to Duty

S2: Use tools to organise, prioritise and allocate daily and weekly work activities. Back to Duty

S3: Able to collate and interpret data and information and create reports. Back to Duty

S4: Identify and support the development of the team through informal coaching and continuous professional development. Back to Duty

S5: Use information and problem-solving techniques to provide solutions and influence the decision-making process. Back to Duty

S6: Use digital tools for planning and project management to monitor project progress, taking corrective action to deliver against the project plan. Back to Duty

S7: Review work processes to identify opportunities to improve performance and for continuous improvement. Back to Duty

S8: Use technology and software to produce documentation, such as spreadsheets and presentation packages to communicate information. Back to Duty

S9: Manage individual or team performance by setting objectives, monitoring progress, and providing clear guidance and feedback. Back to Duty

S10: Manage others through change by identifying challenges and the activities to resolve them. Back to Duty

S11: Interpret organisational strategy and communicate how this impacts others. Back to Duty

S12: Interpret and apply regulation and legislation, share best practices, and advise stakeholders on their application. Back to Duty

S13: Communicate information through different media, such as face-to-face meetings, emails, reports, and presentations to enable key stakeholders to understand what is required. Back to Duty

S14: Collaborate with stakeholders in the organisation to ensure the delivery of operational goals. Back to Duty

S15: Manage and maintain relationships with a diverse workforce and stakeholders. Back to Duty

S16: Negotiate with and challenge stakeholders to manage change and reduce conflict. Back to Duty

S17: Interpret policy and support the delivery of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and monitor their impact on their team. Back to Duty

S18: Identify future changes in the sector such as technology advances that may impact their organisation. Back to Duty

S19: Monitor the use of technology and the potential to reduce energy consumption through their optimisation in day-to-day tasks, such as reducing the use of paper and switching off items when not in use. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Acts professionally, ethically and with integrity. Back to Duty

B2: Supports an inclusive culture, treating colleagues and external stakeholders fairly and with respect. Back to Duty

B3: Takes accountability and ownership of their tasks and workload. Back to Duty

B4: Seeks learning opportunities and continuous professional development. Back to Duty

B5: Works flexibly and adapts to circumstances. Back to Duty

T Level in management and administration

Qualification type: T Level

Qualification level: 3

Awarding organisation: City & Guilds

Approval date: 02/12/2021

Available from: 01/09/2022

Occupational specialism: Team leadership/management

Product page

Aligned occupational standards

ST0384 Team leader

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

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