Connect to Work Lead Employment Specialist (Acorn-0492) in Daventry

An IPS Team Leader in the Connect to Work programme will lead the team to provide intensive, personalised, employment-focused support to people with complex barriers, working collaboratively across health, employment, and community settings. The role is dynamic, relationship based, and highly impactful, helping clients achieve lifechanging outcomes through meaningful employment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and supervise a team of IPS Employment Specialists, ensuring high performance and adherence to IPS fidelity standards, hold a caseload of clients.
• Provide regular 1:1 supervision, reflective practice sessions, and strengths-based coaching.
• Oversee referrals, flow, and allocation of participants across the team.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with health, community, and employer stakeholders.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting, data integrity, and compliance with programme requirements.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of the service.
• Conduct vocational profiling, identifying skills, aspirations, and employment goals.
• Develop personalised action plans, supporting job search, CV writing, applications, interview preparation, and career planning.
• Provide benefits and welfare advice.
• Disclosure support around health conditions.
• Budgeting and “better-off” calculations.
• Provide in-work support to help clients sustain roles, including frequent early-job check-ins and long-term follow-up.
• Support clients at risk of job loss due to ill health, helping them maintain employment.
• Source job opportunities.
• Promote the service to employers and negotiate reasonable adjustments and phased returns.
• Maintain ongoing contact with employers to support job retention and resolve employment challenges.
• Champion equality, diversity, and inclusive employment practices.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team, including Primary Care, training providers, mental health teams, DWP, and referral partners.
• Build relationships that generate referrals and strengthen community-based employment support networks.
• Maintain accurate case notes, progress reports, and CRM-based documentation.
• Work to IPS fidelity standards and ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of client outcomes.
• Collect feedback from service users to support continuous service improvement.
• Work independently, reliably, and consistently to deliver high-quality IPS practice.
• Ability to analyse team performance data and take action.
• Ability to build relationships with clinical partners and community stakeholders.
• Flexible working including home-based, centre-based, or hybrid job role dependant.

Benefits

• Up to 26 days annual leave, with the option to purchase up to 10 additional days.
• Pension scheme to support your long-term financial wellbeing.
• Training and professional development, including CPD workshops and professional qualifications.
• Westfield Health Scheme with benefits including 13 healthcare services, cashback towards essential health bills, counselling and therapy treatments, fast access to MRI, CT, and PET scans, and discounted shopping vouchers.
• Wellbeing initiatives including Wellbeing Wednesdays and the Mental Health at Work Pledge.
• Disability Confident Leader, Menopause Workplace Pledge, Armed Forces Covenant, Ban the Box Employer, and secure prayer spaces.
• Annual paid volunteering day and charity initiatives.
• Cash incentives for Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year awards.