Workforce Lead – North of England

Remote (with travel across the North of England) | Social Finance

Permanent contract

Lead the growth of the IPS workforce across the North of England and play a pivotal role in helping more people transform their lives through meaningful employment.

Deadline: 21st October 2026

• North East
• Full-time

Job overview

Social Finance is seeking a Workforce Lead to support the recruitment, retention and development of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) workforce across the North of England. Working remotely with regular regional travel, you’ll collaborate with IPS services, NHS partners and key stakeholders to attract top talent, strengthen workforce planning and ensure services are equipped to deliver high-quality employment support. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced recruiter or workforce professional looking to make a lasting social impact.

Role

As Workforce Lead, you will provide hands-on recruitment and workforce support to IPS providers across the North of England. You’ll work closely with regional teams, service providers and NHS stakeholders to coordinate recruitment activity, address workforce challenges, support service expansion and ensure workforce initiatives align with IPS Grow quality standards. The role combines recruitment expertise, stakeholder engagement, workforce planning and data-driven decision-making to help grow and strengthen the IPS workforce.

Responsibilities

• Support the recruitment of IPS Employment Specialists and Team Leaders.
• Partner with providers to understand workforce needs and develop tailored recruitment strategies.
• Manage and support recruitment campaigns, including shortlisting, interviews and assessment activities.
• Advise services on recruitment planning during periods of growth and expansion.
• Facilitate collaboration between providers to share recruitment best practice and learning.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with IPS services, Integrated Care Board (ICB) Leads, NHS England Regional Leads and other stakeholders.
• Work alongside the Workforce Manager and regional colleagues to identify barriers and implement practical workforce solutions.
• Attend regional and national meetings, sharing key updates, insights and lessons learned.
• Ensure recruitment, onboarding and training activities meet IPS Grow quality standards.
• Collect, analyse and report workforce data to inform decision-making and track progress.
• Identify recruitment and retention challenges and recommend effective solutions.
• Signpost providers to relevant workforce tools, resources and training opportunities.
• Contribute to internal and external communications, including newsletters, reports and presentations.

The person

The ideal candidate will be an experienced recruitment or workforce professional who is passionate about the power of employment to change lives.

You’ll bring:

• Proven recruitment experience, ideally within healthcare, employment support or a related sector.
• Experience managing shortlisting, interviews, assessments and hiring recommendations.
• An understanding of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the workforce needed to deliver successful services.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a remote environment.
• A practical and solution-focused approach to problem-solving.
• A commitment to continuous improvement, learning and sharing best practice.
• Confidence using workforce data, reports and case studies to demonstrate impact.
• A genuine belief in the value of employment as a route to improved wellbeing and life outcomes.
• Willingness to travel across the North of England and occasionally further afield.

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