Employment Specialist – Connect to Work in Twickenham

An opportunity has risen in our Connect to Work team for a part-time Employment Specialist. Employment Specialists will manage a caseload of up to 20-25 participants where you will deliver person-centred support, under the Supported Employment Quality Framework to create and follow an individualised action plan and engage with employers directly to support people into sustainable work. You will also be working with referral partners to promote the benefits of employment and working with health practitioners to provide holistic support for your participants. You will be enthusiastic and passionate about helping people overcome their barriers in finding meaningful employment that betters their health and lives. The people you will be supporting have a learning disability or autism. This is the most under-represented group in the workplace and you will play an important part in changing that. Your work will also include promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace by directly engaging with employers. This is a community-based role where you are required to travel around the Richmond Borough and occasionally Wandsworth Borough.

Connect to Work is a national UK government-funded initiative aimed at supporting individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or other complex challenges in finding and maintaining employment. The program offers tailored assistance, including one-to-one coaching, employer engagement and help with tailored job applications. Participants can receive up to 12 months of guidance if they are seeking employment, or up to 4 months if they are currently employed but at risk of losing their job.

About the role:

• Caseload management – You will be managing a caseload of up to 20-25 participants and providing holistic and personalised support to each individual.
• Performance and quality – You must be able to follow strict processes of service delivery and be familiar in working towards contractual targets and KPIs.
• Employer Engagement – You will be approaching employers directly to seek vacancies, promote equality and inclusion and discuss adjustments for your caseload of participants.
• Record keeping – This role requires excellent and detailed recording of casenotes, forms, plans and requires extensive use of our CRM and Microsoft apps.
• Referral partners – You will be working with referral partners in promoting our service and identifying individuals suitable for our service.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge and experience of supporting others to achieve goals and outcomes.
• Excellent understanding of Supported Employment Quality Framework.
• Outstanding communication skills as you will be engaging with various client groups and businesses at all levels.
• Problem-solving skills, helping participants overcome their barriers.
• Proficiency of IT systems and experience of using Microsoft apps and CRM essential.

If you are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people, possess the required skills and thrive in a challenging yet highly rewarding environment, we invite you to apply for this opportunity.

Closing Date: 20th February 2026. Shortlisting Date: 23rd February 2026. Interview Date: 2nd March 2026. Test/Presentation: Short Powerpoint presentation.

For an informal conversation about this role please contact David Man - Connect to Work - Strategic Lead via david.man@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

All internal applicants for this secondment must seek permission from their current line manager before applying. Failure to do so may result in the secondment not being authorised. We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.