Individual Placement & Support (IPS) Employment Specialist in Grimsby

An exciting opportunity to become part of a team making positive changes to individuals who have a serious mental health illness by joining Navigo's Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service as an IPS Employment Specialist. This role allows you the opportunity to work amongst a supportive and encouraging team of Employment Specialists and alongside clinicians from mental health teams, supporting a caseload of clients who have been diagnosed with a Serious Mental Illness in their journey towards employment.

The role also allows you to support your client in sustaining employment by liaising with employers on your client's behalf and building positive relationships with employers in the local area. Please note the earliest start date for this position is 7th September 2026.

Main duties of the job:

• Employment Specialists work with clients (managing a caseload) who have a serious mental health diagnosis, to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences.
• They work alongside Key Workers or lead professionals.
• Employment Specialists deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (for which training will be given); providing person-centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with referral partners and relevant local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment and also, if applicable, work with clients and their employers in order to sustain their clients' employment.
• Employment Specialists work as part of a multidisciplinary team within predominantly secondary care networks, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment.

Job responsibilities:

• The Employment Specialist will join TUKES Individual Placement & Support (IPS) under the direction of Lisa Heys (IPS Team Lead) to deliver IPS Supported Employment as part of the holistic recovery plan for mental health service users.
• You will be required to manage a caseload of up to 20 people at any time who have experienced mental health problems and who are unemployed.
• The Employment Specialist is expected to deliver in line with the IPS model, and training will be given.
• Working directly with all relevant stakeholders: the service user, CMHT staff, consultant psychiatrists, partner agencies and employers - you will support the service users on your caseload to gain and retain paid employment.

Responsibilities:

• To manage a caseload of up to 20 service users at any one time who are currently off work/unemployed, who may or may not be receiving specialist mental health services, but who wish to return to work.
• Meet and exceed job outcome targets for service users.
• Build relationships with clinical teams to generate referrals and create a collaborative working partnership with NHS clinicians where employment support is integrated into mental health treatment.
• Build a multi-disciplinary approach to the return to work.
• Prepare individuals for a return to work by supporting service users to understand their skills, aspirations and goals through vocational profiling and action planning.
• Focus on rapid job search with the service user, whilst utilising local support networks to help them overcome their barriers to employment.
• Source job opportunities for service users through tailored job search and regular contact with employers.
• Spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual's strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
• Support wider team by exploring job carving i.e. carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to do.
• Develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who might be better able to help individuals to achieve their employment goals.
• Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and ongoing contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
• Provide individualised support to service users once they have returned to work to assist them in sustaining employment.
• Maintain a professional relationship with the service users of the programme and with key internal and external stakeholders, with particular attention to confidentiality and the maintenance of boundaries.
• Work with external agencies to maximise the use of both internal and external resources in the delivery of vocational support services.
• Adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and keep accurate and complete records of casework.
• Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.
• Undertake mandatory training as required including any employability training.
• Actively participate in own continuous professional development.
• Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
• Regularly collect and promote service user employment recovery stories.

Person Specification:

Experience:

• Experience of working in supported employment services.
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems or a similar service user group.
• Experience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison work with other agencies.
• Experience of opening up job opportunities with a range of employers.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment.
• Good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment.
• Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Flexibility to travel within the region.
• Flexibility to work out of normal office hours.
• Knowledge of employment law.
• Knowledge of employability and employability programmes such as IPS principles and approach.

Qualifications:

• IAG qualification or equivalent.
• Full and current driving licence and access to own transport.
• Trained in IPS approach.
• Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification.
• Mental First Aid Qualification.

Additional Criteria:

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a range of people.
• Natural ability to build close, trusting and productive relationships with people.
• Team orientated and works collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team.
• Compelling written and verbal communication skills, tailored to a variety of audiences.
• Excellent coaching and active listening skills, ability to ask perceptive questions that tease out important information through mentoring and coaching.
• Abilities to persuade and negotiate in a constructive and appropriate manner.
• Original and astute thinking that leads to decisive action.
• Able to work independently and use initiative to think quickly on the spot in different, and often challenging, situations.
• Creative problem solving to tackle obstacles that arise and fulfil requirements of the role in innovative ways to deliver greater impact.
• Can effectively manage time to meet deadlines while maintaining high standards.
• Manage competing demands with project management tools and techniques.
• Maintain effective and organised administration systems.
• Naturally interested in and energised by working with and talking to people.
• Non-judgemental and trustworthy.
• Capability to be warm and empathetic whilst respecting professional boundaries.
• Passion and drive to make a positive difference to people's lives.
• Belief that people with mental illness can gain and sustain meaningful work.
• Able to model a strengths-based recovery model.
• Positive mindset and motivational to others.
• Instil hope and empower others to own their experience and choices.
• Resilient and tenacious to not give up despite setbacks and frustrations.
• Responds positively to failure and is able to translate it into a valuable learning experience.
• Thick-skinned and don't take rejection or negative experiences personally.
• Ability to self-reflect and understand own reactions and flex accordingly to any situation.
• Patient and empathetic to others' situations without imposing own experiences or beliefs onto others.
• Conscientious and professional. Reliably deliver excellent results and go the extra mile for service users and employers.
• Self-aware of personal strengths and weaknesses and actively invest in personal and professional development.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£32,073 to £39,043 a year Pay dependant on experience.