Employment Specialist

Join Our Team as a Step On Employment Specialist! Band 5, £31,049 - £37,796 per annum (pro rata for part time staff). We are excited to announce new opportunities to join our well-established and high-performing Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service in North Staffordshire, following additional funding.

IPS is a proven, evidence-based approach that transforms lives by helping people with mental health challenges gain and sustain meaningful employment. Work is a key factor in recovery, improving wellbeing, confidence, and social inclusion. By supporting individuals into competitive jobs, IPS tackles stigma and promotes independence — making it a key health outcome. Our service is delivered in line with the 8 principles of IPS that are fundamental to our core values.

Main duties

We have two full-time and one part-time position available. As a Step On Employment Specialist, you will play a vital role in our mission to support people into work. This is a community-based role, working closely with primary care teams and adhering to IPS fidelity standards.

We are looking for individuals who are:

• Creative and dynamic, with the ability to think outside the box
• Skilled at managing their own diary and working with autonomy
• Able to influence employers and open doors to opportunities for clients
• Great at building rapport with people from all walks of life
• Passionate about making a real difference in people's lives

If you thrive in a role that combines innovation, independence, and impact, we would love to hear from you.

About us

As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care. We pride ourselves on ensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.

We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first "carbon net zero" national health system by 2045. As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike.

The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities. The Trust is committed to the Step into Health scheme and actively encourages applicants from the Armed Forces Communities to apply.

Job responsibilities

• To effectively manage a caseload of twenty people in receipt of The Inclusive Employability Hub, in order to facilitate individuals to gain and retain paid employment and/or engage in Higher Education.
• To communicate complex and sensitive information in the form of referrals from Care Coordinators, to meet regularly with Case Managers to co-ordinate and integrate vocational services into mental health treatment.
• To communicate effectively with clients, giving empathy when disclosing sensitive or contentious information, providing reassurance, training and the motivation to move forward and to overcome any barriers to understanding.
• Understanding of a range of work procedures and practices following the Centre for Mental Health's intensive IPS Training course, Motivational Interviewing training and benefits advice programme.
• To keep updated on changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Educated or relevant work experience to degree level or equivalent.
• Trained in IPS or willingness to train to diploma level.

Experience

• Significant experience of working with people who have experienced mental health problems within health, social services.

Knowledge

• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to engage service users, their families/friends.
• Good negotiation skills and persuasive style.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.