Employment Specialist – Connect to Work, Oxfordshire

Location: The role will be based either in Banbury or Oxford with travel expected across the local area throughout the week – please note this is a community-based project. Salary will be £27,976 - £31,000 depending on experience. Travel expenses over and above those to the base location will be reimbursed.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Champion our customers as valuable candidates by actively promoting them to employers and raising awareness and support available through the programme.
• Creating and following through with individualized action plans ensuring appropriate and effective activity is undertaken by and with each customer.
• Have regular check-ins with customers to track their progress before starting employment and once in employment.
• Advocate for the values of our programmes by working in partnership with employers to view our clients positively and inclusively during recruitment.
• Build potential employment opportunities through proactive engagement with potential employers.
• Facilitate work experiences, such as placements, trials, and shadowing opportunities with suitable employers where appropriate.
• Provide ongoing InWork Support to customers who have successfully gained employment, helping them sustain and thrive in their roles, including working in partnership with employers.
• Address customers’ personal constraints to employment, providing challenge, advice, and guidance where appropriate to develop customers' capability in the recruitment process ensuring they have the necessary skills and confidence to secure employment.
• Identify, structure, and recommend vacancy and training solutions, working in close consultation with the team to meet the specific needs of customers and employers.
• Maintain customer records to a required quality standard to ensure the customer journey is documented in accordance with our quality standards and contractual requirements.
• Develop an understanding of specialist signposting services in the local area/region, building knowledge in areas such as specific disabilities, housing, benefits etc.
• Meet personal performance targets, Key Performance Indicators and all Quality and Compliance measures by delivering high quality employability provision to customers.
• Work alongside Enterprise Oxfordshire and key partners to deliver a joined up approach for both employers, stakeholders and residents.

Skills and Experience:

• A passion for working with people and have a solution focused approach.
• Experience working with people facing barriers to employment including health conditions and disabilities.
• Experience of providing one-to-one support and coaching to individuals with the ability to constructively challenge where needed.
• Proven experience in developing networks and building strong partnerships to support customers' goals.
• A flexible approach to working hours is essential, including the ability to support occasional evening and weekend activities.
• Strong organisational skills including managing caseloads.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Driving licence and access to a car given the community delivery of the contract.
• Track record of helping individuals progress into work.
• Understanding of supported employment programmes, such as IPS.
• Educated at university degree or alternatively have a demonstrated track record of performance and success in target driven sales, customer service or case-management roles.
• Knowledge of the employment market in their area.
• Experience providing support and guidance on welfare and benefits, with a strong understanding of mental health and physical health challenges.
• Ability to motivate, challenge and inspire; Proactive and solution focused; Kind, personable and approachable.
• Performance and target focused; Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills; The determination and drive to want to make a positive difference.

Project Overview and Role:

Connect to Work is a UK government-funded initiative that forms part of the Get Britain Working Strategy. It is aimed at supporting individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or other complex challenges in finding and maintaining good, sustainable work. Programme delivery will include both IPS (Individual Placement Support) and SEQF (Supported Employment) approaches, tailoring the service to the individual. Local embedded community support will be key to engagement and delivery, and the contract will work alongside local partners, stakeholders and employers. Individuals can either self-refer or be referred by professionals. Palladium is responsible for the contract in Oxfordshire working alongside key partners. This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The successful candidate will be required to undergo this check before commencing employment.

About Palladium:

You would be joining Palladium, a global impact organisation, with 3,000 employees in over 70 countries. We are a mission-driven business, for whom the impact of our work is as important as the commercial return; the common feature of all our work, regardless of contract size, is the requirement that it contributes to positive social and economic impact. We simply call this ‘Positive Impact’. For the past 50 years, we have been helping our clients to see the world as interconnected in over 90 countries – by formulating strategies, building partnerships, and implementing programs that deliver lasting positive impact. We are experienced in implementing large, complex programmes supporting skills and employment and are currently delivering 30 programmes for the UK Government.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

As a Disability Confident employer:

We will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. Should you require any reasonable adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or any other circumstance, please let us know.

Safeguarding:

We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Palladium International is a Real Living Wage Employer.