IPS Employment Specialist in Coventry

Would you like to work for a leading mental health charity? Do you want a rewarding career where you can make a real difference to someone’s life? If yes, join us here at Rethink Mental Illness. We have an exciting opportunity at our Coventry & Warwickshire IPS Employment service, where you will join our friendly and inspiring team as an IPS Employment Specialist. Your role will be a permanent position working 37.5 hours per week in a field-based role, based in the community of South Warwickshire. A good working local knowledge of all areas of South Warwickshire would be ideal.

You will be integrated into the NHS to provide employment support for people experiencing severe mental illness with the aim of gaining employment. You will attend 6 meetings per week with local employers to build relationships and engage them regarding our service. In addition, you will meet your clients each week to provide them with face-to-face support. Key to this role will also be to undertake administration duties such as producing letters, spreadsheets, and keeping various systems up to date. As part of the role, you will receive System 1 training from the NHS which will be made up of a series of 10 online sessions and a final assessment. You will also be expected to operate Rethink's internal CRM systems on a daily basis; full training will be provided.

Who are we? We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.” In everything we do, we seek to demonstrate our values: Passion, Commitment, Openness, Hope, Expertise and understanding. If these values resonate with you, we would love to hear from you.

What will you be doing?

• Manage a caseload of between 20-30 service users at any one time who are currently off work/unemployed, receiving specialist mental health services and who wish to return to work, pro rata.
• Build relationships with clinical teams to generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with NHS clinicians where employment support is integrated into mental health treatment and forms part of the Transformation plan.
• Build a multi-disciplinary approach to the return to work, involving clinical staff (where relevant) in managing symptoms at work, liaising with DWP and other stakeholder groups.
• 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, 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, with 6 face-to-face contacts per week in the community.

Do you have what we are looking for?

• A basic understanding of IPS (Individual Placement Support) gained through experience or self-conducted research.
• Experience in recruitment or employment along with advice and guidance on employment needs.
• Ability to engage with employers and build close, trusting, and productive relationships with people.
• Good understanding of the local area and its employers.
• Strong IT skills with the competency to use a range of complex systems and software.
• Good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment.
• Experience of working in supported employment services is desirable.
• Good time management, diary organisation, adaptability/flexibility as no two days are the same, and ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems or a similar service user group is desirable.
• As you will be working within the community, you must hold a full UK driving licence.

What will you receive?

You will have plenty of opportunities to enhance your abilities with the opportunity to make a real difference every day. In addition, you will have excellent development opportunities including funded training, career development and a range of e-learns. You will also receive:

• Starting salary of £31,049 per annum.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Life assurance and employee assistance programme.
• 25 days annual leave rising to 30 days plus bank holidays.
• Your "Rethink Day" - 1 day’s additional leave (pro rata) on your Birthday.

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that when you feel supported, you can make the biggest difference. That’s why we offer a range of benefits to help you thrive:

• Inclusive Culture: Join staff networks that champion diversity and inclusion.
• Wellbeing Support: Access our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, and the Unmind mental health app.
• Recognition & Rewards: Enjoy discounts, cashback offers, and celebrate achievements through our PULSE platform.
• Flexible Working & Generous Leave: Starting at 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with options to buy or sell extra days.
• Learning & Development: Grow your career with structured onboarding and training opportunities.
• Financial & Family Support: Contributory pension scheme, enhanced family leave, and travel benefits like season ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Diversity is important to us, and we appreciate difference through inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. We actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability, and people from an ethnically diverse background.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation: We have an ambition of becoming a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider. We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.