Employment Specialist (Bury St Edmunds) in Suffolk

We’re currently recruiting an Employment Specialist to join our dedicated Connect to Work team. This role forms part of a specialist programme designed to support individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions into sustainable paid employment. As an Employment Specialist, you’ll play a vital role in helping participants achieve their employment goals.

Working primarily with individuals who have health‑related support needs, you’ll identify suitable job opportunities and provide tailored guidance to help them secure long‑term, meaningful employment. Using a person‑centred approach, you’ll offer bespoke advice and support to each client, while also developing strong relationships with referral partners and local employers. Your ability to engage with stakeholders and understand individual needs will be key to enabling successful employment outcomes.

To thrive in this role, you’ll bring a strong understanding of the local labour market in the relevant geographical areas, along with proven experience supporting individuals with multiple and complex needs, particularly those with learning disabilities. You should have a track record of working in target‑driven environments while consistently delivering services that meet contractual and quality standards.

In return for your dedication, knowledge, and commitment, we’re offering a competitive salary range £30,000 to £32,000 p.a. (dependent on experience) with the following benefits:

• 25 days annual leave + Bank Holidays + Birthday Day off (with the opportunity to buy additional days)
• Company Pension Scheme - 5% Employee 5% Employer
• Employer Paid Healthcare Cash Plan, incl. 3 x salary life assurance
• Annual Pay Review
• Enhanced Maternity/Adoption and Paternity Pay Arrangements
• Free access to BenefitHub – an online portal with access to a wide range of retail discounts
• Life Assurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Tax Saver Commuter Tickets
• Refer a Friend Scheme

Key Responsibilities:

• Meet, and strive to exceed personal performance targets, Key Performance Indicators and all Quality and Compliance measures.
• Progressively manage a caseload of referred customers with a disability and/or health support needs using a variety of appropriate strategies to help them overcome barriers to gaining employment.
• Undertake in-depth assessments using a suite of tools to fully understand a customer’s circumstances, preferences and holistic barriers to progression to employment.
• Achieve the Customer Service and Quality Standards required on the programme.
• Co‑produce personalised tailored Action Plans featuring SMART targeting to enable positive and timely progression.
• Use an integration framework of local specialist services to obtain support to address specific issues (e.g. substance misuse, anger management, debt advice, health and vocational training).
• Work with multiple agencies to develop holistic approaches to support customers.
• With customer consent undertake case conferences with external agencies to jointly optimise support packages.
• Fully understand the local labour market to source suitable job opportunities.
• Undertaking direct marketing to employers using digital and electronic formats e.g. email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc.
• Identify the specific recruitment needs of each employer and undertake tailored pre-screens and group assessments.
• Co‑produce effective in‑work support plans with participants and employers, based on an assessment of need, providing practical support to ensure a smooth transition into work.
• When appropriate facilitate job carving opportunities.