IPS Senior Employment Specialist/Team Leader (North Kent) - Medway

IPS Senior Employment Specialist/Team Leader (North Kent) - Medway

Permanent30,000-34,000 DOE

Location: Thanet, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe
Travel: Regular travel across the service area required
Driving licence & own vehicle: Essential

Make a difference. Lead a team. Change lives through employment.

Are you an experienced Recruitment Consultant, Employment Adviser, Employability Specialist, Supported Employment Practitioner or Team Leader who is passionate about helping people achieve their potential?

Do you enjoy developing people, building relationships with employers and finding creative ways to help individuals overcome barriers and move into meaningful, sustainable employment?

If so, wed love to hear from you.

Were looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Employment Specialist / Team Leader to lead and develop a team of IPS Employment Specialists delivering high-quality, person-centred employment support across Thanet, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who combines strong people leadership with excellent recruitment, employer engagement and employment support skills. Youll be a role model for your team, championing best practice while also maintaining a small caseload of around 1015 participants when required.

About the Role

As Senior Employment Specialist / Team Leader, youll play a key role in ensuring our employment service delivers outstanding outcomes for participants, including people who may be experiencing health conditions, disabilities or other barriers to entering, returning to or sustaining employment.

Youll lead, supervise, coach and develop a team of Employment Specialists, helping them build their confidence, capability and expertise. Youll provide regular supervision, reflective practice and practical coaching, supporting your team to deliver personalised employment support and achieve positive job outcomes.

Alongside team leadership, youll maintain a small caseload where required, giving you the opportunity to model excellent practice and remain closely connected to the participant journey.

A major part of the role will be developing relationships with employers and partners. Youll work creatively to identify opportunities within both the open and hidden labour markets, helping participants find roles that genuinely match their strengths, skills, preferences and aspirations.

Youll also work closely with NHS and health teams, local authorities, Jobcentre Plus, training providers, colleges, community organisations and other partners to create a joined-up approach to employment support.

Youll be responsible for:

• Leading, motivating and developing a team of IPS Employment Specialists.
• Providing regular solution-focused supervision, coaching, mentoring and reflective practice.
• Supporting your team to achieve strong employment outcomes and deliver consistently high-quality support.
• Championing IPS principles, best practice and fidelity standards.
• Coaching Employment Specialists in employer engagement, job development and effective employment support.
• Building strong relationships with local employers and identifying sustainable job opportunities.
• Supporting employers with workplace adjustments, return-to-work plans and retention strategies.
• Maintaining a small caseload of approximately 1015 participants when required.
• Supporting participants to build confidence, resilience, motivation and work readiness.
• Ensuring personalised Vocational Profile Action Plans are developed, reviewed and progressed.
• Identifying training and development needs and supporting a culture of continuous learning.
• Working collaboratively with health, clinical, community and employment partners.
• Monitoring performance, quality and contractual requirements and contributing to service improvement.
• Supporting accurate reporting, KPI achievement and effective operational delivery.
• Championing participant voice, feedback and co-production.
• Sharing success stories and demonstrating the impact of the service.

About You

Were looking for someone who is people-focused, commercially aware and passionate about employment.

You may currently be working in recruitment, employability, supported employment, careers advice, employment services or a similar environment, and have experience of supervising or leading others.

Perhaps youre an experienced Recruitment Consultant ready to take the next step into a role where your employer engagement skills can make a real difference. Or you could already be an Employment Adviser or Specialist who has developed strong leadership experience and is ready for a new challenge.

What matters most is that you can build trust, inspire others, develop strong employer relationships and help people see what is possible.

Youll ideally bring:

• Experience delivering IPS, supported employment or employment support services, particularly for people with health conditions or disabilities.
• Previous team leadership, supervisory, mentoring or coaching experience.
• Experience of recruitment, employer engagement, business development or developing employment opportunities.
• A strong understanding of person-centred employment support and, ideally, IPS principles and fidelity standards. IPS-specific training can be provided where required.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with participants, colleagues, employers and external partners.
• Strong coaching skills and the ability to develop confidence and capability in others.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach to overcoming barriers and achieving employment outcomes.
• Excellent organisation skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, monitor performance and meet deadlines.
• Confidence working independently while also contributing positively to a wider team.
• The ability to work collaboratively with NHS teams, clinical services, local authorities, Jobcentre Plus and community organisations.
• A genuine passion for helping people achieve meaningful and sustainable employment.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.
We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits -

• Flexible working
• Support for Families We support our employees through every stage of family life by offering enhanced maternity and paternity pay for eligible employees who have completed 26 weeks' continuous service, alongside family-friendly policies and a supportive, inclusive workplace. If you'd like more information about our family-friendly benefits, please contact our Recruitment Team at
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
  
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Please note that remote roles may require occasional travel for site visits, training and meetings.

Diversity at Forward Trust

The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with Lived Experience of addiction, offending, or homelessness.Some of our roles may require a minimum period of sustained recovery (normally around 3 years). This is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and exceptions may be considered depending on the role and individual circumstances.

When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

To find out more about Forwards commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here .

We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.

Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the Eligibility to Work in the UK requirements.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.