Connect to Work Employment Support Officer

Leicestershire County Council; Glenfield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Glenfield is looking for individuals to provide front-line support under the Connect to Work project. The role involves helping adults with barriers like disabilities or care experience to find and sustain employment. Candidates must have relevant qualifications and experience in delivering employment programmes. Flexible working options are available, with a focus on inclusivity and support for personal circumstances.

Qualifications

• Experience working with adults facing complex barriers to employment.
• Recent experience in delivering high-quality employment programmes.
• Strong understanding of Supported Employment and related challenges.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with participants to help them sustain employment.
• Complete vocational profiles to identify skills and needs.
• Engage with employers to match participants to roles.

Skills

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Creative problem-solving skills

Experience engaging with local employers

Ability to coach, mentor, and motivate others

Education

Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject

Level 2 English and Maths (Grade C/Level 4 or above)

Job description

Are you passionate about improving the lives of Leicestershire County residents? Do you want to work on an exciting new project - Connect to Work, which aims to support Leicestershire residents into employment? At the Leicestershire County Council Adult Learning Service, we're passionate about creating inclusive and accessible programmes which ensure all Leicestershire residents are supported to reach their full potential.

About the Role

Your role will be to deliver front‑line, person‑centred support through the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF), working directly with adults across Leicestershire to help them move into and thrive in employment. Connect to Work aims to support disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals facing other barriers to move into and maintain employment. We are recruiting for up to four people at this time.

You'll be engaging directly with adults facing complex barriers — such as learning disabilities, neurodiversity or being care experienced — and working closely with employers to match people to suitable roles using the ‘place, train and maintain’ model. You'll also be supporting participants in the workplace, helping them settle in, build confidence and thrive.

Typical Responsibilities

• Building trusted relationships with participants and supporting them to engage in structured plans to find and sustain employment.
• Completing and updating vocational profiles, identifying individuals’ skills, experiences, needs and employment preferences.
• Developing person‑centred action plans that lead to sustainable employment, following the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).
• Engaging with local employers to match participants to suitable roles and support them to adopt inclusive recruitment practices.
• Providing in‑work support to participants, helping them settle into roles, build confidence and integrate into the workplace.
• Working in partnership with agencies across social care, health and employment to design effective referral and progression pathways.
• Maintaining accurate records for audit and performance monitoring, including eligibility checks and employment outcomes.

An enhanced DBS check is required for this post. For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex‑offenders, please see our policy statement.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term‑time working, part‑time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

Qualifications

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject, plus Level 2 English and Maths (Grade C/Level 4 or above) (or able to demonstrate equivalent experience).
• Recent experience of successfully delivering high‑quality employment programmes.
• Experience of working with adults facing complex and multiple barriers to employment (e.g., learning disabilities, neurodiversity, care leavers).
• Strong understanding of Supported Employment and the challenges faced by target groups in accessing and sustaining work.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to coach, mentor and motivate others.
• Creative problem‑solving skills and the ability to develop person‑centred action plans based on vocational assessments.
• Experience of engaging with local employers to create inclusive job opportunities for people facing barriers to employment and the ability to work in partnership with a range of agencies and tailor communication to different audiences.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion. In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

Disability Confident – A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high‑volume, seasonal and high‑peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‑disabled people.

Working Hours

This is a full‑time role. There is some flexibility in how you work your hours (to be discussed at interview stage). Your base will be County Hall, with the option of hybrid working at home or at other council centres. There may be the occasional requirement to travel across the county for meetings and events.