Connect to Work Employment Support Officer

Leicestershire County Council; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is recruiting for multiple Connect to Work roles to support adults in Leicestershire into sustainable employment. You will build relationships, develop action plans and liaise with employers to create inclusive job opportunities.

A DBS check is required and flexible working options may be discussed. The role is full-time with hybrid options; base at County Hall with occasional county-wide travel.

Qualifications

• Minimum Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject (or equivalent), plus L2 English and maths.
• Recent experience delivering high-quality employment programmes.
• Experience supporting adults with complex barriers to employment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to coach, mentor and motivate others.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted relationships with participants and support them to engage in structured plans.
• Complete and update vocational profiles; identify skills, needs and preferences.
• Develop person-centred action plans to enable sustainable employment (SEQF).
• Engage with local employers to find paid opportunities and match participants to roles.
• Support employers to adopt inclusive recruitment practices.
• Provide in-work support to help participants settle in and thrive.
• Collaborate with social care, health and employment agencies to design referral pathways.
• Maintain accurate records for audit and performance monitoring.

Skills

Communication

Coaching

Mentoring

Problem solving

Engaging with employers

Record keeping

Education

Level 3 qualification + L2 English & maths

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield Leicester LE3 8RL

Salary:£33,129 - £35,493 per annum (pro rata for part time)

Working Hours:Full time (37 hours per week)

Contract Type:Fixed term until 31st December 2029

Closing Date:22nd November 2026

Interview Date(s):Wednesday 2nd, Friday 11th or Monday 14th December

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.

Your role will be to deliver front-line, person-centred support through Connect to Work and the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF), working directly with adults across Leicestershire to help them move into and thrive in employment.

About the Role

Connect to Work aims to support disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals facing other barriers to move into and maintain employment. We’re looking for experienced professionals who can build trusted relationships with participants, understand their individual strengths and challenges, and help them develop person-centred action plans that lead to sustainable employment. 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.

We are recruiting for multiple people at this time and we’re particularly keen to hear from people who have local experience of delivering high-quality employment programmes and working in partnership with agencies across social care, health and employment. You’ll need excellent communication skills, a creative and problem-solving mindset, and the ability to coach and motivate others. This is a varied and rewarding role where no two days are the same – from developing local delivery plans and liaising with employers, to supporting participants with vocational profiling and training. If you’re passionate about inclusive employment and want to make a real difference in Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you.

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 our other centres. There may be the occasional requirement to travel across the county for meetings/events.

In this role, no two days will be the same, but some typical responsibilities will include:

• 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 find paid employment opportunities and match participants to suitable roles.
• Supporting employers 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.

About You

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject(or able to demonstrate equivalent experience), plus L2 Eng and maths (or equivalent experience, demonstrated through application process).
• 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. Plus, the ability to keep accurate records to contribute towards service assessment.
• Experience of engaging with local employers to create inclusive job opportunities for people facing barriers to employment. Plus, the ability to work in partnership with a range of agencies and tailor communication to different audiences.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion,please contact:

Claire Smith, Connect to Work Project Manager

Telephone: [phone] or 0116 305 3620

Email:[e-mail]