Dispensing Optician

SeeAbility; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK charity is seeking a Special School Dispensing Optician to work hybrid from South and South-East London. This role involves providing essential eye care support to young people in a non-commercial setting. Candidates should possess a full driving license and have regular access to a car. The role offers a competitive salary, and benefits include a £500 monthly bonus scheme, generous holidays, and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Fully paid essential training

33 days holiday increasing with service

Employee assistance programme

Paid DBS and renewals

Discounted Gym Membership

Qualifications

• Ability to provide support with spectacles to young people.
• Experience in a clinically challenging environment is beneficial.
• Collaborative approach with healthcare teams and school staff.

Responsibilities

• Manage your own diary for clinic appointments.
• Provide spectacle dispensing, repairs, and follow-ups.
• Liaise with schools to book clinic rooms and gain consent.

Skills

Ability to attend multiple schools

Full driving license

Regular access to a car

Job description

Overview

Role Description
Join our Team as Special School Dispensing Optician-Mobile- SEN Services

Location: Hybrid- South and South-East London school sites/ home

Salary: £31,500 per annum with SeeAbility benefits + all professional fees and travel expenses paid + company pension

Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours- Monday to Friday) or Part Time (negotiable)

Contract: Permanent

Essential: Ability to attend multiple schools in your London region is required, as well as a full driving license and regular access to a car

About You

This is an exciting opportunity for a full-time/ part-time dispensing optician to work in a non-commercial, clinically challenging setting providing complex, creative and often life-changing support with spectacles to young people as part of our NHS special school eyecare service. You will have your own caseload of London schools and will work collaboratively with our established eye care team, as well as the school staff teams, and under the guidance of the special schools service manager and dispensing optician clinical lead. Ability to attend multiple schools in your South London and South East London region is required, as well as a full driving license and regular access to a car.

What will you be doing?

The successful candidate would be expected to work 4-5 school days (20-25 hours) in the school setting during term time. You will be responsible for ensuring the smooth running of clinics across your defined school caseload. This will include managing your own diary, under the supervision of the service manager and dispensing optician clinical lead, to ensure efficient, timely, high-quality care for all children under our care. You will be responsible for providing spectacle dispensing, repairs, replacements and follow ups to your caseload.

Your responsibilities for the remainder of your Full Time role and school holidays, will be to support the special schools service manager in ensuring the smooth running of the service. The service manager will have overall responsibility for the planning of clinics, and you will support by liaising with schools to book clinic rooms and gain consent from parents, book appointment diaries for yourself and the optometrists, respond to parent and school enquiries and offer and provide teaching staff inset training on eye care and vision.

Please see the attached job description for detailed information involving the role

About us

Registered as The Royal School for the Blind, SeeAbility is one of the oldest disability charities in the UK. This year we are celebrating our 225th anniversary, having pioneered specialist support across multiple generations since 1799!

We specialise in supporting people who have learning disabilities, autism, complex needs, who may also have sight loss. Our support ranges from providing person-centred support across our many supported-living and residential care provisions. Furthermore, we provide specialist eye-care services to children and adults alike and assists people with a disability to find paid employment for the very first time.

SeeAbility provides the resources and expertise that make this possible, we support people to live ambitious lives and achieve things they never thought possible.

#INDSJS

Our Benefits

SeeAbility Total Rewards Package

• Your development and appreciation
• Fully paid essential training inc. 15 point Module with City St Georges University of London
• Annual excellence awards
• Long service awards every 5 years and recognition
• Development Discussions: Opportunity to discuss your progress and your future
• Leadership development academy for the next steps in your career

Your work-life balance

• NO weekends plus working from home during school holidays and outside school hours
• 33 days holiday (Pro-rata) (incl. bank holidays), increasing to 41 days with long service (1 extra day for each year of service)
• Life events: Time off when you need it most
• 2 weeks Organisational Sick Pay after 6 months service, increasing to 12 weeks over your first 3 years
• Enhanced Family-Friendly Pay
• Paid Fertility Leave
• Carers Leave available

Your money goes further

• £500 monthly bonus scheme for two lucky colleagues
• Eligible for Blue Light Card discounts
• Discounts and cashback at hundreds of shops, restaurants and activities
• Access to Tickets for Good
• Employer contributory pension scheme: Support and tools to help you make the right decisions about your future
• Refer a friend and receive £600
• Paid DBS and renewals
• Advance pay scheme and high interest saving scheme through Wage Stream App for all our colleagues

Your wellbeing counts

• Cycle to Work scheme
• Life assurance of 2x annual salary
• Free 24/7 employee assistance programme for advice and support
• Free eye test
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Dedicated in house Wellbeing Coach for your team

Safer Recruitment

SeeAbility is committed to safe and fair recruitment practices, safeguarding and protecting those who we support. It is a condition of employment that perspective employees will be subject to DBS Checks, Right to Work, Health Declarations, and References are part of the onboarding process to ensure safety and compliance accordance to Care Quality Commissions requirements. These checks will be carried out and completed prior offering a date to start employment at SeeAbility's expense.

Diversity

SeeAbility is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Welcomes applications from all identities, including those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process. In some cases, roles may be exempt under Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 9, Part 1) due to genuine occupational requirements