Employment Adviser

Reed Talent Solutions; Colchester; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused organization in Colchester is seeking an Employment Adviser to support jobseekers in their pathway to sustainable employment. The role involves delivering tailored guidance, engaging with local employers, and promoting community programs. Ideal candidates will have experience in customer service and coaching, with relevant educational qualifications. Strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to travel are essential. Join us to make a positive difference in people's lives.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Reed Pension Scheme

Award Winning Management & Leadership training

Professional & Personal Development Funds

Bi-annual pay reviews

Qualifications

• Demonstrate coaching/mentoring experience through work or social activities.
• Experience working in customer facing environments.
• Willingness to travel locally.

Responsibilities

• Support long-term unemployed jobseekers with tailored action plans.
• Deliver one-to-one guidance including CV writing and skills development.
• Collaborate with local employers to identify job opportunities.

Skills

Coaching/mentoring experience

Persuasion/influencing skills

Customer service experience

Fast-paced environment experience

Fluency in more than one language

Education

A minimum of 2 A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 Diploma

GCSE English Language Grade B or equivalent

Job description

Reed in Partnership has been delivering public services since 1998. We are a British, family‑owned company, whose mission has always been to positively transform people and their communities. This is reflected in our services, which we deliver to help people from all backgrounds and circumstances to change their lives for the better.

Are you passionate about making a difference and helping others to fulfil their potential?

Would you like to work in a role that puts the customer at the heart of everything we do, making a genuine positive impact?

Then consider the role of Employment Adviser at Reed in Partnership!

Who we are:

Reed in Partnership's Employability Division aims to positively transform lives by helping individuals who are unemployed, economically inactive, or facing challenges such as health conditions, disabilities, or caring responsibilities to find sustainable employment. Through a wide range of tailored support services including one‑to‑one careers guidance, CV writing, interview preparation, and skills training, we have supported over 250,000 people on their journey into work.

Our Restart Scheme, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), focuses specifically on supporting the long‑term unemployed who are referred and mandated to the scheme by their local Job Centre Plus. We provide them with up to 12 months of personalised support to enter or re‑enter the workforce.

What is the role about?

Employment Advisers are the front line of Reed in Partnership, directly contributing to our mission by supporting jobseekers (our participants), engaging with local employers, and promoting the benefits of the Restart Scheme within the local community. Our participants are the lifeblood of our business and providing them with an excellent service is at the very core of the Employment Adviser role.

Just some of your day‑to‑day responsibilities will include:

Taking Ownership

• Meeting with and supporting a caseload of long‑term unemployed jobseekers, identifying their barriers and creating tailored action plans to progress them into employment.
• Delivering personalised, one‑to‑one guidance to our participants including CV writing, interview preparation, and skills development.
• Meeting and exceeding performance targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Working Together

• Collaborating with participants to shift their mindset and build the confidence they need to find and sustain work.
• Engaging with local employers to identify job opportunities.
• Signposting participants to internal and external stakeholders to address specific barriers such as health, housing, or financial challenges.
• Promoting the Restart Scheme within the community, raising awareness of its benefits and impact.

Being Fair, Open, and Honest

• Providing inclusive support and advice to people from all backgrounds.

What’s in it for you?

A generous base salary (pro‑rata for part time), and great flexibility with your working schedule, we offer training, development and progression opportunities. You will have access to the range of Reed in Partnership benefits, which include:

• 25 days annual leave (pro‑rata for part time) plus statutory bank holidays
• Reed Pension Scheme
• Award Winning Management & Leadership training
• Professional & Personal Development Funds
• Bi‑annual pay reviews
• Plus much more that can be found on our website.

The Employment Adviser role offers immense satisfaction of connecting people with the tailored support that they need to fulfil their potential. At Reed in Partnership, our values—Fair, Open & Honest, Take Ownership, and Work Together—guide everything we do. Join us in delivering services that make a real difference.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone with:

• Ability to demonstrate coaching/mentoring experience and persuasion/influencing skills through previous work or social activities.
• Experience of working in a customer facing environment (i.e. Customer Services, Hospitality, Social Care, Customer Services, Sales)
• Experience of working in a fast paced, performance target driven environment.
• Willingness to travel locally (e.g. to meet customers/employers).
• A minimum of 2 A‑Levels or an equivalent Level 3 Diploma. GCSE English Language at a minimum of a Grade B (or equivalent Level 2 qualification). OR achievement of a Level 2 in Literacy Assessment at interview stage. OR International Equivalents.

Desirable Criteria:

• Fluency in more than one language

Working Hours/Pattern:

Full‑time, although we would be happy to consider applicants who are looking to work on a part time basis. If you would like to explore this further, please discuss this with the talent partner for this role. Please note our ability to accommodate flexible working arrangements will vary from role to role, dependent on business requirements.