Employment Advisor – Connect to Work

West Sussex County Council; Selsey; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Employee discounts

Job summary

West Sussex County Council is seeking an Employment Advisor to help young people move quickly into paid employment and to support them to succeed in roles across West Sussex. The role combines person-centred coaching with proactive employer engagement and requires travel throughout the county.

Salary ranges from £37,563 to £40,444 per annum on a fixed-term contract until 31 March 2029, with a full-time pattern (37 hours) and occasional remote/hybrid work.

Qualifications

• Experience of employment support, recruitment, business development, sales, supported employment or careers guidance.
• Ability to engage and influence a wide range of people including employers.
• Experience motivating individuals facing barriers to work or education.
• Strong networking and organizational skills.
• Understanding of IPS or willingness to learn.

Responsibilities

• Build strong, motivational relationships with young people and help them identify realistic employment goals.
• Deliver vocational profiling and strengths-based assessments.
• Support participants to overcome practical, emotional, and social barriers to employment.
• Develop and maintain relationships with employers across a variety of sectors.
• Promote candidates to employers and identify opportunities that align with strengths and aspirations.
• Proactively seek out hidden vacancies, negotiate opportunities, and use job carving where appropriate.
• Provide advice and support to employers before and after recruitment.
• Support participants to sustain employment through ongoing in-work support.
• Work collaboratively with professionals and services that support young people.
• Deliver support in line with IPS and Supported Employment principles, focused on rapid access to competitive employment.

Skills

Employment support

Employer engagement

Relationship building

Caseload management

IPS familiarity

Job description

Do you have experience of supporting people who experience complex challenges?

Can you build relationships with both participants and employers, creating opportunities that lead to real jobs?

Are you confident working with a wide range of people including participants and employers?

If the answer is yes, we want to hear from you!

We are looking for motivated and proactive Employment Advisors to join our Connect to Work team, supporting people across West Sussex.

This is not a desk-based advisory role. We are looking for people who can combine person-centred coaching with proactive employer engagement, helping young people move quickly into paid employment and supporting them to succeed once they are there.

Using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach, you will work alongside young people to identify their strengths, aspirations, and employment goals, whilst building strong relationships with local employers to create opportunities that match individual ambitions. This includes approaching employers directly, uncovering hidden vacancies, job carving, advocating on behalf of participants and helping businesses see the value of a diverse workforce.

You will thrive in this role if you are confident starting conversations, building trust quickly and finding creative solutions. We are looking for people who are resilient, resourceful, and enthusiastic about helping people achieve outcomes that can genuinely transform lives.

Salary: £37,563 to £40,444per annum

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until 31 March 2029

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: based at County Hall, West Street, Chichester PO19 1RQ with required countywide travel.

Interview Date: 6th and 8th October 2026

About the job

This role requires the successful candidate to travel throughout West Sussex for visits, working flexibly to meet the needs of the programme and participants.

Once-a-week attendance at your base location will be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

To work closely with clients and offer them the vital face-to-face support they deserve, you will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

As an Employment Advisor, you will manage a caseload of young people and work closely with employers, partner agencies, and local communities to deliver high-quality employment support.

Key responsibilities include:

• Building strong, motivational relationships with young people and helping them identify realistic employment goals.
• Delivering vocational profiling and strengths-based assessments.
• Supporting participants to overcome practical, emotional, and social barriers to employment.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with employers across a variety of sectors.
• Promoting candidates to employers and identifying opportunities that align with their strengths and aspirations.
• Proactively seeking out hidden vacancies, negotiating opportunities, and using job carving where appropriate.
• Providing advice and support to employers before and after recruitment.
• Supporting participants to sustain employment through ongoing in-work support.
• Working collaboratively with professionals and services that support young people.
• Delivering support in line with IPS and Supported Employment principles, focused on rapid access to competitive employment.

If you are passionate about making a positive difference in the community, then this role is perfect for you.

We would love to hear from you if you have:

• Experience of employment support, recruitment, business development, sales, supported employment, careers guidance or a related field.
• A proven ability to engage and influence a wide range of people, including employers.
• Experience of motivating individuals facing barriers to work or education.
• Excellent relationship-building and networking skills.
• The confidence to approach employers and generate new opportunities.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage a varied caseload.
• Resilience, determination, and a solution-focused approach.
• An understanding of IPS, Supported Employment or person-centred employment support, or a willingness to learn.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 27days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years’ service (pro rata for part time) plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme.

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

The reference number for this role is CPP01421

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact the hiring manager Rachel Benson [e-mail]

For an informal conversation regarding the application process, please contact Ryan Kappa (Recruitment Specialist) at [e-mail]

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail] .

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application helppage.