Employment Specialist

The Methodist Church in Britain; Isley Walton; Sur place; GBP 32 000 - 45 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Flexible working arrangements

Training opportunities

Résumé du poste

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an IPS Employment Specialist to support people with mental health conditions into paid work. You will build relationships with local employers, conduct job analyses, and provide ongoing support to ensure successful employment outcomes.

You will work within an IPS model, prioritising person-centered planning, collaboration with clinical teams, and robust data capture. Regular travel to meetings and documentation duties are included.

Qualifications

• Degree level or demonstrable experience in relevant field.
• Experience with mental health service users and diverse communities.
• Ability to use IT systems and maintain case records.

Responsabilités

• Secure paid job opportunities with local employers, meeting weekly KPI targets.
• Identify client skills and career goals, creating shared CV and vocational profiles.
• Initiate rapid job searches within 30 days of referral using local networks.
• Carry out job analyses and workplace assessments, negotiating reasonable adjustments.
• Provide employers with guidance on employing people with clinical needs.
• Maintain ongoing contact with employers to support job retention and progression.

Connaissances

Listening & communication

Negotiation

Recovery & inclusion

Labour market knowledge

Disability legislation

Benefits guidance

Formation

Degree or equivalent

Description du poste

This role sits in the Individual Placement and Support team at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, working under the IPS Employment Services Manager. The post holder helps people with mental health conditions find and keep paid work, building relationships with local employers to secure roles and then providing ongoing support. The work follows the IPS model with a strengths-based approach and requires regular travel to meetings with colleagues, service users and employers. Interviews are planned for 19 and 20 November 2026.

What the job involves

• Work with local employers to secure paid job opportunities, including roles in the hidden labour market, and meet a KPI of 6-8 quality employer contacts a week
• Work with individuals to identify their skills, aspirations and career goals, and agree a shared vocational profile and CV
• Begin rapid job search within 30 days of a referral, using local support networks to address barriers to work
• Carry out job analyses and workplace assessments and negotiate workplace adjustments that suit each person's strengths and symptoms
• Provide specialised advice and education to employers on employing people with a range of clinical needs
• Plan workplace introductions and individualised support once people return to work, and keep in contact with employers to help them stay in work
• Monitor the longer-term career development of people supported into employment and offer ongoing input as needed
• Build relationships with clinical teams to generate referrals and integrate employment support into mental health treatment
• Build a multi-disciplinary approach to return to work, involving clinical staff and rehabilitation support where relevant
• Coach and advise individuals through recruitment processes and help them settle into new roles
• Liaise with carers, families, employers and professionals on the service user's behalf, with appropriate consent
• Keep accurate, complete casework records on the electronic clinical notes system and follow mandatory data capture protocols

What’s required

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent, or demonstrable experience

Experience

• Working with people with complex mental health needs or a similar service user group
• Working within diverse communities
• Working across a range of recruitment and employment sectors
• Engaging employers across all industries using a variety of methods
• Using IT systems

Skills & knowledge

• Listening, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to make grounded judgements
• Negotiation skills, with tact and diplomacy when approaching new employers
• Knowledge of recovery and social inclusion principles
• Knowledge of the labour market and market positioning
• Knowledge of disability legislation and of employment barriers for people with complex mental health needs
• Understanding of how benefits compare with pay, and advising service users on the financial effect

Other

• Belief that people with mental illness can gain and sustain meaningful work
• Ability to work unsupervised and to learn and adapt quickly
• Non-judgemental, trustworthy, patient and empathetic, and able to learn from setbacks
• Keeping accurate, timely written and verbal records

Nice to have

• Trained in the IPS delivery model, with understanding of its principles and practice
• Experience in supported employment services
• Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector
• Mental Health First Aid qualification
• NVQ level 3 in care or learning disability
• Training in person-centred planning
• Counselling qualification
• Experience of caring for someone experiencing mental ill health

What’s offered

• Flexible working requests considered for all roles
• Additional training offered, including role-specific training from external organisations