Employment Specialist

Mencap; London Borough of Merton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization in London is seeking an Employment Specialist to join their Employ Me team. The role involves delivering the Connect to Work programme to support individuals with learning disabilities and autism in finding employment. Candidates should have experience in supported employment and strong communication skills. This full-time position offers a range of benefits including 32 days of holiday and various perks.

Benefits

32 days of paid holiday

Discounts at leading retailers

Access to health cash plans

Interest-free loans

Qualifications

• Good communication and organizational skills.
• Approachable across all levels, providing tailored support.
• Prior experience in the supported employment sector.
• Knowledge to report and record progress.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the Connect to Work programme adhering to the SEQF fidelity.
• Provide structured in-work support.
• Ensure holistic support linking employment, health, and social care.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Approachability

Experience in supported employment

Reporting knowledge

Job description

Job Advert We have an exciting opportunity for an Employment Specialist to join our Employ Me team to deliver the Connect to Work programme across South London boroughs; Sutton Kingston and Merton. Mencap's Employ Me team provide supported employment programmes for people with a learning disability, learning difficulty and autism.

This is full time (37.5 hours per week) to March 2030.

The Employ Me team work with partners to develop innovative and inclusive programmes that will support people to develop skills, knowledge and experience that leads to paid employment opportunities.

Connect to Work is an element of the Governments ‘Get Britain Working’ Strategy and aims to increase workforce participation by helping people into sustained employment.

• Reduce economic inactivity among those with complex barriers
• Improve workforce retention by providing structured in-work support.
• Strengthen links between employment, health, and social care to ensure holistic support.
• Deliver measurable outcomes, including job placements, retention rates, and employer engagement success

The programme provides out-of-work participants with intensive employment support for up to 12 months and up to 4 months support for participants in work who are at risk of losing their job.

The Connect to Work programme delivers the five stages of the Supported Employment model:

• Engagement
• Vocational Profiling
• Employer Engagement
• Job Matching
• On and off Job Support

The successful person will deliver the Connect to Work programme adhering to the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) fidelity, evidence-based model.

What will you bring:

• Have good communication and organisational skills.
• Be approachable across all levels, providing tailored support to a caseload of up to 20 individuals.
• Prior experience of delivering programmes within the supported employment sector.
• Knowledge to report and record individuals progress and achievement to meet employment outcomes.

*This is not an exhaustive list of the role and its requirements, please look at the full job description for further information.

This vacancy closes on Sunday 7th December, with interviews to be held soon after.

Here at Mencap we operate a blinded recruitment process for a lot of our roles, please ensure you apply with a full application and covering statement.

JOB ID: 35053

Benefits

Here at Mencap, we offer an impressive range of benefits designed to support and reward our employees to ensure that our teams feel valued and appreciated. Our benefits package offers 32 days of paid holiday (including bank holidays, pro rata), along with a range of perks such as discounts at leading high-street retailers, access to health cash plans, interest‑free loans, and many more exciting offerings. For more details on what we have to offer, please see the attached document outlining all the fantastic benefits available to you as a member of our team!

About Mencap

Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives. We’re here to support people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. We fight for a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society for people with a learning disability to live in. At Mencap, everyone works with people with a learning disability either providing support or advice, or alongside one another as colleagues. Belonging at Mencap is for everyone, every day, everywhere. Everyone is expected to treat people well and make Mencap an inclusive organisation. Every day we grow and learn. It’s okay to make mistakes but we learn from them and make changes. Everywhere people will feel respected, valued, and safe to be themselves. We have Belonging network groups that meet online and are open to all colleagues. The groups include people who identify as Black and Asian, LGBTQIA+, disabled or with a long‑term health condition, women, parents and carers, and their allies. We want to encourage everyone to apply to work at Mencap and we offer a variety of different contract types and working patterns. We’re not looking for specific experience. It is your personality and values that will make you a great colleague. We will train and develop you to succeed in the role you’re applying for.