Employment Specialist

Triage; Newton Aycliffe; Remote; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday off

Extra annual leave

Volunteering days

Discounts & wellbeing

Employee Assistance Program

Pension & life cover

Work anniversary rewards

Training & development

Career progression

Job summary

Triage in Newton Aycliffe is seeking an Employability Specialist who is passionate about helping people move into work and build lasting independence. You’ll deliver practical employability support in community venues, tailoring help to individual needs and working with employers and referral partners.

You’ll develop confidence, support CV and interview readiness, and apply IPS-based strategies to identify roles, secure placements and sustain employment.

Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a range of people.
• Experience supporting people to overcome barriers to obtain or keep work.
• Knowledge of person-centred approaches and informed decision making.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting, supportive relationships with participants, referral sources and employers.
• Provide a tailored 1:2:1 service based on participant needs and goals, whilst adhering to IPS principles.
• Support participants to identify suitable job roles and prepare for employment.
• Deliver Supported Employment interventions, including vocational profiling, job matching and employer engagement activities.
• Work collaboratively with health, community and partner organisations to support positive participant outcomes.
• Provide support to those in work, including job retention strategies and in-work support for both participants and employers.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Barrier handling

Person-centred approach

Employer relationships

Progression targets

Optimism & initiative

Decision making

Safeguarding

Travel flexibility

Employability sector experience

Job description

Working Hours: 35 hours per week 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday

At Triage, we don't just deliver employability appointments. We help people build confidence, develop themselves, overcome barriers, and take meaningful steps towards employment and independence.

We're looking for an Employability Specialist who is passionate about people and motivated by making a genuine impact in local communities. If you believe everyone deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential and enjoy helping people achieve their goals, we'd love to hear from you.

Whether it's supporting someone to create their first CV, build interview confidence, or identify a new career path, you'll play an important role in helping individuals move forward.

We believe great work starts with great people, so we make sure our colleagues feel supported, valued, and empowered to succeed.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Your birthday off every year
• Additional annual leave awarded for length of service
• Two paid volunteering days each year
• Access to discounts, rewards and wellbeing support
• Confidential Employee Assistance Programme
• Pension and life assurance
• Work Anniversary rewards
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities
• Career progression within a growing organisation

Your development matters to us

At Triage, we don't just offer jobs. We build careers. We're committed to developing our people through training, coaching, mentoring and opportunities to grow within the organisation. Many of our colleagues have progressed into new roles, gained qualifications, and expanded their skills whilst making a positive difference to the lives of others.

You'll become part of a team that:

• Supports one another
• Shares ideas and best practice
• Celebrates success together
• Lives our values every day

About the role:

As an Employability Specialist, you'll deliver engaging and practical employability support to individuals and groups across the community.

Working within community venues and outreach settings, you'll help participants build the confidence and behaviours needed to move closer to employment. You will also help retain people in their roles, working alongside participants and employers.

You'll support people from a variety of backgrounds, tailoring your approach to meet individual needs and helping participants overcome barriers that may be preventing them from reaching their potential. Working within a Supported Employment and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, you'll focus on helping people identify, secure and sustain paid employment through personalised, strengths-based support and partnership working with employers and referral agencies.

No two days are the same, but every day offers the chance to change a life.

You will:

• Build trusting, supportive relationships with participants, referral sources and employers
• Provide a tailored 1:2:1 service based on participant needs and goals, whilst adhering to IPS principles
• Support participants to identify suitable job roles and prepare for employment
• Deliver Supported Employment interventions, including vocational profiling, job matching and employer engagement activities
• Work collaboratively with health, community and partner organisations to support positive participant outcomes
• Provide support to those in work, including job retention strategies and in-work support for both participants and employers
• Educate employers on reasonable adjustments and inclusive practices
• Negotiate job opportunities that align with participant skills, preferences and aspirations
• Build positive relationships with potential referral sources
• Be familiar with benefits systems, basic employment law, and workplace accommodations
• Operate within community-based settings, managing a caseload and maintaining accurate records in line with programme requirements

What we're looking for:

We're looking for someone with the right attitude as much as the right experience.

You’ll bring:

• Outstanding interpersonal skills (empathy, teamwork, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence) and ability to build rapport with a range of people
• Proven experience of supporting people overcome barriers to obtain or keep work
• Knowledge of person-centred approaches and the importance of participant choice and informed decision making
• Proven track record of building collaborative relationships with employers
• Proven experience of meeting and exceeding progression targets
• High level of optimism, initiative, and effective interpersonal skills in order to engage effectively with participants, partnership organisations and employers
• Ability to evaluate individual progress toward their goals, adjusting support strategies as needed
• Experience of working in a performance and quality driven environment
• Able to work in a complex environment and demonstrate a high level of perseverance
• Experience of supporting individuals facing multiple barriers to employment, including health, wellbeing, confidence, or social challenges
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with employers, partners and community stakeholders
• Strong organisational and caseload management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands and maintain accurate records
• Ability to motivate, influence and encourage participants to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes
• A sound understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries when working with vulnerable individuals
• Ability to travel across the community locations. Whilst an area will likely be assigned for your caseload delivery, your ability to travel across the area is a requirement of the role
• Experience of working in employability, publicly funded services, or other similar sectors
• Previous work with diverse populations
• Other desirable criteria including pre-existing network of partners and/or employers in the local area; the ability to use qualitative mechanisms to deliver continuous improvement to service delivery; a pro-active 'can-do' attitude; a track record of driving positive change and the ability to work under own initiative and think outside the box

Who you are :

• People-focused and compassionate
• Positive, resilient and adaptable
• Driven to make a difference
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a team
• Committed to high-quality outcomes
• Passionate about supporting people to succeed
• Open to learning and continuous professional development

About Triage:

Triage provides information, advice, guidance, training and support to help people move into work, develop their skills and build sustainable careers. We work across Scotland, the North East and Yorkshire, partnering with employers, local authorities and communities to create opportunities and deliver positive social impact.

Our values:

Everything we do is guided by our values:

• We thrive together
• We do something amazing every day
• We know our knowledge is power
• We act with kindness

If those values resonate with you, you'll fit right in.

Additional Information:

If you are successfully shortlisted for interview, a full job description will be shared with you to help you prepare.

For the successful candidate, this role will require a satisfactory enhanced disclosure check appropriate to the level of responsibility involved. We handle all disclosure information in line with the relevant safeguarding legislation and the DBS Code of Practice, ensuring a fair and transparent process for all applicants. Cost will be reimbursed through our onboarding and internal expense process.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we wish to engage and encourage people with a disability or long-term health condition to work for us, ensuring they have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the job and make reasonable adjustments to ensure candidates are not disadvantaged in any way. If this applies to you, you can request consideration under this scheme during the application process.

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Working Hours

35 hours per week 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday