Employment Specialist

Nhs-1; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Employment Specialist (Band 5) to join the Future's Positive Team in Gedling, Nottinghamshire. The role focuses on delivering IPS-based employment support to people with mental health challenges to help them find and sustain work.

You will manage a caseload of 20–30 individuals, work with employers and local partners, and meet NHS England targets while promoting recovery and employment opportunities through person-centred support.

Responsibilities

• Provide support and guidance to people who have experienced mental health challenges in exploring their interest and opportunities to find and retain employment.
• Manage an individual caseload of 20–30 people, co-locate with care teams, and liaise with employers and community organisations to promote employment.
• Meet targets set by NHS England and IPS principles while supporting service users in gaining sustainable paid work.

Education

Degree level or equivalent in employment

Job description

Employer Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Gedling Local Mental Health Team - Manor Road Town Carlton, Nottingham Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum (pro rata for part time) Salary period Yearly Closing 24/09/2026 23:59

Employment Specialist

Band 5

We fully support the use of AI and other tools to assist in writing your application. However, it's essential that the content, especially your supporting statement, is personalised and factually accurate. Your application should reflect your genuine experiences and qualifications to ensure authenticity and credibility

Job overview

As part of the NHS England initiative , the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services, have an exciting opportunity for you to join our Future's Positive Team as an Employment Specialist, to deliver employment support to individuals with mental health conditions in the borough of Gedling as part of the County South IPS Team. Getting into employment can be a critical part of a recovery journey, so you will be focusing on providing motivational, supportive and person centred support to enable people to secure employment

We have an great opportunity an individual to join our Future's Positive Team as community-based Employment Specialists. You will provide individual support to people faced with barriers into employment, using a strength-based approach to gain sustainable paid work. You will be working with a caseload of 20-30 people and liaise with employers and a range of stake holders. As part of your role you will meet targets set by NHS England.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies

Main duties of the job

You will provide support and guidance to people who have experienced mental health challenges in exploring their interest and opportunities to find and retain employment.

You will have an individual caseload, complete vocational profiles, support service users with interviews and actions plans, and support people when they are in employment.

You will proactively engage with employers to open up and secure employment opportunities and you will network with Job Centres and Employment Schemes in the local area.

You will have experience of working with people with mental health challenges , have an understanding of working with the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) evidence base / principles.

You will meet targets set by NHS England which include engaging with service users , finding and retaining employment for service users.

Working for our organisation

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Future's Positive Employment Service (IPS) work across the Local Mental Health Team's (LMHT's) in Nottinghamshire

You will have a caseload of people who have experienced mental health challenges and want to find or return to employment . You will support them by assessing their specific employment needs through vocational profiling

You will co locate in the LMHT's and meet regularly with the care team to promote employment and raise expectations around the ability of service users to access employment

You will proactively work with employers and network with community organisations

(Please see attached job description for full role responsibilities)

A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Successful applicants with no prior NHS experience would normally be placed at the bottom of the band in line with Agenda for Change. This salary is below the minimum salary required for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa. In these circumstances the Trust would not, therefore, be able to sponsor for a Skilled Worker / Health & Care visa.

Applicants requiring a Skilled Worker Visa can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship against the relevant criteria here https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Person specification

Qualification/Training

• Educated to degree level/equivalent in employment
• Counselling or Careers Guidance/equivalent as evidenced by a relevant qualification
• Occupational Therapy or Occupational Psychology Training
• IPS Training
• Employer Engagement Training

Experience

• Previous experience with health, social services, or the voluntary sector, working with people who have experienced mental health problems
• Experience of working in employment support
• Personal experience of mental health problems
• Experience of working in an IPS Service

Knowledge

• An understanding of the principles and practice of Individual Placement and Support.
• An understanding of Employer engagement and strategies
• Understanding of Recovery principles
• A working knowledge of Human Resources good practice and Employment legislation in relation to supporting people with mental health needs in the work place
• Understanding of Welfare Rights
• An understanding of applied research methods

Skills

• An ability to initiate and develop relationships with employers while being aware of their needs
• Ability to build and develop relationships with service users having awareness of their needs to access employment
• IT Skills
• Motivational Skills
• Use own initiative
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Vocational assessment skills
• Good negotiation skills and persuasive style

Contractual Requirements

• A full UK driving license and vehicle for business use is required for this post, however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2012
• Willingness to work flexible hours according to the demands of the job.

Values & Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust’s expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

Physical Requirements

• Able to undertake training in the management of violence reduction.
• Has the ability to perform the full range of Employment Specialist duties.

Additional Information

• We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants.
• The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website,
• For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Sangita Dhawan Senior Employment Specialist Tel [phone] or email [emailprotected]