Employment Specialist - Connect to Work

Portsmouth City Council; East Hampshire; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in East Hampshire is seeking two Employment Specialists for its Connect to Work program. This role involves managing a caseload of participants, providing personalized employment support, and building relationships with employers. The ideal candidates will have strong engagement skills and be proficient in IT, including databases and Microsoft Office. A driving license is desirable due to travel needs. This fixed-term contract offers hybrid working and requires a DBS check.

Qualifications

• Strong employer engagement skills to maximize employment opportunities.
• Capable of managing a caseload of clients with regular assessments.
• Proficient in customer databases and online communication.
• Desirable to have a driving license for travel across the city.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of eligible participants to secure employment.
• Deliver person-centered advice and build relationships with employers.
• Support participants with job retention and maintaining high standards.
• Engage with local communities to generate referrals for the program.

Skills

Employer engagement skills

Negotiation skills

Strong IT skills

Ability to work independently

Flexibility

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Teams

Job description

Contract: Fixed term contract for 2 years.

Locations: Portsmouth Civic Offices & community-based outreach locations.

We are looking to recruit 2 Employment Specialists - Connect to Work.

DBS Disclosure at basic level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The Service

Portsmouth City Council's Employment, Learning and Skills delivers a wide range of DWP, ESFA and ESF funded programmes. The programmes we work on provide support to residents within local communities; many of whom are either long term unemployed, have a disability or health condition, including mental health issues, or have other barriers as to why gaining sustained employment is proving to be a challenge. Services include relevant interventions for young people and other excluded or vulnerable groups to provide local communities with an inclusive workforce.

Your New Role

Working within Portsmouth City Council's Connect to Work Employment Programme, the role will include managing a caseload of eligible Participants to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences; also supporting eligible Participants with job retention. You will deliver a high-fidelity approach (for which training will be given); providing person centred advice and guidance to Participants, whilst building positive relationships with local employers, to enable Participants to move into suitable employment.

You will support the team to generate referrals to Programme and engage with the local community to support eligible residents with employment support and job retention services. Connect to Work is a ’work first’ intervention designed to support people into sustained employment.

Who is the person?

You will possess strong employer engagement skills, to support essential job search activities and develop positive relationships with employers to maximise employment opportunities. You will be adept at negotiating job opportunities that align with each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences. Additionally, you will be capable of managing and supporting a caseload of clients, conducting vocational assessments, and creating action plans through regular meetings to monitor and review progress both pre- and post-employment.

You will also provide job retention support for participants at risk of losing their jobs and maintain an equality and diversity approach at all times. Strong IT skills are essential, including proficiency in customer databases, Microsoft Excel, Word, and online communication platforms like Teams. You will be able to work independently and within a team, demonstrating flexibility to cope with varying demands and a drive to succeed by setting high personal standards to meet targets.

Special Conditions

Driving Licence and use of a car for business is desirable, because travel will be involved across the city - this is because you will be regularly visiting employers, work placements hosts and customers to carry out employment engagement, placement host reviews and customer in work reviews as well as on occasion to accompany clients to interviews.

Due to the diversity of our customer base, the need for regular one to one meetings and the flexibility required in delivering our contracts, a basic DBS Check will be required.

How to apply

To make sure your application is above the rest, please download the Job Profile below to ensure your application matches the requirements of the role.

When completing your application you will be required to complete a personal statement, please give examples of your experience and any transferrable skills. Please align your answers with the points on the job profile. This is your opportunity to showcase yourself and your achievements.

Please note that this role is office based.

We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e‑mail folders as sometimes our e‑mails may go into spam/junk folders.

Our recruitment process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

Full information about our recruitment process can be found on our support for applicants’ page: Support for applicants - Careers portal

We offer hybrid working with the expectation to attend the office 2 days a week (pro rata for part time) depending on the role and business needs.

To make sure your application is above the rest, please download the Job Profile below to ensure your application matches the requirements of the role.

We are looking for talented candidates who resonate with our core values . Authenticity and honesty in your application is vital to determine whether you are a good fit for the role.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal . We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria, however for roles that receive a large number of applications, this is not always possible, and we will select the candidates that best meet the minimum criteria

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact [e-mail] . or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800