Employment Specialist Supervisor (Drug and Alcohol IPS Project)

The Methodist Church in Britain; Bournemouth; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements tailored

Wellbeing support

Career progression opportunities

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

BCP Council is seeking an experienced supervisor for the Drug and Alcohol IPS Employment Specialist Team within the Education and Skills department in the Bournemouth area. The post holder will allocate and supervise specialists' caseloads while carrying a small personal caseload, helping participants into paid work.

Key tasks include guiding teams, building employer links, ensuring data accuracy for commissioners, and maintaining a holistic, person-centred approach to support, in line with

Qualifications

• Experience in caseload management and delivering person-centred support.
• Experience of supervising staff, or transferable mentoring or coaching skills.
• Experience of maintaining accurate data.
• Experience of employer engagement, stakeholder collaboration or community outreach.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; negotiation abilities.
• Excellent IT skills with MS Office and Teams; problem solving.
• Ability to work independently and in a team; good time management.
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Allocate and supervise the caseloads of employment specialists.
• Provide guidance, supervision and coaching to employment specialists, acting as first point of contact for problem solving.
• Manage a caseload of participants with disabilities, health needs or other barriers, using IPS methods.
• Support participants to identify their key skills, aspirations and goals through a Vocational Profile and Action Plan.
• Build relationships with local employers, sourcing jobs and advising on reasonable adjustments, return to work and disability confidence.
• Supervise delivery of IPS for the Drug and Alcohol IPS Service, working with quality assurance staff.
• Maintain and coordinate accurate data to meet commissioners' and IPS Grow's requirements.
• Coordinate processes and systems for workflow management.
• Provide person-centred advice and guidance to participants.
• Conduct regular visits, monitoring and in-work training in line with IPS Fidelity principles.
• Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, support services and drug and alcohol services in the BCP area.
• Maintain positive, integrated relationships and a holistic approach to support.

Skills

Caseload management

Supervising staff

Maintaining data

Employer engagement

Communication skills

Negotiation

IT skills (MS Office, Teams)

Problem solving

Independent working

Team working

Equality, diversity & inclusion

Tools

MS Office

Microsoft Teams

Job description

This supervisory post in BCP Council's Education and Skills department leads the Drug and Alcohol IPS Employment Specialist Team. The postholder allocates and supervises specialists' caseloads while carrying a small caseload of their own, helping people with health needs or other barriers into paid work. Distinctive features include building links with local employers, meeting Fidelity and commissioner data requirements, and a work-first model. Candidates need supervision experience, ideally in drug and alcohol or health and social care settings, evidenced in a personal statement.

What the job involves

• Allocate and supervise the caseloads of employment specialists
• Provide guidance, supervision and coaching to employment specialists, acting as first point of contact for problem solving
• Manage a caseload of participants with disabilities, health needs or other barriers, using IPS methods
• Support participants to identify their key skills, aspirations and goals through a Vocational Profile and Action Plan
• Build relationships with local employers, sourcing jobs and advising on reasonable adjustments, return to work and disability confidence
• Supervise delivery of IPS for the Drug and Alcohol IPS Service, working with internal and external quality assurance staff
• Maintain and coordinate accurate data to meet BCP Commissioners' and IPS Grow's requirements
• Coordinate processes and systems for workflow management
• Provide person-centred advice and guidance to participants
• Conduct regular visits, monitoring and in-work training in line with IPS Fidelity principles
• Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, support services and drug and alcohol services in the BCP area
• Maintain positive, integrated relationships and a holistic approach to support

What’s required

Experience

• Experience in caseload management and delivering person-centred support
• Experience of supervising staff, or transferable mentoring, coaching or advisory skills
• Experience of maintaining accurate data
• Experience of employer engagement, stakeholder collaboration or community outreach

Skills & knowledge

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Negotiation skills to create employment opportunities
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams
• Solution-focused, outcome-driven approach to identifying and overcoming barriers
• Ability to work independently and in a team, managing time and changing priorities
• Flexible, proactive attitude with commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

Nice to have

• Supervision experience in a drug and alcohol support setting
• Experience in health and social care settings
• Commitment to continuous learning and improvement

What’s offered

• Flexible working arrangements tailored to the role
• Wellbeing support
• Opportunities for career progression
• New Pay and Reward package from 1 December 2025, with fair and transparent pay and modernised terms and conditions
• Comprehensive benefits package