Functional Assessor

gaia recruitment; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension

Ongoing CPD

Job summary

Gaia Recruitment is recruiting Functional Assessors in Luton to carry out PIP and Work Capability Assessments as part of HAAS for the DWP. You will evaluate how a person’s health impacts daily living and work, using face-to-face, video, and telephone consultations and prepare evidence-based reports.

The role offers a starting salary of £45,000-£48,000 with uplifts, and a hybrid pattern (minimum 3 days on-site at the Luton centre) with full accreditation training and career progression.

Qualifications

• UK post-registration clinical experience is required.
• Strong communication and report-writing skills.
• Ability to work with IT systems and multiple assessment modes.

Responsibilities

• Conduct PIP and Work Capability Assessments via face-to-face, video, or telephone consultations.
• Assess how health conditions affect daily living and working ability.
• Produce fair, evidence-based reports for the HAAS and DWP.
• Work in a hybrid model with shifts at the Luton assessment centre.

Job description

Functional Assessor (PIP & Work Capability Assessments) — Luton

Starting salary £45,000- £48,000 + performance-related uplifts | Hybrid

Tired of understaffed shifts, skipped breaks and taking the ward home with you? There's a way to use your clinical skills that gives you your time back — without giving up your registration.

We are recruiting Functional Assessors in Luton on behalf of our client, carrying out PIP and Work Capability Assessments as part of the DWP's Health Assessment and Advisory Service (HAAS). You'll assess how a person's health conditions affect their daily life and ability to work, through face-to-face, video and telephone consultations, and produce fair, evidence-based reports.

Why clinicians make the move:

• Nurses (RGN, RMN, RNLD): No understaffed units, no night shifts, no missed breaks. Predictable 9–5 hours and one patient at a time, with the time to do the job properly.
• Physiotherapists: No waiting-list pressure or impossible caseloads. Use your assessment and clinical reasoning skills in full, without the physical toll of hands‑on caseloads.
• Occupational Therapists: Functional assessment is your language already. Put your expertise in how conditions affect daily living front and centre, in a structured, autonomous role.
• Paramedics: Off the road and out of the blue‑light rota — no shift patterns, no unpredictable callouts. Apply your rapid assessment and decision‑making in a calmer, structured setting.
• Pharmacists: Step beyond dispensing and MURs. Put your deep medicines and conditions knowledge to work in a clinical reasoning role, with regular hours and no retail targets.

What you'll get:

• starting salary, with performance-related uplifts (opportunity to increase by £1,000 in your first year, plus further uplifts as you build specialist skills)
• Full time (9am–5pm, Mon–Fri) or part time (4 days/week) for WCA only both hybrid — minimum 3 days at the Luton assessment centre
• Full DWP accreditation training, with 1:1 coaching and mentoring
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, pension, and ongoing CPD
• A clear path into Clinical Coach, Trainer and Clinical Manager roles
• NMC registered nurses (RGN, RMN, RNLD), HCPC registered physiotherapists, occupational therapists or paramedics, or GPhC registered pharmacists
• Minimum 12 months' UK post-registration clinical experience
• Strong communication, clinical reasoning and report‑writing skills
• Confidence using IT systems