IPS Employment Specialists

Shaw Trust; Leeds; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Volunteer days

Enhanced pension after 6 months

Life assurance at 3x salary

Funded qualifications

Inclusive colleague networks

Health & wellbeing support

Job summary

Shaw Trust is recruiting an IPS Employment Specialist to support job seekers and employers across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, and Kirklees. You will manage a caseload, providing tailored, one-to-one guidance to help clients find sustainable roles aligned with their goals.

You will collaborate with health professionals, service providers, and employers to build inclusive workplaces. The role emphasizes targets for referrals and job starts, with a genuine focus on changing lives.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering IPS model and tailored, one-to-one guidance.
• Ability to build relationships with local employers for job opportunities.
• Comfort working with people with health needs and diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the IPS model with full training provided.
• Provide person-centred advice and vocational guidance.
• Develop partnerships with local employers to identify roles.
• Support clients from referral to placement and in-work support.
• Champion social inclusion and wellbeing through employment.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Vocational guidance

Employer engagement

Person-centred approach

Health knowledge

Recruitment knowledge (nice to have)

Job description

As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will support individuals seeking work and the employers who need their talents. You'll manage a caseload of clients, providing tailored, one-to-one support to help them find, and keep, jobs that align with their individual goals and aspirations.

You'll work closely with:

• Clients, to understand their strengths and ambitions
• Health professionals and service providers, to ensure holistic support
• Employers, to build inclusive workplaces and create job opportunities

This is a performance-focused role, with clear targets around referrals, job starts, and sustained employment. But more than that, it's about changing lives.

We welcome applicants from local residents in the areas of delivery.

Areas of Delivery

Please indicate in your supporting statement whether you are interested in working in:

• Leeds
• Bradford
• Wakefield
• Kirklees

This is a community-based role. You'll work peripatetically across your chosen area(s), supporting clients where they are.

Recruitment Timeline

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre on:
• 14th or 15th October - Leeds
• 20th or 21st October - Huddersfield

Should we be successful in winning this contract, IPS Employment Specialists will start induction on Monday 30th November 2026.

What You'll Do

• Deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model (full training provided)
• Provide person-centred advice and vocational guidance
• Build strong relationships with local employers to identify suitable roles
• Support clients through every step: from referral and job search to placement and in-work support
• Champion social inclusion and wellbeing through employment
• A genuine passion for helping others achieve their potential
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• A proactive, solution-focused mindset
• Experience working with people with health needs
• Knowledge of employment services or recruitment (a plus, but not essential)

At Shaw Trust we believe everyone has the right to live a decent and dignified life and an opportunity for rewarding work. We are a social purpose organisation challenging inequality and breaking down barriers to enable social mobility.

For us being part of the solution is about creating the conditions for this to happen, advocating and delivering services that make a real difference. Working in partnership not competition, we are part of an eco-system of purpose-led organisations, striving for a fairer, more equal society centred on opportunity for all.

Are you passionate about helping people with mental and /or physical health support needs find meaningful, sustainable employment? Do you want to be part of a service that transforms lives through work, inclusion, and wellbeing?

Please note that all successful candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks, including an enhanced adult & Child DBS check, employment references, and verification of the right to work in the UK.

Why Join Us

• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 28 with service - plus the option to buy more
• 2 paid volunteering days each year
• Enhanced pension after 6 months
• Life assurance at 3x your salary
• Funded qualifications including apprenticeships
• Inclusive colleague networks (LGBTQ+, Disability, Neurodiversity, Women's, Menopause, and more)
• Health & wellbeing support, including EAP and a health cash plan