Lead Employment Specialist

recoveryfocus; North East; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Waythrough is seeking a Lead Employment Specialist to head a four-person team across County Durham, driving an IPS-based approach and building strong employer partnerships. The role requires leading across busy sites, managing a small caseload and coordinating with external partners to support meaningful employment for people in recovery and facing barriers to work.

You will oversee service delivery, monitor performance, and contribute to ongoing service development while working across multiple

Qualifications

• Experience in employability services or related field.
• Experience with external stakeholders and building professional relationships.
• Experience supervising or managing others.
• Knowledge of employment opportunities and barriers to work.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience meeting targets and achieving positive outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of four Employment Specialists, providing coaching, mentoring and ongoing support.
• Oversee delivery of a high-quality IPS service with best-practice processes.
• Manage a caseload of around 10–15 individuals and support their paid employment goals.
• Build relationships with local employers and identify opportunities in the labour market.
• Develop employer engagement and job development strategies.
• Monitor performance, progress against targets and continuous improvement.
• Maintain records and prepare reports for stakeholders and commissioners.
• Collaborate with partners to support employment goals and gather user feedback.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Relationship-building

Team management

Tools

Management Information Systems

Job description

Lead Employment Specialist - County Durham

Location: County Durham (main base to be discussed with line manager), travel will be required throughout the region and between services.

Working Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (with one 30 minute early finish each week.

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £29,430 - £37,610

Please note: You will need a full driving licence and access to a vehicle, as the role involves working across County Durham and meeting with employers and partners.

Please note: The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band.

About Waythrough

Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we've created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England.

Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services - and it's all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.

Make a real difference in your community

Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job - it's a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change.

About the role

Are you passionate about helping people overcome barriers to employment and supporting them to build a brighter future?

Waythrough is looking for a motivated and experienced Lead Employment Specialist to join our CDDARS service across County Durham. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop a team of four Employment Specialists, helping people accessing drug and alcohol treatment to find and sustain meaningful, paid employment.

You will play a key role in developing our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach, supporting your team to build strong relationships with local employers and create opportunities for people who may have never worked or have been out of employment for a long time.

This is a rewarding role where you will have the opportunity to shape and develop the service, make the role your own and help people take positive steps towards long-term employment and recovery.

What you will do

• Lead, supervise and develop a team of four Employment Specialists, providing coaching, mentoring, training and ongoing support.
• Support the delivery of a high-quality IPS service, ensuring best practice is followed and positive employment outcomes are achieved.
• Manage a small caseload of around 10-15 individuals, supporting them to secure sustainable paid employment that reflects their skills, strengths and preferences.
• Build and maintain relationships with local employers, identifying opportunities and helping the team access the hidden labour market.
• Support the team to develop effective employer engagement and job development strategies.
• Monitor service performance, review progress against targets and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare reports for internal and external stakeholders, including commissioners.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, external agencies, training providers and other partners to help individuals achieve their employment goals.
• Gather feedback from the people we support and use this to improve service delivery.
• Support employers to understand individual needs and, where appropriate, negotiate workplace adjustments and ongoing support to help people remain in employment.

About you

We are looking for someone who can bring strong leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, alongside a genuine passion for helping people achieve their employment goals.

You will be confident managing your own workload, supporting a team to achieve its objectives and building relationships with employers and external stakeholders. You will also be motivated by the opportunity to develop a service and help people overcome barriers to employment.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Experience in employability services, recruitment or a related field.
• Experience of working with external stakeholders and building effective professional relationships.
• Experience of supporting, supervising, mentoring or managing others.
• A good understanding of employment opportunities, different occupations and the barriers people can face when looking for work.
• Strong organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Experience of working towards targets and achieving positive outcomes.
• The ability to analyse information, maintain accurate records and use management information systems.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to work independently, using your initiative to develop and improve a service.
• A commitment to Waythrough's values of Kindness, Courage and Respect.

Experience of the Individual Placement and Suppor