Project Officer

Derbyshire County Council; Derby; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Derbyshire is seeking a Project Officer to join their Disability Employment Service. The role focuses on supporting disabled individuals in accessing employment opportunities, engaging with local employers, and enhancing employability skills. Ideal candidates should have experience in building relationships and understanding recruitment barriers faced by disabled people. This is a hybrid position with generous benefits including a robust annual leave scheme and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous Annual Leave Scheme

Local Government Pension Scheme

Wellbeing Support Framework

Employee Wellbeing Support

Cycle to Work Scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in building relationships with employers and organizations.
• Understanding of barriers faced by disabled people in recruitment.
• Knowledge of supported employment frameworks.
• Familiarity with labor market information and disability confidence schemes.

Responsibilities

• Develop vocational profiles for clients.
• Engage with specialist well-being services.
• Find and engage employment pathways like training and volunteering.
• Collaborate with local employers to make reasonable adjustments.
• Enhance employability skills such as CV writing and interview techniques.

Skills

Relationship building

Communication skills

Organizational skills

IT literacy (Microsoft TEAMS, Word, Excel, Outlook)

Job description

Overview

Closing date: 28 September 2025

Disability Employment Service - Project Officer

Hybrid working across Erewash community.

Are you passionate about reducing health inequalities in our communities through employment? Do you have demonstrable experience of building effective relationships with a variety of partners from both the private and public sector?

Derbyshire County Council Public Health are committed to improving employment opportunities for working age disabled people in Derbyshire. Our Disability Employment Service (DES) has a fantastic team, who support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to access support and pathways into employment. This work sits within the Wider Determinants of Health team and supports the development and implementation of work linking to the Council’s Public Health strategy.

Reporting to the Team Manager, the post holder will be required to support disabled people in Derbyshire to:

Responsibilities

• Develop vocational profiles which outlines their employment support needs and job-matching preferences.
• Engage with specialist well-being services to ensure a ‘whole health’ approach.
• Find and engage with a variety of employment pathways including training, volunteering, work experience and apprenticeships.
• Engage with local employers to explore opportunities and make requests for reasonable adjustments.
• Develop their employability skills such as CV writing, applications and interview techniques.

Qualifications

• Have experience in proactively building relationships with employers and partner organisations for the benefit of the people we support.
• Understand the barriers that disabled people face within the world of recruitment and employment.
• Understand the core values that underpin supported employment frameworks.
• Have a good level of knowledge in labour market information and the disability confident employer’s scheme.

Benefits

• Generous Annual Leave Scheme 25 days annual leave per year (rising to 30 days after 5 years continuous service) plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata).
• Local Government Pension Scheme: Providing financial security
• Supportive management and team
• Training and Development: Opportunities for professional qualifications and ongoing training.
• Wellbeing Support Framework: Includes OH physician services, physiotherapy, CBT, and in-house counselling.
• Employee Wellbeing Support: Fast track physiotherapy, confidential psychological support services, Employee Assistance Programme, and “Wisdom” app.
• Paid travel expenses if required to travel to other sites (Terms and conditions apply)
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Promoting a healthy lifestyle.
• Our Derbyshire Rewards: a package of benefits, cashback and discounts.

More details on the benefits of working for the council can be found on our reward and recognition page.

Role Requirements

The successful candidate will require a good level of IT literacy including proficient use of Microsoft TEAMS, Word, Excel and Outlook along with the ability to use different databases. It is also essential that the successful candidate has excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate with individuals with a wide range of communication styles and preferences. They will also be able to demonstrate good organisational and time management skills. We need a person who is flexible and capable of working both on their own initiative and as part of a team.

This post is based in the Erewash area, and the successful candidate will need to develop an excellent knowledge of potential employment opportunities by building close relationships with local providers and employers.

The post holder will be expected to travel when required to client appointments, some travel across Derbyshire will also be required from time to time.

As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled candidates.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about the role, please contact Michelle Cartawick, Disability Employment Service Team Manager by email [e-mail]

Provisional Interview Date: 07 October 2025