Employment Specialist

Connect to Work Employment Specialist Location: Wirral (Community-Based Role) Salary: £31,000 per annum + travel expenses (beyond base location) Contract: Full-time, Permanent Please Note: due to the community-based nature of this role, a full UK drivers license and access to own vehicle is required    About the Opportunity We are seeking a passionate and proactive Connect to Work Employment Specialist to support individuals with health conditions, disabilities, and other barriers to employment to achieve and sustain their employment goals. Working within an IPS (Individual Placement and Support) approach, you will provide personalised, strengths-based employment support tailored to each individual's aspirations, skills, and circumstances. You will work closely with participants, employers, health professionals, and community partners to help individuals secure meaningful employment and progress within the workplace. This is a rewarding, community-based role combining vocational coaching, employer engagement, job development, advocacy, and in-work support to achieve sustainable employment outcomes.    Key Responsibilities    Deliver Person-Centred Employment Support Manage a caseload of participants receiving support through the Connect to Work programme. Build trusting, professional relationships with participants through a person-centred approach. Complete vocational profiling to understand individuals' skills, strengths, aspirations, experience, and employment goals. Develop personalised action plans focused on achieving sustainable employment. Provide tailored one-to-one support throughout the employment journey. Identify and address barriers to employment, including health, confidence, skills, and workplace-related barriers. Support participants to develop job-search, interview, CV, application, and workplace skills. Empower participants to make informed choices about their employment and career goals. Support Participants into Sustainable Employment Identify suitable employment opportunities aligned with each participant's skills, aspirations, and preferences. Provide intensive and individualised job-search support. Develop effective job-matching strategies based on participant preferences and employer requirements. Support participants with applications, interviews, recruitment processes, and job offers. Provide ongoing in-work support to help participants sustain employment. Support individuals to identify opportunities for career development, training, and progression. Gradually reduce support where appropriate while ensuring participants remain able to sustain their employment. Develop Strong Employer Partnerships Proactively engage with local employers to develop sustainable employment opportunities. Build and maintain strong relationships with employers across the Wirral area. Develop an understanding of local labour markets, sectors, vacancies, and employer needs. Promote the benefits of inclusive recruitment and employing individuals with health conditions and disabilities. Identify opportunities for job development, work trials, placements, and sustainable employment. Support employers to understand appropriate workplace adjustments and effective ways of supporting employees. Maintain professional relationships with employers throughout the participant's employment journey. Work Collaboratively with Health and Community Partners Develop effective working relationships with health professionals, community organisations, training providers, and other relevant stakeholders. Work collaboratively with partner organisations to identify and support individuals who may benefit from employment support. Make appropriate referrals and signpost participants to specialist services where required. Advocate for participants where appropriate and ensure support is coordinated around their individual needs. Contribute to a collaborative, integrated approach to health and employment support. Provide Ongoing In-Work Support Provide personalised support to participants once they enter employment. Help individuals overcome workplace challenges and develop confidence in their new role. Work with participants and employers to identify appropriate solutions to emerging issues. Support individuals to understand and access reasonable adjustments where appropriate. Monitor employment progress and intervene proactively where there is a risk of job loss. Support participants to develop their skills, confidence, and independence within the workplace. Maintain Quality and Performance Maintain accurate, timely, and compliant records of participant engagement, activity, progress, and outcomes. Manage a varied caseload effectively and prioritise activity according to participant need. Work towards agreed performance targets while maintaining high-quality, person-centred support. Ensure all activity is delivered in line with Connect to Work requirements, organisational policies, and the principles of IPS. Monitor participant progress and adapt support plans where required. Contribute to service development, continuous improvement, and sharing of best practice. Attend team meetings, supervision, training, and performance reviews as required. About You We're looking for someone who is passionate about supporting people into meaningful and sustainable employment and who can build positive relationships with participants, employers, and professional partners. You will have: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. A person-centred, strengths-based approach. Strong coaching, motivational, and relationship-building skills. The ability to build trust with individuals experiencing health conditions, disabilities, or complex barriers to employment. A proactive and solution-focused approach. Strong employer engagement and networking skills. The ability to identify suitable employment opportunities and effectively match candidates to vacancies. Excellent organisational and caseload management skills. The ability to work independently within a community-based environment. Strong administrative and record-keeping skills. The ability to manage competing priorities and work towards performance targets. A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle. Desirable Experience Experience working within IPS, Connect to Work, supported employment, employability, welfare-to-work, or vocational rehabilitation. Experience supporting individuals with health conditions, disabilities, mental health needs, or complex barriers to employment. Knowledge of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model and fidelity principles. Experience of vocational profiling, job matching, job development, and in-work support. Experience engaging with employers and developing sustainable employment opportunities. Knowledge of workplace wellbeing, disability inclusion, and reasonable adjustments. Understanding of health-related employment support and vocational services. Knowledge of local labour markets and employment opportunities. Experience working collaboratively with health, community, or statutory services. How to Apply For more information or to apply for the Observation Assessor – Health & Social Care role, please contact: Robert Rowe (phone number removed) / (url removed)