Job overview
Would you like an opportunity to help people who have mental health needs find work and help sustain employment? Do you currently work or have experience in health or social care, recruitment, employment or education services? If you have transferable skills to enable people to find /sustain employment, this is an excellent opportunity to join our team of Employment Specialists.
Our service has the IPS status as a National Centre of Excellence (Centre for Mental Health) and we require an empathetic and driven individual to join our team as an Employment Specialist in Ipswich, Suffolk on a Permanent Contract. You will be tasked with helping people with mental health needs to realise and achieve their paid employment goals including support with job searching, applications, interview skills and providing support after they have found work. As well as supporting those already in work with sustaining their employment, where their mental health is a contributing factor. You will be driven to build strong and lasting relationships with local employers, championing IPS and the individuals you support.
This is an opportunity to be embedded within the East & Central Suffolk ‘Early Intervention in Psychosis’ team – the role will see you become a vital part of the recovery planning and processes for this team, providing employment services to their service users.
Main duties of the job
You must have strong communication skills and confidence in order to build up relationships with all relevant stakeholders including employers and businesses. You will be required to directly engage with a range of stakeholders (e.g. DWP, Job Centre +, employment law firms, voluntary organisations etc.) but especially local employers in order to create opportunities for service users and to challenge stigma and discrimination that can at times be associated with mental health needs and employment. You will also be meeting and working with people and stakeholders in their local community.
You will work within multi-disciplinary Mental Health Teams, alongside clinical colleagues and will be expected to ‘champion the employment agenda’, instilling the belief that people with mental health needs want to work and with the right support can work; and therefore generating referrals to the service. You will work in partnership with individual service users, developing relationships that are enabling and empowering. You will be providing an evidence based supported employment service (called Individual Placement and Support/IPS) which will require you to prepare individuals for employment by assessing needs; identifying strengths, help with benefits, support networks, travel to work plans etc.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will work to individual targets, i.e. the number of people supported into employment. You will be skilled in managing your own time and working with a high level of autonomy; responsible to the Team Leader via regular supervision and support and accountable to the Service Manager. You will promote best practice within mental health and employment in the Trust and other organisations in the local area.
Please note this may close early if sufficient number of applications are received.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential
- • Vocational assessment and profiling
- • Knowledge of good practice in employment
- • Knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits and benefits rules
Desirable
- • An understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
Experience
Essential
- • Experience of working within health, social care or the voluntary sector with people who have experienced mental health problems.
- • Experience of helping people obtain or sustain employment/training
- • An understanding of the employment needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health problems.
- • Literate in IT/Computer Skills
- • Experience of working with a range of stakeholders (including employers) to support people into employment
Desirable
- • Experience and knowledge of the benefits agency and all disability / employment related benefits.
Qualifications
Essential
- • Good standard of education; NVQ 3 or equivalent
Desirable
- • Educated to degree level; Health and Social care related qualification
Personal Qualities/Skills
Essential
- • Ability to assess service users’ employment skills and needs
- • Able to construct and review person-centered action plans
- • Ability to be flexible, open and creative in problem solving
- • Ability to initiate and develop relationships with employers
- • Excellent marketing and promotional skills
- • Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently
- • Shares the Trust’s Beliefs and models this in their attitude and behaviour:
- • Ability to facilitate solutions to difficult situations
Desirable
- • Report writing skills
- • Ability to analyse interpret and present monitoring data
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for IPS Employment Specialist (Early Intervention in Psychosis) with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in Wickford, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 4 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £28,392 - £31,157 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 12 Jul 2026.
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