IPS Employment Specialist

Job overview

Passionate about supporting people and understanding of mental health needs? If so, you could be the ideal candidate for our team.

We are recruiting band 5 employment specialists to join Dorset Work Matters (DWM), supporting clients across Dorset. These roles are made possible through expansion funding, reflecting a commitment to extending specialist mental health employment support.

We currently have a temporary opportunity available: a part-time role covering East Dorset, based at Kings Park, offered as 9-month maternity cover.

DWM is a well-established, high-performing partnership between Dorset Healthcare Trust and Dorset Mental Health Forum. Since 2019, the service has provided evidence-based support to individuals with mental health conditions, helping them secure paid employment through the nationally recognised individual placement and support (IPS) model.

We are seeking motivated specialists to support people with mental health conditions into sustainable employment, working closely with NHS teams, employers and partner organisations. You will build trusting relationships and provide practical, tailored support to help individuals achieve their employment goals, with much of the work being delivered in the community.

This is a fixed term role and for those with current NHS service, the role will be offered on a secondment basis only.  Please obtain permission to be released on a secondment before submitting an application.

Main duties of the job

To undertake weekly face-to-face engagement with local employers to proactively generate tailored job opportunities, including job carving, in line with IPS principles.

Work collaboratively with clients to identify employment goals, develop CVs and application forms, and prepare effectively for interviews.

Support clients in discussing their mental health condition with potential employers, should they choose to disclose.

Provide welfare benefits advice and calculations to help clients make informed employment decisions.

Deliver ongoing in-work support to both clients and employers, ensuring sustainable employment outcomes.

Adhere to the quality standards and compliance requirements of the IPS Fidelity Model, striving to meet or exceed the service’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Maintain accurate, up-to-date records in line with Service and IPS Fidelity Model requirements.

Demonstrate strong organisational skills by managing caseloads efficiently, prioritising tasks, and meeting deadlines.

Perform a high volume of administrative duties with attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in reporting, documentation, and data entry.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification.  When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that using AI can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application.  However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of AI tools which is negatively impacting applications as they remove candidate’s individuality, and it becomes much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience.  If you do use AI, it should be used to enhance your application and not to create your supporting statement in its entirety.  If we suspect you have used AI to create your supporting statement and this does not match your experience, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [email protected]

Applications from candidates that require  sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.