# IPS Peer Employment Specialist > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/ips-peer-employment-specialist/3cead4d9-03c5-4c6e-b77d-98f630666df1 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/ips-peer-employment-specialist/3cead4d9-03c5-4c6e-b77d-98f630666df1.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - **Town:** Bracknell - **Region:** South East - **Country:** England - **Profession:** Administrative and IT - **Grade:** Band 5 - **Salary:** £33,677 - £40,996 per annum - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Closing date:** 2026-06-12T23:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-05-29T14:52:34.607Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/-v8046578 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8046578?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview People with severe mental health challenges often face major barriers to employment. While over 75% want paid work, only 6–8% achieve it. Berkshire Healthcare’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, is looking for a Peer Employment Specialist to help change this. The role focuses on supporting people with severe mental health issues to gain, retain, and sustain paid employment. At the start of your IPS journey, you will promote employment as a key part of recovery, working closely within Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) to build relationships and encourage timely referrals to the IPS service. To apply, you must have personal experience of accessing secondary mental health services and feel able to manage your diagnosis well. Most importantly, we value your lived experience, resilience, willingness to support others, and ability to build positive relationships. Full IPS training will be provided. You will support clinicians and clients in making informed choices about employment while helping challenge perceptions around mental health and work. Experience in supported employment or mental health services is helpful, but empathy, hope, and determination are essential. There are two full-time roles (37.5 hours) available across the West and East Berkshire Community Mental Health Services teams, with travel required across Berkshire Healthcare locations. ### Main duties of the job - Act as a visible and active presence within CMHS, promoting IPS and employment as a core part of recovery. - Build strong working relationships across CMHS to generate appropriate and timely IPS referrals. - Hold a caseload of around 20 clients, supporting individuals to explore employment goals in line with IPS principles. - Share lived experience appropriately to instill hope, build motivation, and reduce stigma around work and mental health. - Work closely with IPS Employment Specialists, clinicians, and MDT members to ensure integrated and coordinated support. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities The “must haves” for this role: - A degree or experience in health, social care, or employment support - You will need to have accessed secondary mental health services and have reached a time in your life where you feel you are able to manage your diagnosis well - Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other disadvantaged groups) into employment - Ability to travel across West/East Berkshire - Able to demonstrate through examples offered at interview excellent motivational, communication and listening skills - Able to demonstrate a high level of organisation and perseverance in the application and at interview For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Gurpreet Athwal on 07815485139 or email:  \[email protected\] who’ll be delighted to help. Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible. ## Job Details People with severe mental health challenges often face major barriers to employment. While over 75% want paid work, only 6–8% achieve it. Berkshire Healthcare’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, is looking for a Peer Employment Specialist to help change this. The role focuses on supporting people with severe mental health issues to gain, retain, and sustain paid employment. At the start of your IPS journey, you will promote employment as a key part of recovery, working closely within Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) to build relationships and encourage timely referrals to the IPS service. To apply, you must have personal experience of accessing secondary mental health services and feel able to manage your diagnosis well. Most importantly, we value your lived experience, resilience, willingness to support others, and ability to build positive relationships. Full IPS training will be provided. You will support clinicians and clients in making informed choices about employment while helping challenge perceptions around mental health and work. Experience in supported employment or mental health services is helpful, but empathy, hope, and determination are essential. There are two full-time roles (37.5 hours) available across the West and East Berkshire Community Mental Health Services teams, with travel required across Berkshire Healthcare locations. ## Job Description Act as a visible and active presence within CMHS, promoting IPS and employment as a core part of recovery. Build strong working relationships across CMHS to generate appropriate and timely IPS referrals. Hold a caseload of around 20 clients, supporting individuals to explore employment goals in line with IPS principles. Share lived experience appropriately to instill hope, build motivation, and reduce stigma around work and mental health. Work closely with IPS Employment Specialists, clinicians, and MDT members to ensure integrated and coordinated support. ## Responsibilities The “must haves” for this role: A degree or experience in health, social care, or employment support You will need to have accessed secondary mental health services and have reached a time in your life where you feel you are able to manage your diagnosis well Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other disadvantaged groups) into employment Ability to travel across West/East Berkshire Able to demonstrate through examples offered at interview excellent motivational, communication and listening skills Able to demonstrate a high level of organisation and perseverance in the application and at interview For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Gurpreet Athwal on 07815485139 or email: \[email protected\] who’ll be delighted to help. Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible. ## Person Specification ### Previous experience **Essential** - Experience of working with and supporting people who have mental health issues (or other unemployed disadvantaged groups) into employment - Experience of supporting individuals on a one-to-one basis, with strong understanding of recovery-focused, strengths-based approach - Experience of carrying out assessments (eg vocational, health, occupational) - Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets **Desirable** - Experience of working alongside clinical teams within mental health ### Additional requirements **Essential** - Ability to travel across CMHS locations as required using own means of transport ### Knowledge, skills and abilities **Essential** - Ability to engage and build rapport with service users and clinical teams. - Able to demonstrate empathy, tenacity and hope when working alongside people with severe mental health issues - Knowledge of policy, practice and legislation in relation to employment, disability, equalities and mental health - Good numeracy and information management skills - Able to demonstrate a high level of perseverance; committed to seeing plans through to their conclusion within agreed timescales - Excellent motivational, communication and listening skills; able to build rapport and trust with a range of people, especially clients and employers - Well organised and confident working independently with own caseload and using initiative to identify and make the most of new opportunities **Desirable** - Experience of working within NHS settings - Able to collaborate successfully within a mixed-disciplinary team applying effective communication and collaborative working skills - Good knowledge of the local employment market - Understanding of work-related benefits Understanding of successful job search strategies – eg creating a compelling CV, presenting clients to hiring managers, preparing for interviews ### Education/qualifications/training **Essential** - Degree or equivalent experience - Lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery, with ability to use this safely and purposefully **Desirable** - To have accessed secondary mental health services and have reached a time in your life where you feel you are able to manage your diagnosis well ### Continuous professional development **Desirable** - A good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment - Trained in the IPS approach - Additional employability/careers counselling qualification, such as: 1. Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification 2. QCF in Advice & Guidance (Level 3) ## Documents - [working for us (pdf, 766.8kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10335419) - [help with your application guide (pdf, 256.2kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?ddoc=2406) - [job description & person specification (pdf, 166.8kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10335417) - [value based recruitment behaviour framework (pdf, 453.8kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10335418) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.