Ips employment specialist jobs

Make a real difference every day

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that everyone severely affected by mental illness deserves the opportunity to live a fulfilling life — and having meaningful employment can be a crucial part of that journey.

We’re looking for an IPS Employment Specialist to join our East Kent IPS Service covering Thanet, Folkestone, Hythe & Romney Marsh, Canterbury, Dover, Deal and Ashford. You’ll work one‑to‑one with people who want to find or return to paid employment, helping them identify their goals, build confidence, and secure roles that align with their skills and aspirations.

This is a Part Time (21 Hours) role with a salary of £13,796.24 pro rata.

This is a rewarding, dynamic role where no two days are the same. You’ll work in the community, meet people where they are, and build strong relationships with employers and local partners to open real opportunities within the hidden labour market.

What you’ll do

As an Employment Specialist, you will:

• Work alongside individuals to understand their employment goals and create personalised vocational plans.
• Support people to find and keep paid work that reflects their strengths, interests and ambitions.
• Build and maintain relationships with employers, identifying opportunities and advocating for reasonable adjustments where needed.
• Provide in‑work support to help individuals thrive in their roles.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the IPS team and local services to ensure consistent, recovery‑focused support.
• Promote the value of employment in mental health recovery across your allocated East Kent area.
• Maintain effective records, manage referrals, and contribute to the smooth running of the service.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has experience supporting people into employment or helping others overcome barriers to work.
• Understands mental health challenges and has experience in social care, support services or community-based roles.
• Can build positive relationships with a wide range of people, including employers, colleagues and service users.
• Is empathetic, proactive and comfortable working independently across a dispersed geography.
• Is organised, flexible and able to respond calmly to unexpected challenges.
• Has strong awareness of risk management, safeguarding and confidentiality.
• Holds — or is working towards — a Level 3 qualification relevant to care, community mental health or social support (or equivalent experience).

Experience delivering community projects, facilitating training, or developing workshops is desirable but not essential.

Why join us?

Joining Rethink Mental Illness means becoming part of a charity that believes in people’s potential. You’ll receive:

• Regular supervision and access to learning and development
• Supportive, values-driven colleagues
• Opportunities to shape services and empower individuals
• The chance to make a direct, life‑changing impact

Ready to make a difference?

If you’re passionate about supporting people with mental health challenges to achieve their employment goals, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and help create a better future for people living with mental illness in East Kent

About Working Well Trust 

Working Well Trust is a mental health and employment charity in London. All of our projects share the aim of improving the lives of people with mental health support needs, learning disabilities and/or complex issues through training and employment. 

We are now recruiting an IPS Employment Advisor to join our Connect to Work service across Enfield. This is a full-time, permanent role working 35 hours per week, following the principles of the IPS model to support people into paid employment. 

What you’ll be doing 

If you were working with us, your days would be varied and people-centred. You would manage a caseload of clients with mental health support needs, people experiencing homelessness, and people with offending histories, offering one-to-one support to help them secure and sustain employment that matches their preferences. 

You would provide person-centred guidance using the IPS approach (training is provided), helping clients build confidence, prepare for work, and navigate challenges that may arise. A key part of the role involves engaging employers, promoting the value of our service, and identifying suitable job opportunities.

You would work closely with NHS clinical teams, contributing to an integrated approach to recovery through employment. This includes attending team meetings, coordinating support, and maintaining clear, client-led communication. The role also involves working to agreed targets while maintaining a high-quality, supportive service. 

What you’ll need 

You do not need previous employment support experience. What matters most is that you bring: 

• A genuine desire to support people with mental health support needs and/or learning disabilities to achieve their employment goals. 

• Motivation to help people from all backgrounds move into meaningful work. 

• Confidence speaking with a wide range of people, from clients to employers. 

• Strong organisation skills, with the ability to multitask and manage your workload. 

• Willingness to learn the IPS model and become confident approaching employers. 

We welcome applications from people with lived experience of mental health, personally or through a close contact. 

What we offer 

• 30 days annual leave plus public holidays (FTE) 

• Paid company closed days at the end of the year (FTE) 

• Flexible, paid Wellbeing Hour every fortnight (FTE) 

• 6% employer pension contribution 

Working Well Trust is an equal opportunities employer and Confident about Disabilities. 

What’s next 

Before you apply, please note the following: 

• We actively recruit and carefully review all applications. Due to rapid service expansion, we have onboarded 20 external hires in the last six months. 

• To ensure we can best support the people and communities we serve, we progress applications only where candidates provide meaningful answers to the screening questions. 

• Career development is real here: in the past year, 10 colleagues have progressed internally into Senior roles, Project Lead, Team Lead, and Operations Manager positions. We value ambition and celebrate progression. 

• If you require any reasonable adjustments at the interview stage, for example due to a disability, learning difficulty or health condition, please let us know in advance so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

If you are ready to help us build a service that supports people into meaningful work, click Apply to submit your CV and answer the screening questions. Telephone and final interviews will be confirmed. 

Start your application today and take the next step in a rewarding career. 

SEQF Employment Specialist

Birmingham, B24 8HZ

We are advertising for 3 roles (2 x Full Time, 1 x Part Time 0.5FTE)

Salary: £31817 per annum (pro rata for Part Time). Fixed Term Contract to 31.3.27.

Location: Gravelly Hill, Birmingham B24 8HZ

Benefits: 25 days holiday, pro-rata, 5.5% Employer Pension Contribution including Life Cover, Occupational Sick Pay Benefits & Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Leave and Pay, plus more

Reporting to: Employability Manager

About FareShare Midlands

FareShare Midlands is the region’s largest food redistribution charity, tackling inequality, transforming lives and ensuring no good food goes to waste. We rescue surplus food and redistribute it to 650 local charities and community organisations, feeding 60,000 people every week. We also invest in communities, providing education, training and volunteering opportunities, helping over 700 individuals to date to build a better future. Together, we’re fighting hunger, reducing food waste and creating opportunities across the Midlands. Learn more here or read our latest Annual Report Snapshot here.

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Supported Employment Specialist with a strong background in IPS (Individual Placement and Support) or SEQF (Supported Employment Quality Framework) models to join our team. The successful candidate will work directly with participants to help them identify, secure, and sustain competitive employment while building strong partnerships with employers and community support providers. This is a hands-on role that combines vocational coaching, employer engagement, and individualized support planning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify, recruit, and register eligible participants, conducting inductions and assessing individual employment barriers.
• Work with participants to develop personalized vocational profiles, action plans, and career goals.
• Deliver one-to-one and group coaching, employability workshops, and workplace skills training.
• Apply the SEQF supported employment model, guiding participants through all five stages to achieve and sustain competitive employment.
• Identify and develop relationships with local employers to create suitable, inclusive work opportunities.
• Negotiate reasonable adjustments, job carving, and return-to-work strategies with employers.
• Support employers to embed inclusive practices that meet business needs and participant goals.
• Maintain accurate records of participant progress, outcomes, and employer engagement in line with SEQF standards.
• Arrange access to training opportunities and develop partnerships with specialist support providers.
• Ensure all placements and employment opportunities comply with safeguarding, health, and safety requirements.

Essential Skills:

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience delivering one-to-one and group coaching or training sessions.
• Ability to assess understanding, adapt resources, and provide tailored guidance.
• Skilled at coaching, motivating, and inspiring participants to achieve employment goals.
• Experience supporting individuals with learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, or other employment barriers.
• Proven record in employer engagement and achieving positive participant outcomes.
• Knowledge and practical experience of SEQF or IPS supported employment frameworks.

Desirable Skills:

• Knowledge of the food industry and retail sector in the Midlands.
• Understanding of food waste and food poverty issues.
• Level 3 IAG (Information, Advice, and Guidance) in Employability.
• Understanding of welfare benefits.

How to Apply:

If you would like to apply for this role, please create a supporting statement to demonstrate your suitability and to explain your interest in both the job and FareShare Midlands. Please send your supporting statement with a copy of your CV.

We continue to strive to ensure that the profile of our staff and volunteers reflects the diverse communities we serve across the Midlands. As such we encourage and welcome applications from all our communities. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically diverse backgrounds as they are currently under-represented within FareShare Midlands.

Closing date for applications is Friday 5th June 2026

At Hestia, we are guided by our core values and are dedicated to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation. Our mission is to empower individuals to rebuild their lives and achieve independence. Right now, we are looking for a Employment Specialist to play a pivotal role in our Employment Services in Barnet.

Sounds great, what will I be doing?

We are seeking a dedicated and adaptable professional to manage a caseload of up to 20 clients, supporting individuals with mental health conditions into meaningful employment using the IPS model. The ideal candidate will work closely with clinical teams, contribute to multi-disciplinary care planning, and build strong relationships with employers to tailor job opportunities. Strong organisational and communication skills are essential for managing referrals, job retention support, and compliance with NHS and Hestia protocols. The role also requires accurate KPI tracking, benefit guidance, and flexibility to work across various settings. A commitment to professional development, collaboration, and client-centred outcomes is key.​

What do I need to bring with me?

You'll need to be able to demonstrate the core skills this role requires as well as match our values and mission. You don't have to tick all the boxes right away; the important thing is that you're willing to learn. We also value lived experience of the areas we support, so if you feel comfortable, please do mention this on your application.

Someone who is a self starter and comfortable with a lone working environment, you will have strong empathy skills and an eye for detail. You should have experience of supporting people in a job search and have made an impact on this. To succeed you would need to have worked in a target environment and used to meeting and exceeding targets.

Interview Steps

We keep our interview process simple, so you know exactly what to expect.

• Shortlisting call: We have a team of dedicated recruitment specialists who will speak to you about your experience, motivations and values. They will also tell you about all the great work we do!
• Face to face interview: Now you will have face to face interview with the hiring manager. Our interviews are value and competency based.

Don't be alarmed if there are other stages in the process, it's all part of the plan for some of our roles.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our services users come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and value the skills, abilities, talent and experiences, different people and communities bring to our organisation.

We are a disability confident employer

Hestia is proud to be a disability confident employer, dedicated to the employment and career development of individuals with disabilities. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for. We also provide reasonable adjustments during the selection and interview process, and throughout your employment with us.

Safeguarding Statement

Hestia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people who are potentially at risk, and we therefore expect all staff and volunteers to do the same. We require all staff to undertake internal and external safeguarding training throughout their employment with Hestia.

Important Information for Candidates

If your application is successful, please be aware that you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks before a formal offer of employment can be confirmed.

We reserve the right to close this job advert early should we receive a high volume of applications or if the position is filled before the closing date. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to ensure their application is considered.

East Kent IPS Employment Service Manager

Location: East Kent (Thanet, Folkestone, Hythe & Romney Marsh, Canterbury, Dover, Deal, Ashford)
Hours: 21 hours per week (0.6 FTE)
Contract: Permanent
Work type: Field‑based
Reporting to: Head of Area
DBS: Enhanced Disclosure with Adults Barred List

Who we are

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone severely affected by mental illness should have a good quality of life. We listen, we work together, and we challenge inequality — always putting people at the heart of what we do.

Our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service helps people with mental health challenges find and sustain paid employment that matters to them. We’re now looking for a passionate and experienced IPS Employment Service Manager to lead and develop our East Kent service.

About the role

As Employment Service Manager, you’ll lead a small, dedicated team of Employment Specialists delivering high‑quality, recovery‑focused employment support across East Kent. You’ll ensure the service meets contractual requirements, achieves positive outcomes for people we support, and reflects Rethink’s values in everything it does.

Working closely with the Head of Area, you’ll provide day‑to‑day leadership, oversight of performance and quality, and strong external partnership working — all while championing innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

You’ll manage four part‑time Employment Specialists and play a key role in shaping how the IPS service responds to local need.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading, supporting and developing a dispersed staff team to deliver safe, effective and person‑centred services
• Ensuring strong performance against contract targets, quality standards and reporting requirements
• Embedding safeguarding, data protection, equality and health & safety into everyday practice
• Providing regular supervision, coaching, appraisals and performance support
• Building effective relationships with commissioners, referrers, mental health services and community partners
• Managing recruitment, staff resourcing, budgets and operational processes
• Promoting service user involvement and ensuring voices of lived experience shape the service
• Identifying opportunities for service improvement, innovation and local engagement

Who we’re looking for

You’ll be a confident, values‑driven leader with experience of managing services in health, social care or a related setting. You’ll bring a collaborative approach, a commitment to recovery‑focused practice, and a genuine passion for supporting people affected by mental illness into employment.

You’ll need:

• Experience of managing and supporting staff teams, including supervision and performance management
• Knowledge of mental health, recovery approaches and best practice
• Experience of safeguarding, incident reporting and regulatory compliance
• Strong organisational, communication and partnership‑working skills
• Ability to plan, monitor and evidence outcomes and service impact
• NVQ Level 3 / QCF Diploma (or equivalent) in a health or social care related subject
• Good IT skills, including confidence using Microsoft Office

We’d love it if you also have:

• Lived experience of mental ill health or using mental health services

Why join us?

• Be part of a values‑led organisation making a real difference
• Work flexibly and autonomously with strong leadership support
• Access learning, development and career progression opportunities
• Join a caring, inclusive workplace where equity, respect and openness matter

Interested?
If you’re ready to lead a service that changes lives through meaningful employment, we’d love to hear from you.

Rethink Mental Illness is committed to creating a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental illness.