Job summary
- Main area
- Employment Services
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- 5 months (Fixed Term: 5 months (Ending 31st March 2026) - with possibility of extension)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 364-A-9375
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Mariner House, Ipswich Central
- Town
- Ipswich, Suffolk
- Salary
- £27,485 - £30,162 per annum, pro rata for part time
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 02/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

IPS Employment Specialist - Ipswich Central
Band 4
Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.
We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.
You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.
The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.
We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.
We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.
We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.
Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.
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 5 month fixed term contract (With the possibility of extension). You will be involved in helping people with mental health needs to decide on their 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.
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.
Working for our organisation
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Open, Compassionate and Empowering. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
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.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • Good standard of education; NVQ 3 or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- • Educated to degree level; Health and Social care related qualification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • Vocational assessment and profiling
- • Knowledge of good practice in employment
- • Knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits and benefits rules
Desirable criteria
- • An understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
Experience
Essential criteria
- • 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 criteria
- • Experience and knowledge of the benefits agency and all disability / employment related benefits.
Personal Qualities/Skills
Essential criteria
- • 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 criteria
- • Report writing skills
- • Ability to analyse interpret and present monitoring data
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Angelo Sansiviero
- Job title
- Team Leader
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07890895855
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