Employment Specialist - Connect to Work (North and/or Mid Essex)
At a glance
- Band
- Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Part-time, Compressed hours
- Posted
- 22/09/2026
- Closes
- 29/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role involves supporting Essex residents with mental and physical health needs to achieve and retain paid employment. You will help individuals set and achieve employment goals, including job searching, applications, and interview skills, while providing ongoing in-work support. The position requires building relationships with stakeholders, including local employers, to create opportunities and challenge stigma. You will work independently, managing your time and caseload, and promoting best practice in mental and physical health and employment.
Key responsibilities
- Work in partnership with multi-disciplinary Mental and Physical Health Teams to champion the employment agenda and generate referrals.
- Develop enabling and empowering relationships with individual service users.
- Provide evidence-based supported employment services, preparing individuals for employment by assessing needs and identifying strengths.
- Help service users with benefits, support networks, and travel to work plans.
- Work to individual targets for people supported into employment and employers engaged.
- Manage your own time and work with a high level of autonomy, accountable to the Team Leader and Vocational Manager.
Essential criteria
- Good standard of education; NVQ 3 or equivalent
- Understanding of the needs and challenges faced by people experiencing mental and physical health difficulties when looking for employment
- Good understanding of the need for goal setting when delivering employment support
- Good knowledge of local and/or Government employment initiatives.
- Good knowledge of the link between mental health and employment
- Good knowledge of maintain best practice in employment and ways to promote this
- Experience of helping people obtain or sustain employment/training
- Experience of working within health, social care or the voluntary sector with people who have experienced mental health problems
- Experience of developing local stakeholder relationships or similar
- Experience of working to a high standard of administration procedures
- Literate in IT/Computer Skills, including Outlook, Excel
- Good oral communication skills based on fluency with the English language
- Ability to assess and service users' employability skills and identify support needs
- Able to construct and review person-centered action plans
- Ability to be flexible, open and creative when problem solving, facilitating solutions to challenging situations
- Excellent negotiation skills and persuasive which will benefit development of relationships with local employers/ stakeholders
- Commitment to working collectively with colleagues to reach team targets, sharing best practice ideas, stakeholder links and employer leads
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills leading to effective representation and promotion of the service
- Ability to work independently, reliably and consistently whiles delivering support in line with Trust values, open, compassionate and empowering
Desirable criteria
- Educated to degree level; Health and Social care related qualification
- Qualification in; Information, Advice & Guidance or Employability Service Sector
- Trained IPS approach
- Knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits, i.e. disability, employment and in-work benefits
- An understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment (IPS Model)
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
- Previous Experience of delivering IPS Employment Support
- Delivering Mental Health First Aid Training
- Use of patient record systems to record client activity
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 4 at £26,530 – £29,114 a year, across England.
This advert: £28,392 – £31,157 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 7d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Employment Specialist - Connect to Work (North and/or Mid Essex)
The closing date is 29 September 2026
Job summary
EPUT is very excited and proud to offer the opportunity to join our new Connect to Work employment service on a fixed-term contract until 31st December 2026.
If you are a people person and feel you would enjoy supporting a wide range of Essex residents with achieving their employment goals, then why not apply today!
This service supports those across Essex with mental and physical health needs achieve and retain good quality paid work. This builds on a long track record and reputation at EPUT for helping to make a difference to people's lives through promoting sustainable employment that improves mental and physical health and brings wider community benefits.
The service is called Connect to Work and the main focus is to work alongside primary and community healthcare providers who will be the main referrers into the service and deliver high quality support to help those referred to gain and sustain in paid employment.
Due to funding, one vacancy (4 days/week) can be filled immediately after pre-employment checks are complete and the 2nd vacancy (2.5 days/week) can start on 1st April 2026. More detail will be given at interview.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for an enthusiastic and hig
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