IPS Job Retention Specialist (NW)
At a glance
- Band
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time
- Posted
- 21/08/2026
- Closes
- 06/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This advert explicitly states that sponsorship is not offered.
The source advert contains explicit wording ruling out sponsorship for this specific role. Consider other live roles at the same band from sponsorship-friendly trusts.
Role summary
This role involves working as an IPS Job Retention Specialist within a multi-disciplinary Community Team. You will autonomously manage a caseload of service users with mental health difficulties, helping them retain their employment using the Individual Placement Support (IPS) model. Responsibilities include providing advice on employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans, as well as supporting with employment termination applications and workplace inclusion. You will also assist those supported out of a job to find new employment.
Key responsibilities
- Carry a caseload of Service Users with severe mental illness who are currently off work and wish to return to work.
- Provide advice and ongoing support on issues including employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans.
- Support with employment termination applications and provide workplace support to promote inclusion and reduce discrimination and stigma.
- Deliver the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) approach for those who have been supported out of a job and wish to obtain new employment.
- Focus on rapid job search with the service user and source job opportunities through tailored job search and regular employer contact.
- Provide individualised support to service users once they have returned to work to assist them in maintaining employment.
Essential criteria
- Educated to a degree level or equivalent
- Job Retention training or equivalent experience
- Considerable experience of working with adults with MH difficulties in a health or social care setting
- Significant experience working in a role delivering employment support.
- Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment
- Understanding of the principles and practice of IPS
- Knowledge of employment law
- Team orientated and work collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team
- Experience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison work with other agencies
- Experience of opening up job opportunities with a range of employers
- Ability to work with key IT tools such as MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint
- Ability to build rapport with a range of people
- Ability to provide and receive sensitive information regarding services users care and social situation
- Ability to negotiate and persuade appropriately prospective employers of benefits of offering work opportunities to Service Users.
- Active listening skills, ability to ask perceptive questions that tease out important information .
Desirable criteria
- IPS trained
- Additional relevant training in areas of employment, mental health, coaching
- Supervision of junior staff
- Experience of partnership working, negotiation and liaison with other agencies
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 5 at £29,970 – £36,483 a year, across England.
This advert: £33,677 – £40,996 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 17d ago · Closes in 0d
Applications close soon — apply now if this is a fit.
Full advert · preview
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
IPS Job Retention Specialist (NW)
The closing date is 06 September 2026
Job summary
You will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary Community Team. As an IPS Job Retention Specialist (ES), you will provide a specialist service, autonomously managing a caseload of service users to enable them to retain their employment using the Individual Placement Support (IPS) model, working with colleagues within HPFT community mental health teams and Primary Care.
You will provide advice and ongoing support on issues including employment rights, reasonable adjustments, and phased return to work plans.
You will support with employment termination applications and provide workplace support to the service user and employer to promote inclusion and reduce discrimination and stigma.
You will deliver the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) approach for those who have been supported out of a job and wish to obtain new employment, for which training will be given should a service user be supported into a new role.
Whilst we welcome all applications from all suitable candidates, unfortunately, we will not be offering sponsorship for this role.
Main duties of the job
Each Community Services Hub provides a specialist care pathway to Service Users with Non pyschotic disorders and Personality disorder. They also prov
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