Job Introduction

IPS Employment Specialist - Mental Health Employment Services

Help make employment part of someone’s recovery

Employment can provide more than an income. For someone experiencing serious mental illness, the right job can strengthen confidence, independence and recovery.

As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will work alongside NHS clinical teams across Mid Essex, supporting people to find and sustain competitive paid employment that reflects their preferences and strengths. You will manage a caseload, meet people in community and clinical settings, build relationships with employers and work towards job-start and sustainment outcomes.

This is a mobile role with daily travel across Mid Essex, not a home-based or single-office position. Full training in Individual Placement and Support (IPS) will be provided.

Please note: the salary advertised is the full-time equivalent (FTE). This role is 18 hours per week, and the actual salary will be pro-rated accordingly.

Before you apply: the essentials

To be considered, your CV and application must clearly demonstrate:

• Experience providing one-to-one advice, guidance or practical support to adults or young adults, with evidence of helping people work towards clear outcomes.

• Evidence of building trust, motivating people and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

• Experience managing a caseload, appointments or competing priorities while maintaining accurate records and reliable follow-through.

• Confidence communicating with different people and professionals, including a willingness to approach employers and develop new relationships.

• Evidence of working towards outcomes, targets, tasks or agreed objectives and continuing when progress is difficult.

• Evidence of commitment, reliability and consistently delivering high standards of work.

• Confidence using Microsoft Office and digital record or case-management systems, with the ability to learn new systems.

• Ability to present your recent employment history clearly, including explaining gaps or short-term roles during the previous five years.

• A valid driving licence, reliable access to a vehicle for work and appropriate business-use insurance, enabling regular travel throughout Mid Essex.

Useful, but not essential

• Employability, careers advice, welfare-to-work or supported employment experience.

• Experience supporting people with mental health conditions, disabilities or other barriers.

• IPS, NHS, clinical-team, recruitment or employer-engagement experience.

Previous IPS experience is not required. We are particularly interested in people who can bring strong advice, employability or relationship-building skills and want to develop specialist expertise in mental health employment support.

The real job

IPS - Individual Placement and Support - is an evidence-based approach that helps people experiencing serious mental illness move into competitive paid employment. If somebody wants to work, you help them start a rapid, personalised job search rather than putting them through lengthy pre-employment activity.

You will complete vocational profiles, understand each person's goals and job preferences, support applications and interviews and help them consider disclosure, workplace adjustments and managing health at work.

You will work as part of an NHS clinical team, attending multidisciplinary meetings and communicating appropriately with clinicians about wellbeing and risk.

Employer engagement is equally important. You will approach businesses directly, including employers who do not already know you, understand their workforce needs and uncover advertised and hidden opportunities. You need to be comfortable initiating conversations, hearing "no" and trying again.

Your support continues after somebody starts work, helping participants and employers resolve difficulties and sustain employment.

What success looks like

You build trusted relationships with participants and clinical colleagues, maintain purposeful contact across your caseload and turn individual employment preferences into active job searches.

Your employer relationships create genuine opportunities. Records are accurate and timely, and your work contributes to job starts, sustained employment and a high-quality IPS service.

The working reality

This role combines empathy with action and accountability. You will hear difficult personal information, support people whose health or engagement may fluctuate and maintain clear professional boundaries.

You will also work towards employment outcomes, manage your own diary and travel daily between clinical, community and employer locations across Mid Essex.

We will consider reasonable adjustments that enable you to meet the role's travel requirements. Regular travel across the delivery area remains essential.

What you get

• 25 days' annual leave, increasing with service.

• Vitality health and wellbeing support, including GP services, mental health support and physiotherapy.

• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, including up to six counselling sessions a year and legal, financial and debt guidance.

• Workplace pension, with salary sacrifice available subject to eligibility and scheme rules.

• Share buy scheme.

• Up to £360 a year through IncentFit for eligible activities.

• Wellbeing, retail, fitness, travel and mobile discounts, including 20% off eligible EE mobile plans.

You will also receive full IPS training and fidelity guidance to help you develop specialist skills in this evidence-based employment model.

About Get Set UK

Get Set UK delivers employment, skills, apprenticeships, health and justice services, helping people overcome barriers and progress towards meaningful, sustainable employment. We are part of Palladium, a global impact organisation with more than 60 years' experience delivering programmes and solutions internationally.

Our values are Be Ambitious, Be Proud, Be Considerate, Be Inspiring and Own It, and they shape how we work with colleagues, participants and partners.

Recruitment process

Apply through our recruitment platform and complete the short initial questionnaire. If you start your application through Indeed or LinkedIn, you will still need to complete this step before we can review your application.

We assess your CV and application against the minimum essential criteria and the evidence you provide. Keep your CV clear and concise and focus on what you personally did, owned, improved or delivered. One to two pages will suit many applicants, although up to three may be appropriate where your relevant experience requires it.

If shortlisted, the process may include a recruitment call or Teams conversation, role-related questionnaire, online assessment or testing, and a hiring-manager interview with a realistic role exercise exploring participant support and employer engagement.

Get Set UK is committed to safer recruitment practices to help protect our colleagues and the people we support.

As part of our recruitment process, you will be required to provide a complete and accurate history of your employment and other relevant activity for the previous five years, including explanations for any gaps, together with referee details covering the previous three years.

Please ensure the information you provide is complete and accurate, as we may be unable to progress your application until our safer recruitment requirements have been completed.

Depending on the role, further pre-employment checks may include references, right-to-work checks, DBS checks and/or other appropriate vetting.

Any offer is conditional on satisfactory applicable checks. Preparation, responsiveness and attention to detail matter throughout the process.

Eligibility and inclusion

You must have the full right to work in the UK. Sponsorship is not available for this role.

Get Set UK is a Disability Confident and Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout recruitment.

If you can combine personalised support with purposeful job search, employer engagement and a determination to help people sustain the right work, apply today.

Additional information

We reserve the right to close applications early, so we encourage early applications.

Get Set UK is a Disability Confident and Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals and are committed to supporting physical and mental wellbeing at work. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process if required.

This role is subject to satisfactory recruitment checks and a commitment to safeguarding learners and clients.

Get Set UK does not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies.