Job Description

IPS Employment Specialist

Grade or equivalent: Band 5 £32,073
Location: Covering all of Coventry and Warwickshire location
Responsible to: Team Leader
Accountable to: Service Manager

Role Purpose:
You will work with clients (managing a caseload) who have mental health support needs, to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences. You will deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (for which training will be given); providing person centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment.
You will work as part of a community mental health team, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment.
Responsibilities:
• A basic understanding of IPS (Individual Placement Support) gained through experience or self-conducted research.
• Experience in recruitment or employment along with advice and guidance on employment needs
• Ability to engage with employers and build close, trusting, and productive relationships with people
• Good understanding of the local area and it’s employers
• Strong IT skills with the competency to use a range of complex systems and software
• Good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
• Experience of working in supported employment services is desirable
• Good time management, diary organisation, be adaptable/flexible as no two days are the same and to be able to work with minimal supervision
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems or a similar service user group is desirable

As you will be working within the community, we do need you to hold a full UK driving licence.

Core Responsibilities:
• Manage a caseload of around 20 clients who have mental health support needs who are motivated to start/return to work.
• Deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for which training will be given.
• Meet and support clients to understand their key skills, aspirations and goals through completing a Vocational Profile and produce an Action Plan to help them obtain and sustain competitive employment. This includes support with their job search, CV production, application forms, interview techniques and career development.
• Assess client’s support needs related to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of mental health symptoms etc, and provide support & guidance.
• Attend weekly clinical team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner.
• Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job search and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
• Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
• Build relationships with colleagues in clinical teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention in the recovery journey).
• Once employment has been secured continue to provide quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring and in-work support to clients and employers to help sustain employment.
Relationship Management:
Establish positive and integrated relationships with clinical teams, employers and other service providers. This includes:
• To build and maintain employer relationships and maintain employer engagement database.
• Arrange regular meetings with clients to monitor and review progress pre and post-employment.
• Spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
• To challenge inequalities experienced by clients and address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation
• Work with employers to promote the service, identify job opportunities and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to reduce barriers in the work place – this can include exploring ‘job carving’ i.e. carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to do.
• To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who can help individuals to achieve their employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers.
Other:
• To adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and to keep accurate and complete records of casework.
• To work independently, reliably and deliver consistently to deliver effective IPS practice.
• Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.
• To co-produce service development with service users where possible.
• To collect employment recovery stories from people accessing the service.
• Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
• Partake in continuous learning about mental health conditions, their impact and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required.
• Work flexible hours as required.
Stakeholders:
Team Leader, Service Managers, HR, Occupational Health, Clinical Teams, User Groups, Voluntary Sector and Trust Training and Supported Employment Schemes, Local Colleges, Local Employment Service Disability Service Teams, Local Employers and other NHS User Employment Schemes.

Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential Desirable
Qualifications and training
• Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience

• Trained in IPS approach
• Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification
• QCF in Advice & Guidance (Level 3)

Experience
• Experience/understanding of working with people with mental health support needs, or a similar client group within health, social services or the voluntary sector
• Experience of working with someone on a one-to-one basis
• Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
• Experience of working assertively to influence decision makers

• Experience of supporting people to obtain or keep work
• Experience of working within mental health services
• Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental health difficulties
• Previous experience of delivering a service using the IPS model is a bonus
• Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets

Knowledge
• An understanding of the employment needs, and challenges faced by people who experience mental health difficulties
• Developing a knowledge of a broad range of occupations and jobs
• Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel

• Knowledge of the benefits agency and all disability/ employment related benefits

Skills
• Good motivational, communication and listening skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a range of people
• Good organisational ability
• Natural ability to build close, trusting and productive relationships with people
• Team orientated and works collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team
• Ability to work independently and use initiative to develop and promote a service

Personal qualities
• Non-judgemental and trustworthy
• Empathy with the needs of those with mental health support needs
• Passion and drive to make a positive difference to people's lives
• Highly motivated with a genuine belief that someone with a mental health condition can find paid employment
• Resilient and tenacious to not give up despite setbacks and frustrations
• Self-aware of personal strengths and weaknesses and actively invest in personal and professional development
• Willingness to travel within the region

Why Work With Rethink Mental Illness?
At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that when you feel supported, you can make the biggest difference. That’s why we offer a range of benefits to help you thrive:
• Inclusive Culture: Join staff networks that champion diversity and inclusion.
• Wellbeing Support: Access our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, and the Unmind mental health app.
• Recognition & Rewards: Enjoy discounts, cashback offers, and celebrate achievements through our PULSE platform.
• Flexible Working & Generous Leave: Starting at 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with options to buy or sell extra days.
• Learning & Development: Grow your career with structured onboarding and training opportunities.
• Financial & Family Support: Contributory pension scheme, enhanced family leave, and travel benefits like season ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Diversity is important to us, and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.
We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation
We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.