Job Description
Senior Mental Health Recovery Officer
Work Type: Agile - Working from home, as well as in the community
Contract Type: Part-time (28 Hours) - Permanent
Salary: £21,165.60
Make a difference when it matters most
At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone deserves the chance to live a fulfilling life. Right now, we’re looking for a compassionate, resilient, and driven individual to join our team as a Senior Mental Health Recovery Officer.
You’ll play a vital role in supporting people affected by suicide — whether they are experiencing suicidal thoughts, recovering from attempts, or have been bereaved by suicide.
This is more than a job — it’s an opportunity to be part of something meaningful.
About the services
You’ll be working across two important services:
• Survivor of Suicide (SOS) – providing emotional and practical support to adults experiencing suicidal thoughts, previous attempts, or bereavement
• Bereaved by Suicide Service (ICB) – supporting individuals following the loss of a loved one to suicide, including through the inquest process
Both services are person-centred, non-judgemental, and led by the needs of the individual, offering emotional support, advocacy, and practical guidance.
What you’ll be doing
As a Senior Mental Health Recovery Officer, you’ll:
• Manage your own caseload, providing tailored 1:1 support
• Support individuals to explore experiences around suicide, distress, and recovery
• Deliver both emotional and practical support, including safety planning
• Provide outreach support in community settings
• Facilitate or co-facilitate bereavement support groups
• Work collaboratively with professionals, partners, and experts by experience
• Maintain accurate case records and update systems daily
• Recognise when to refer to other services and work within safe boundaries
• Actively engage in supervision, reflective practice, and continuous learning
You’ll be working with people facing complex and often high-risk situations, so your ability to remain compassionate, calm, and self-aware is essential.
What we’re looking for
We’re looking for someone who:
✔ Has experience supporting people affected by mental illness, suicide, bereavement, or related areas
✔ Holds a relevant qualification (e.g. counselling, social work)
✔ Can manage a complex caseload and work independently
✔ Is confident delivering both 1:1 and group-based support
✔ Has strong IT skills and can maintain accurate records
✔ Is resilient and able to work in emotionally demanding environments
✔ Communicates effectively and works well in partnership with others
✔ Is flexible and able to provide support up to 7pm when needed
You’ll also bring a strong commitment to person-centred care and recovery-focused approaches.
We’d love it if you also have:
• Lived experience of mental illness or bereavement by suicide
• Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches
• Suicide prevention training (e.g. ASIST, SafeTalk)
• Experience delivering training or awareness sessions
Why join Rethink?
• Be part of a supportive, passionate team
• Make a real difference to people’s lives every day
• Access ongoing training and development
• Receive regular supervision and support
• Work in a flexible, community-based role
Important information
• This role requires an Enhanced DBS (Adults Barred List) check
• Travel across the local area is required
Ready to apply?
If you’re passionate about supporting others through some of life’s most challenging moments, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today and help us create hope, understanding, and change.
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.
