Employment Specialist - BarrowNHS

Job summary

Cumbria Health provides high quality, responsive health services across Cumbria. We are seeking motivated Employment Specialists to support delivery of Connect to Work, a new countywide employment support service based on the IPS model.

The role involves providing tailored 1:1 support to adults facing barriers to employment, including vocational profiling, career planning, job matching and in work support, to help participants secure and sustain work.

What We're Looking For

• Experience supporting people with barriers to employment
• Strong motivational and interpersonal skills
• Ability to build effective relationships with key stakeholders
• Confident managing a varied caseload independently
• Knowledge of the local labour market and support services
• Empathy, resilience and commitment to quality service delivery

Why Join Us?

You'll be part of an organisation rooted in community values, high standards, collaboration and sustainable growth. Our teams are passionate about helping people live healthier, more fulfilling lives and you'll play a key part in that mission.

**Fixed term until March 2028**

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday with local travel required

Closing Date: 16 November 2026

Please include your mobile number on your application & check your spam or junk folder regularly for emails from us.

We encourage early applications, as the role may close once sufficient applications are received.

We are unable to offer an Employer Sponsored Visa for this role.

Main duties of the job

The Employment Specialist will provide continued support to participants and employers once in work, including identifying job retention strategies.

Managing a caseload of participants, the role also involves developing strong partnerships with local employers to create inclusive job opportunities, as well as working closely with health services, education providers, and community organisations to provide joined-up, holistic support.

The Employment Specialist will be responsible for achieving performance targets, maintaining accurate records and achieving required customer and quality standards alongside contributing to monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate outcomes and impact.

All staff are expected to work to Cumbria Health Values:

• Clinically focused - Everything every one of us does is for the patient
• Responsive - We listen, and we respond quickly in a patient focussed way
• One Team - We work together to provide a high-quality service which is organised and consistent, and in partnership with both the local Acute and Community Trusts
• High Standards - We provide skilled professionals working to the highest standards who are passionate about improving patient care
• Growth & Sustainability - With our strong roots we will continue to thrive and grow
• Communities - Connecting and engaging to meet local needs

Job description

Alongside these main duties you will be expected to carry out any other duties that are reasonably requested of you:

• Work with the Head of Communities, Operational Support Officer and Senior Employment Specialist to continually develop resources and the tool kit for the team.
• Provide 1:1 employment support to adults facing significant barriers to sustainable employment.
• Deliver tailored support in line with the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) principles
• Produce action plans with SMART targets for each participant to help them gain and sustain paid employment.
• Support participants with their job search, CV and application production, interview techniques and career development.
• Offer specialist knowledge on provision and support available to adults with significant barriers (including but not limited to, physical and mental health issues, neuro diversity, drug and alcohol use and learning disabilities)
• Build and maintain positive employer relationships to enable participants to move into suitable employment that aligns with their aspirations and support them to remain in work.
• Identify the specific recruitment needs of employers and undertake pre-screens and group assessments
• Co-produce effective in work support plans with participants and employers based on assessment of need, providing practical support to ensure a smooth transition into work.
• Manage and progress a caseload of people, supporting them towards sustainable paid employment.
• Manage and maintain a caseload of people who are at risk of dropping out of work due to disability, health condition or other complex barriers.
• Develop strong partnerships with referral agencies, local employers and specialist support agencies.
• Provide in-work support and job coaching to help participants succeed and remain in employment.
• Use assessment and vocational profiling tools to help identify aspirations and plan future pathways
• Work in partnership with health services, education providers, and community organisations to deliver tailored interventions providing support to address specific issues (e.g. debt advice, substance misuse)
• Maintain awareness of the local labour market, industries, and roles, as well as wider employment opportunities
• Keep accurate records to evidence assessment processes, progress, and outcomes, supporting effective monitoring and evaluation
• Update the CRM system with all activities to meet compliance requirements, record evidence for relevant fidelity scales track performance and report against targets
• Deliver presentations, sessions, and workshops on employment, education, and skills.
• Educate and support employers, including negotiating workplace adjustments, developing a return-to-work strategy and ensuring job retention with ongoing contact and support.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with colleges, training providers, DWP, Council departments, WorkWell Coaches, community and voluntary sector partners to provide joined-up services
• Develop collaborative working relationships with wider clinical teams as appropriate, promoting the IPS model as a positive step in the recovery journey.
• Stay up to date with changes in legislation and government programmes relating to employment, education, and training
• Work from local community and outreach locations and alongside other services to increase service accessibility
• To work flexible hours as required to meet the needs of the service.

About us

Cumbria Health - CH places the patient, their family and their community at the heart of everything we do. We are an award-winning organisation, the first out-of-hours organisation in the country to be rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We provide primary health care services, both in and out of hours, across Cumbria. We are values-driven and place great emphasis on inclusivity and the wellbeing and development of our staff, while striving to provide a consistently high-quality service. Our service is designed to improve health and wellbeing.

Working for CH can offer flexible opportunities in terms of location, hours and working patterns so you can enjoy a great work life balance. In order to provide the best patient care we understand the importance of ensuring staff satisfaction and are consistently trying to ensure we offer our staff a positive working environment whether that be though training or social events.

Listen to your heart. Have the work life balance you'd love.