Job Summary
A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for a permanent Employment Specialist to cover the following area - South East & South West Staffordshire.
Connect 2 Work provides personalised employment support, helping individuals build confidence, develop skills, and progress into meaningful, sustainable work opportunities. IPS (Individual Placement and Support) is an evidence-based approach to helping people within recovery find and keep a paid job. Having a job can bring numerous benefits to people; we know having a job can help people to recover.
As an Employment Specialist you will be working with people who are engaging within the STaRS service and support them into competitive employment and then enabling them to retain that employment. As an IPS worker you will be looking for paid employment opportunities for clients who are currently involved with drug and/or alcohol recovery.
You will also be responsible in supporting participants on the SEQF C2W contract by championing accessibility and empowering participants to make informed career choices and ensuring their aspirations are truly heard.
Support disabled participants using the social model of disability, recognising when barriers such as limited resources, adjustments or knowledge may prevent suitable employment access.
Across both contracts you will ideally carry a caseload of 20-25 participants. You must have a Full UK Driving Licence.
Main Duties
You will support service users within the service as part of their team to gain, return to or retain employment.
The role will involve working directly with Recovery Coordinators, care coordinators, JobCentre Plus, employers, trade unions, world of work and employment agencies to keep people in employment and secure employment opportunities. You will work closely with practitioners in Staffordshire.
You will work in partnership with specialist services and other primary and secondary care services serving Staffordshire. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to the vocational outcomes of people accessing our services.
About Us
Inclusion, created in 2002 is part of the Specialist Services Care Group of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT). We provide caring and effective services across England, including West Yorkshire, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Mercia, Thames Valley, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Thurrock, Essex. We support individuals, families and communities who are affected by addiction, crime, mental health or need treatment for their sexual health. We believe that the individuals and families who use our services should receive high quality, committed and inclusive care, realising all the benefits a modern NHS organisation can provide. We work with patients and our staff teams to achieve the best outcomes we can. We invest heavily in training and development, and the wellbeing of our people, both staff and service users is central to who we are. Here at MPFT, we are proud of the comprehensive wellbeing and lifestyle support offer available, in addition to in-house training and coaching support. Our services are robustly governed, evidence-based, inclusive, and designed and provided in conjunction with service users. We are committed to providing the best service we can, and if you share our values, we want you on our team!
Job Details
* Date posted: 09 March 2026
* Pay scheme: Agenda for change
* Band: Band 5
* Salary: £31,049 to £37,796 a year per annum
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Full‑time
* Reference number: 301-IT-26-7852442
* Job locations: STaRS, Browning Street, Stafford, ST16 3AT
Job Responsibilities
* To manage a caseload of people who have experienced drug and alcohol health problems using STaRS and who wish to retain, return to or regain meaningful employment.
* The ES workload will be led by and focused on the aspirations of the service user as part of a package of care.
* Conduct an assessment of employment needs and consider their strengths, difficulties and employment assets in order to offer the most effective support, which must include the person's job goals and any concerns regarding their capacity for work and previous work experience, making accurate recommendations.
* Match job tasks and the individual's ability to do the job and any work solutions that may be required to develop the match.
* Offer the service user support agreeing a written action plan with the person detailing the steps to be taken to either get back into or retain employment and the appropriate support route. The action plan should also be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound).
* The ES will develop in-depth knowledge of the local labour market, local support and new initiatives, taking into account the needs of the client to broker effective interventions, including specialist schemes to help with retaining or finding employment.
You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role.
This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. If it is identified that you require sponsorship to undertake this role your application may be withdrawn.
Person Specification
Qualifications (Essential)
* Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience. Willing and able to undertake the relevant training associated with the role.
Experience (Essential)
* Equivalent experience gained through work in the field.
* Experience of providing vocational and employment support. This may have been gained in HR, business, management, recruitment or working in sales.
Skills and Abilities (Essential)
* Must have access to a vehicle which can be used for work purposes. Must have a valid driving licence for the UK. Willingness to travel to other locations throughout the organisation as required.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer Details
Employer name: Inclusion
Address: STaRS, Browning Street, Stafford, ST16 3AT
Employer's website: https://www.mpft.nhs.uk
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