Senior EPS Employment Specialist – Essex Senior EPS Employment Specialist Hours – 37.5 hours per week Working Pattern – Monday to Friday Salary / Band – £31,000 per annum Location – Covering Essex, based in Southend Contract – Permanent Closing date – 17th April 2026 INNOVATIVE PROJECT TO HELP PEOPLE WITH AN OFFENDING BACKGROUND TO GET INTO WORK Do you take pride in what you do, and can you think creatively about how different organisations can work together to deliver a better service? Open Road’s Employment Specialist team aims to increase the number of people moving into employment from a variety of community services with a focus on offending and other complex needs. A day in the life The Senior EPS Employment Specialist will manage a team of up to four Employment Specialists providing supervision, training, caseload management, and role modelling of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach, as part of the holistic recovery plan for people in the criminal justice system, or those with complex needs. The Senior Employment Specialist will provide a pivotal role in managing a high-quality service that delivers positive outcomes for service users. You will also manage a small caseload of clients to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences. About you To have a degree and/or professional qualification in management or the equivalent skills/experience To have experience of substance misuse services or have experience in a health/social care setting, or 2 years’ experience working in employment services Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel Experience of managing change effectively and facilitating innovation Experience of staff supervision, management and/or mentoring Proven ability to build rapport with people and especially understanding issues from people affected by offending or similar conditions Boundless enthusiasm, excellent teamwork and the ability to work in a target driven environment Strong written / verbal / organisational skills Driving licence and access to own car What it’s like to work for Open Road Open Road provides drug and alcohol treatment services and offender support services across Essex & Kent including a range of interventions that deliver mentoring, advice and information programmes. Accredited with Investing In Volunteers, our mission is to empower a diverse range of individuals, families and communities to lead healthy and more meaningful lives, free from addiction, offending behaviour and disadvantage, to ensure healthier, happier lifestyles. Benefits to you – £31,000 per annum 25 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays plus your birthday off! Royal London Pension and Death in Service benefit Access to our in-house Organisational Training Plan, and full training tailored to your development needs We welcome applications from candidates seeking flexible working. Due to the client-facing and service delivery requirements of this role, regular on-site presence will be required. Flexible working requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with business needs. This position is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check at enhanced level.