About the role
All applicants must submit a CV along with a cover letter explaining why they should be considered for this role. Applications will not be accepted without a cover letter.
Please note: This role may close earlier than the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Closing date: Monday 5th January 2026
Join our team as a Senior IPS Employment Specialist in Wigan - Job Description/Person Specification
Are you a compassionate and motivated individual who wants to change people's lives? Our team in Wigan is looking for an individual who is passionate about supporting people back into work, to join them in providing high-quality recovery support to a diverse client group. If you are enthusiastic, creative and have a genuine desire to help others, we'd love to hear from you.
As a leading charity supporting people with drug, alcohol, and mental health challenges, we operate over 80 services across England and Scotland, providing free and confidential support to more than 100,000 people each year.
Our vibrant services in Wigan and Leigh provide support to people concerned about their own or someone else's alcohol or drug use. We have services in both Wigan and Leigh but much of our work is carried out in the local communities we serve. Visit our website here to find out more about WithYou's Individual Placement Support service.
Job Description
You will manage a team of Employment Specialists, focused on building effective working relationships with local employers, training providers and colleges, to secure employment and education opportunities for people in community treatment for substance misuse, including ensuring the service is focused on accessing the 'hidden' labour market. You will hold a small caseload of people in drug and alcohol treatment services who wish to return to, or start, paid employment. Clients will be worked with for up to 9 months, plus up to 4 months of in-work support, as specified in the IPS-AD trial protocol.
Key duties of this role will include:
* Leading the ongoing development of the Individual Placement and Support model within Wigan
* Liaising with Public Health England, senior practitioners and managers within the service and the local authority commissioner around the ongoing implementation of the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support model
* Ensuring that clients receive appropriate care and support from everyone involved in their return to work process
* Providing job development and job search activities directed toward positions that are individualised to the interests and uniqueness of the client, following the evidence-based principles and procedures of IPS supported employment
* Providing ongoing support according to both the employee's and employer's needs to enable people who have experienced dependency on drugs and/or alcohol to retain employment once secured
Company Benefits
* 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
* An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
* Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
* 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
* Auto-enrollment into We Are With You's pension scheme
* Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
* Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
* We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period
Essential Skills
As a Senior IPS Employment Specialist, we offer a starting salary of £30,000 rising each year in line with our pay progression salary bands to £36,000 per year. For further details please reach out to a member of the recruitment team.
We're excited to receive applications from those with:
* Demonstrable experience of helping people facing severe labour market disadvantage to obtain or keep work
* An exceptional ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with both clients and stakeholders
* An understanding of the principles and practices the Integrated Support and Placement (IPS) model of supported employment
* An ability to communicate highly complex and specialist information effectively both verbally and in writing, including the production of formal reports
* The ability to lead and motivate others, nurture and encourage teams
Creating an Inclusive Environment
As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our vision of a future where everyone lives a life free from the harm associated with drugs and alcohol. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans.
As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role. With You is also a Disability Confident Employer and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role.
If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.