Employment Officer (IPS) Why Work for us: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk) Employment Officer We are looking for a motivated, passionate self-starter who wants to kickstart a career in the mental health sector. This position, with on-the-job training, is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference and support those with mental health needs across the Southampton community. As an IPS Employment Officer you will play a vital role in helping people with mental health needs find meaningful and fulfilling employment. You’ll receive all the training and support you need to take on the role and develop your skills. Joining a passionate and driven team, you’ll be working towards creating a fairer and more inclusive society for people with mental health needs. We welcome applications from all experience levels and backgrounds. What you will need is the ability to motivate and build relationships with service users, strong organisational skills, the confidence to communicate and engage with a range of employers, and a fundamental belief that anyone with a mental health condition can work. What is an IPS Employment Officer? This is a rewarding and dynamic role where no day is the same and you’ll be making a genuine difference to people’s lives. Using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model you’ll be: Supporting and motivating individuals with mental health conditions to access and sustain paid employment. Regularly meeting with clients to listen, offer support and help them identify their best job match, reflecting their skills and aspirations. Supporting the clients through CV production, interview techniques and managing their health at work. Advocating for your clients by educating and engaging with employers regarding the IPS service. Sourcing job opportunities for your clients through regular contact with local employers within the community. Promoting employment and raising expectations around the ability of service users to access paid employment, breaking down the barriers for them. Who are we looking for? Communication: Ability to initiate and develop relationships with a variety of individuals and be able to engage employers using a variety of methods such as via the telephone or face-to-face in the community. Record keeping: Strong attention to detail, ensuring accurate and timely recording of case notes and data, essential for monitoring progress and achieving targets. Collaboration: The ability to work seamlessly within a multidisciplinary team, forging connections and enhancing the overall care experience for participants. Resilience: The determination to overcome setbacks, find solutions, and continue advocating for participants’, even in the face of challenges. Innovation: Bringing fresh ideas to the table, exploring creative ways to break down employment barriers, and promoting inclusive practices within the workplace. We are actively interested in individuals who have experience using a persuasive communication style or promoting a service to a variety of audiences, this can include marketing, recruitment, education, mentoring, or sales roles. Contact details for informal discussion: For further information and details regarding the position please contact Emma Dalwood, emma.dalwoodsouthampton.gov.uk Recruitment contact details: Email: recruitmentsouthampton.gov.uk Tel: 023 8083 4033 Additional information: The working hours for this role are 37 hours per week and occasional evening / weekend work maybe required. Support, supervision and training are provided. This post is fixed term until 31st March 2025. Please note that appointments are usually made at the bottom of the salary scale. This post requires a DBS check. For any posts that require a DBS check, if you have lived outside the UK within the last 5 years, you will be required to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct or a police certificate from the country/countries you have resided in. Kindly note that this is at the expense of the candidate, as well as any costs involved for translating into English. How to apply: To apply for the position please select the 'Apply for this job' button at the bottom of the page. The supporting statement section of the application form must be completed, unless there are specific criteria questions for you to evidence against. Applications are shortlisted against the essential and desirable criteria found within the job description for the post. Please refer to the job description when completing your application form and evidence how you meet the required criteria/questions. A CV on its own will not be considered. Unfortunately we are not able to accept applications that are made through a third party agency. We cannot guarantee that any correspondence sent from third party agencies will be responded to. To ensure your application is received please apply directly through our website. We are proud to be DisabilityConfident and support fair recruitment practices. Find out how you can get involved at gov.uk/disability-confident. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies. Southampton City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. It is committed to delivering services to ensure they are happy, safe and have opportunities to reach their goals as responsible members of our community. We believe it is always unacceptable for a child, young person or adult to experience abuse of any kind, and recognise our responsibility to safeguard and promote their welfare. We are committed to following safe practices to ensure this and expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. This commitment is reflected in all our recruitment and selection practices. As a Corporate Parent we are actively aiming to support all our children in care (looked after children) and care leavers. Any applicants who are children in care or care leavers, who meet the essential criteria for the post applied for, will be guaranteed an interview.