Overview
Employment Specialist : Thanet, Dover and Folkestone/Hythe
Location: Thanet
Salary: From A GBP 26,000
Vacancy Type: Permanent
About The Role
Are you passionate about helping people achieve their career goals? Do you want to make a real difference in the lives of those living with mental health conditions, long-term physical health challenges, or disabilities?
We are looking for a full-time Employment Specialist (35 hours/week) to join our Connect to Work team across Thanet, Dover and Folkestone/Hythe. You’ll support participants to secure and sustain meaningful employment, using their skills, strengths, and aspirations as the guide. Due to the nature of the role, all applicants must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle.
Who We’re Looking For
* Experience in health-related services, employability, adult skills, or recruitment.
* Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
* Confidence in coaching, mentoring, and advocacy.
* Passion for inclusion, equality, and removing barriers to employment.
What You’ll Do
* Manage a caseload of motivated participants and deliver tailored support from job search to sustained employment.
* Provide one-to-one and group coaching on CVs, applications, interviews, and employability skills.
* Build strong relationships with local employers, match participants to suitable roles, and negotiate workplace adjustments.
* Offer ongoing in-work support to ensure participants thrive.
* Collaborate with community organisations, clinical teams, and training providers to remove barriers to employment.
This is your chance to make a tangible difference in peoples lives every day while working in a supportive, collaborative, and recovery-focused environment.
You’ll receive full IPS/Connect to Work training, develop your skills, and be part of a team that empowers people to achieve their employment goals and build lasting independence.
If you’re ready to help people transform their futures through work, apply now and join our mission to make employment accessible for all.
About Us
We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.
Benefits
We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us as an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:
* Flexible working
* Training and development opportunities
* Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
* Season Ticket Loan Scheme
* Cycle to work scheme
* Crisis Loan Scheme
* Electric Car Scheme
* 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata for part time employees)
* Access to Blue Light Card
* 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
* Contributory Pension Scheme: Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years of service and up to 9% thereafter
* Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
* Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
Diversity at Forward Trust
The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with Lived Experience of addiction, offending, or homelessness.
When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion.
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