Are you ready to lead a service that transforms lives through meaningful employment?WithYou is looking for a compassionate and driven Senior IPS Employment Specialist to guide a team supporting people in drug, alcohol, and mental health recovery across Wigan.
Deadline: 23rd February 2026
* North West
* Full-time
Job overview
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.
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. Find out more about us here: https://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/careers
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
The person
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
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