Employment Specialist Location: Cookson House, South Shields, NE33 1TL Working Hours: Monday to Friday 9am-5pm 37 hours per week Contract Type: Permanent Salary: £25,877.80-£34,240 About the Role As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will work as part of a small team in our South Tyneside Recovery Service and will play a key role in supporting individuals to identify, secure, and sustain meaningful employment opportunities. Working within the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, you will focus on empowering clients to achieve their vocational goals while promoting recovery, independence, and long-term wellbeing. A core part of the role involves actively promoting our clients as capable and valuable employees within the local labour market. You will build strong relationships with employers, raising awareness of the IPS service. By championing the strengths, skills, and potential of our clients, you will encourage employers to view them positively as candidates and provide opportunities that align with their aspirations. What You’ll Do Create employment opportunities for our clients through proactive engagement with a network of potential employers. Provide appropriate in-work support to clients who have secured employment. Facilitate work placements, work trials and work experience with relevant employers To Succeed in This Role, You’ll Need: Ability in supporting clients to achieve their programme of learning and obtain employment and of meeting job outcome performance targets Experience of using management information systems and maintaining accurate records. Experience of working with a range of employers to satisfy their recruitment needs Would be advantageous if applicants held a driving licence and access to own car Please note: The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band. About Waythrough Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England. Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers. Make a real difference in your community Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change. What We Offer We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package: 27 days’ annual leave, rising to 32 after 1 year (plus bank holidays) Pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, matched up to 6.5% Life assurance (3× annual salary) Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay Birthday leave and the option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave Professional fee reimbursement for relevant qualifications 24/7 online GP access and Employee Assistance Programme Recognition and long service awards via our Way to Go and Aspirations portals £500 Recommend a Friend bonus Cycle to Work scheme and Credit Union membership Discounts via Blue Light Card, Charity Discounts, Extras and Tickets for Good Free will writing service and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year Inclusion and accessibility Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support. We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation. If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team: recruitmentteam@waythrough.org.uk Closing Date: 2026-06-19 Waythrough launched in October 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Our vision is to break down the barriers that stop people getting the support they need to live a life they value. We tackle poverty and disadvantage in communities, through mental health, drug and alcohol, housing and related support. We have almost 200 services around England – and nearly 3,500 amazing staff and volunteers who run them. Every year our services support around 125,000 people. Bringing together two big organisations is not a small task and it’ll take a while to fully integrate our systems, processes and approaches. That’s why you will notice various brands including, ‘Richmond Fellowship’ or ‘Aquarius’ (our subsidiary charity in the Midlands). Aquarius Aquarius is a subsidiary of Waythrough. Aquarius is a Midlands-based charity supporting individuals to overcome the harms caused by drugs, alcohol and gambling. Aquarius has always held the view that people we support could resolve their problems with support and guidance and that people have the ability to find their own solutions to their problems. Our roles across the organisation include Practitioners and Administrators as well as Team Managers. Find out more at www.aquarius.org.uk