Employment Specialist Contract type: Permanent- Full time Salary: £26,450 FTE plus additional geographical location allowance Location: Hybrid (2 days per week in office (Bedfordshire and St Neots), up to 3 days per week working from home; with a requirement of working regularly in local job centres and community-based venues in Bedfordshire to see clients. Base office: Gilbert Hitchcock House, 21 Kimbolton Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 2AW Other offices: Whichello’s Wharf, Leighton Buzzard Yew Tree House, St. Neots Working Hours: 37.5hrs per week. Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm You’re personable, proactive, highly motivated and would like to help people who have, or are recovering from, mental ill health to integrate back into the workplace. You’d also like to be part of an organisation that counts on the professionalism, insight, expertise and passion of its staff to inspire individual recovery for the people they work with. Welcome to Waythrough’s Bedfordshire Employment Service as an Employment Specialist. If you are personable, proactive, highly motivated and would like to help people who have, or are recovering from, mental ill health to find, return to or remain in work; and if you would also like to be part of an organisation that takes pride in the professionalism, insight, expertise and passion of its staff to inspire individual recovery for the people they work with, then a role of Employment Specialist at Waythrough Bedfordshire Employment Service may be just the role you’ve been looking for! About the service Bedfordshire Employment Service has been set up to provide support for people experiencing anxiety, depression, or other common mental health issues and who need support related to their employment. Our employment specialists support people to help them find their new job, return to work after having time off, or address workplace issues to help them improve their employment situation and retain their jobs. About you While a background in employment sector is not essential, experience working with people – particularly in areas such as recruitment, education, human resources, support services, or social work – would be an advantage, as would be an understanding of mental health issues. Your self-motivation, the ability to manage own workload effectively, excellent listening skills, a high level of computer literacy, and solution-focused approach would be key. You must also hold a full, clean UK drivers’ licence and have access to a vehicle. About the role As an Employment Specialist you will be responsible for a caseload of approximately 40 people (with at least 10 new clients commencing employment support with you each month). You will work with people to understand their preferences, values, experiences and skills to identify their employment goals and develop SMART action plans. You will provide support with job search, CV writing, job applications, and interview preparation. You will help people identify any adjustments they may require, including disclosing health conditions at work. You will help people navigate difficult workplace situations (discrimination, bullying, harassment, capability conversations, grievance and disciplinary process). You work with people to help them create sustainable return to work plans. You will share resources, and signpost to other organisations as and when appropriate. You must be able to: effectively manage a caseload, provide person-centred support to individuals to help them find and sustain appropriate employment; be assertive and adaptable, with a positive attitude about employment for all and excellent networking and interpersonal skills; communicate clearly and appropriately, in writing, face to face or on the telephone, with people from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds; quickly establish effective working relationships at all levels, both internally and externally; co-ordinate and prioritise your workload; work effectively unsupervised and as part of a team; produce accurate work at a pace with attention to detail, using electronic database and Microsoft Office programmes to support caseload management and accurate and timely record keeping. In return for your skills and enthusiasm, this role comes with some great benefits and excellent training and development opportunities. This is a rolling recruitment process; candidates will be shortlisted as and when they apply. 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: 2026-02-04 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 the jobs here are still branded ‘Richmond Fellowship’ or ‘Aquarius’ (our subsidiary charity in the Midlands). Next year we’ll be fully integrating our recruitment systems but for now they are separate. Thanks for bearing with us – and don’t forget to check out the Waythrough jobs on the Humankind job site https://peoplekind.my.salesforce-sites.com/recruit/ 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