Job Summary
We are currently seeking to recruit an Employment Specialist to join our Richmond Individual Placement and Support (IPS) team.
South West London & St Georges NHS Trust has a proud history as one of the first IPS providers in the UK and we have IPS Employment Specialists working across our service to provide support to service users with severe mental illness and helping them to find suitable employment or to retain work if their job is at risk.
IPS services are expanding nationally as part of the Government's agenda to provide greater support for people with Mental Health problems in gaining sustainable Employment and we are committed to continuously improving our own service and our integration into community mental health teams.
PLEASE NOTE: We have recently received a high number of applications for these roles where candidates have misunderstood or not fully read the job description and person specification. Our Employment Specialist roles are patient facing and supporting individuals with severe mental health problems to secure and sustain in paid employment using the IPS model.
Please ensure you use the supporting statement within the application form to show how you meet the criteria for the role as set out in the job description and person specification.
Main Duties
As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will work with a caseload of 20‑25 individuals in line with the IPS Fidelity scale. The core foundations of the role are routed in clinical team integration, vocational profiling and employer engagement and we work with every person as an individual, supporting them in line with their work preferences and aspirations.
We are looking for individuals who are passionate and motivated to make a difference to people's lives and work collaboratively as part of our clinical service to be an advocate for the value of Employment in someone's recovery when diagnosed with severe mental illness.
You will be proactive and able to work collaboratively within a team and have a good understanding of the challenges that people with severe mental illness face in employment. Experience in a similar role is helpful, but more important is the attitude and motivation to make a difference in people's lives and recovery.
Agile and Flexible Working
As one of the few Trusts in London we are proud to offer flexible and agile working as part of our new ways of working, and we are happy to talk flexible working at the interview stage. In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 9am to 5pm giving you the very best of good work life balance.
About Us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti‑racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co‑produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job Details
Date posted: 13 November 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: 5
Salary: £35,763 to £43,466 a year per annum inclusive of outer London HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full‑time
Reference number: 294-COMM-7615528-JB-A
Job location: Livingston House, 2 Queen's Rd, Teddington, TW11 0LB
Responsibilities
* To manage a caseload of a maximum of 25 service users at any one time who are currently off work / unemployed and who wish to return to work.
* To gain referrals from primary care services, being responsible for those service users who want to return to employment.
* To meet regularly with primary care staff to co‑ordinate and integrate employment support into health treatment.
* To prepare individuals for a return to work through assessing each person's individual employment needs via vocational profiling/assessment.
* To provide individualized support to individuals once they have returned to work to assist them in sustaining employment.
* To proactively engage and work with employers to retain employment opportunities for people who have experienced mental health problems.
* To provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on‑going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
* To provide outreach services as necessary to individuals when they appear to disengage from the service. Maintain some contact with individuals even without a vocational focus if necessary to sustain engagement.
Training & Qualification (Essential)
* Educated to degree level or equivalent.
Experience (Essential)
* Experience of working with people who have experienced mental health problems within health, social services, the voluntary sector or mainstream educational services.
* Experience of successfully helping people to obtain or keep education/work.
Experience (Desirable)
* Experience and interpretation of welfare benefits; specifically disability, health and employment related benefits.
Knowledge & Skills (Essential)
* Knowledge of welfare benefits and disability/employment related benefits.
* Knowledge of disability and special needs issues in relation to employment/education.
* An understanding of the issues of user involvement in mental health services.
* Good written and verbal communication skills.
* A good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment.
Knowledge & Skills (Desirable)
* Report writing skills.
* Knowledge of government and local funding opportunities regarding learning and employment opportunities.
Disclosures & Checks
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Salary & Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Employer Details
South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust
Livingston House, 2 Queen's Rd, Teddington, TW11 0LB
Website: https://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/
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