Senior Employment Specialist (Individual Placement and Support)

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each service user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options. 

Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold,’ and our team members apply these daily to achieve our mission of helping people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. 

We have an exciting opportunity for an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Senior Employment Specialist with the skills and experience to lead a team of Employment Specialists to deliver a high fidelity IPS service, enabling Service Users to access and sustain paid employment as part of their recovery goals.  

The IPS Senior Employment Specialist will manage a team of three IPS Employment Specialists integrated across the Nottinghamshire Service. The Senior Worker will ensure IPS service provision is delivered with high fidelity to the IPS model. They will provide IPS leadership, supervision, training, caseload management, and role modelling of the IPS approach as part of the holistic recovery plan for people in structured treatment for drug and/or alcohol use.

You will be an excellent team player with the ability to build effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders including service users, commissioners, treatment service managers and staff, benefits agency staff, local employers and ETE providers.

Where: Nottinghamshire

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Service Overview:

IPS forms a fundamental commitment in the Government’s Drug Strategy and will be implemented in all treatment services in England. This evidence-based employment support model helps service users secure preference-led paid work, proven to be more effective than any other form of employment support.

Nottinghamshire IPS, including 1 Senior Employment Specialist and 3 Employment Specialists, offers support within structured treatment services to individuals motivated to find paid work.

In this role:

• Effectively manage a high-quality service that adheres to the principles of IPS best practice.
• Monitor and manage performance of the IPS Employment Specialists – guide them individually on best practice and achieving individual and team job outcome targets.
  
• Create a culture of continuous improvement.
  
• Identify training needs of staff and arrange appropriate training to support with continuous professional development.
  
• Support the design and delivery of in-house staff training and development (including facilitating peer learning and best practice).
  
• Involve service users in co-production of service developments where possible.
  
• Coordinate the work of Employment Specialists in relation to building relationships with employers to effectively access the hidden labour market, external agencies and delivery of job seeking groups.
  
• Produce regular monitoring reports for internal and external stakeholders, including commissioners.
  

Join us and play a pivotal role in setting up this integrated service. 

The Senior IPS Employment Specialist will play a vital role in establishing the new service, you'll collaborate closely with key stakeholders to promote and establish the service across Nottinghamshire.

About You:

• Educated to degree level, or with equivalent relevant work experience.
• Strong communication skills for building effective relationships.
• Proficiency in team management and support strategies.
• Aptitude in data collection and reporting for IPS services.
• Ability to engage and manage staff effectively.
• Dedication to assisting individuals in securing paid employment.
• Experience in engaging employers and cultivating partnerships.
• Firm belief in supporting all individuals to access paid employment.
• Proven ability to connect with individuals, especially understanding challenges faced by those affected by substance misuse.

What We Offer

• Enjoy a dedicated weekly Wellness Hour, access to our Wellness Hub, and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme to support your mental and emotional health.
• We’re committed to your development, with extensive training, funded learning, and pathways into senior or specialist roles.
• Benefit from transparent pay, a contributory pension scheme, and additional support through our wellbeing resources.
• Start with 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays(pro rata), increasing to the maximum 30 days over five years of service.
• Join a supportive, values-led team where you’ll feel encouraged and valued from your very first day.
• Where possible, we’re open to discussing working patterns that help you maintain a healthy work–life balance.
• Enjoy discounts on shopping, cinema trips, holidays and more, along with our Refer a Friend scheme.

If you're excited about this opportunity, apply now and be part of our transformative journey at Change Grow Live.

Join us in making a positive difference in people's lives.

Please review the attached Job Description and Role Specifics for a detailed outline of responsibilities and Person Specification.

Direct applications only we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. More information about eligible roles and occupations can be found here: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Salary is subject to review in line with the 2025/26 pay award.