Senior IPS Employment Specialist

Senior IPS Employment Specialist
Blackpool
Starting salary £36,363 with a scale up to £39,152 (25 Days Holiday Bank Holidays, Local Government Pension Scheme)
Full-time, Permanent
Job Description:
We are seeking an experienced Senior IPS Employment Specialist to support the delivery of a high-quality employment service, working with individuals with mental health support needs to help them secure sustainable employment.
This is a key role combining team leadership with direct client support, where you will manage and develop a team of Employment Specialists while maintaining your own caseload. You will deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, working closely with community mental health teams to provide person-centred, recovery-focused support and build strong employer partnerships.
The role involves:

Managing and supervising a team of Employment Specialists, providing guidance, coaching and performance management
Delivering the IPS model in line with best practice and fidelity standards
Managing a personal caseload, supporting individuals into paid employment aligned to their preferences
Conducting face-to-face appointments and delivering tailored diagnostics and action planning
Building and maintaining employer relationships to generate job opportunities, including accessing the hidden labour market
Coordinating team activity across employer engagement and job search support
Producing monitoring reports and tracking performance against targets
Identifying training needs and supporting continuous professional development within the team
Supporting service development, including co-production with service users
Working collaboratively with community mental health teams and external stakeholders
Ensuring compliance with safeguarding, health & safety, and data protection requirements
Promoting and profiling the service, including sharing outcomes and success storiesRequired Skills & Experience:

Experience working within employment services, supporting individuals with mental health needs or similar barriers
Experience in a supervisory, management or mentoring capacity
Strong understanding of supported employment and the IPS model
Experience managing a caseload and achieving performance targets
Ability to lead, motivate and develop a team to achieve outcomes
Experience engaging with employers and sourcing job opportunities
Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
Excellent communication, interpersonal and relationship-building skills
Knowledge of employment legislation, benefits systems and disability-related employment issues
Ability to work independently and use initiative to improve service delivery
Commitment to person-centred, recovery-focused approaches
NVQ Level 3 in Advice and Guidance (or equivalent experience)
Due to the nature of this role, you will be a vehicle driver with access to your own vehicle and will be required to complete an online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if successful in this role.

If this sounds like the perfect role for you then please submit your CV.

This vacancy is being handled by Aspire Recruitment. Please be aware we receive a high volume of applications and regularly receive applications from candidates who exceed the job credentials.
We will only contact you within the next 14 days if you are selected for interview. Should you apply for this role, we will process your data as detailed in our