IPS Employment Specialist

IPS Employment Specialist – Leicester

Location:

Leicester, Leicestershire

Contract type:
Permanent

Total hours per week: 37.5

Salary: £29,556 – £35,413

Closing date: 13/03/2026

Shaw Trust promotes team spirit, inclusiveness and is an organisation where everybody is somebody. I am proud to be part of this great organisation. At Shaw Trust we believe everyone has the right to live a decent and dignified life and an opportunity for rewarding work. We are a social purpose organisation challenging inequality and breaking down barriers to enable social mobility.

For us, being part of the solution is about creating the conditions for this to happen, advocating and delivering services that make a real difference. Working in partnership, not competition, we are part of an ecosystem of purpose‑led organisations, striving for a fairer, more equal society centred on opportunity for all.

Working with clients, health professionals, service providers and employers, as an IPS Employment Specialist you will focus on making sure a person’s journey into employment, with associated improved social inclusion and wellbeing, is as easy as possible. You will manage a caseload of clients with mental health support needs, assisting them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences.

Your role will involve delivering the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (training will be provided); providing person‑centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment.

This is a target‑driven role. Targets are derived from contract obligations:
Starts On Programme, Job Entries, Job Retention, compliance to Fidelity delivery model (IPS).

You will work with people on their individual employment journey from vocational profiling to the point where they no longer require face‑to‑face in‑work support. The six key stages on a typical journey are: outreach/referral; vocational profiling; action planning; job search activities (including working one‑to‑one with employers to match people with appropriate employment); job placement and coordinating support while in employment; managing withdrawal of support as in‑work support is no longer required.

• Experience of/Knowledge of IPS approach
• Experience/understanding of working with people with health conditions/disabilities, substance misuse needs, or a similar client group within health, social services or the voluntary sector
• Experience of working with someone on a one‑to‑one basis
• Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets
• Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
• Previous experience of working assertively to influence decision makers
• Experience of supporting people to obtain or keep work

• 25 days annual leave per year (plus bank holidays), increased to 28 days after 3 years’ service, with option to purchase additional holiday
• 2 days paid volunteering leave each year
• Enhanced pension scheme after 6 months
• Life Assurance at 3 times your annual salary rate
• Access to a suite of learning and development opportunities including paid for apprenticeship and masters’ level qualifications, and management development programmes
• Opportunities to connect with our employee diversity networks (LGBTQ+ Support Network, Racial Equality Network, Disability Equality Network, Women’s Network, Neurodiversity Peer Support Network, Menopause Peer Support Group, The Managing Network, The Young Professionals Network and Back to Work Support Group)
• Health and Wellbeing initiatives including internal support, employee assistance programme and health cash plan

• We are certified as an employer who meets the National Equality Standard
• We are Disability Confident Leaders, support guaranteed interview scheme and use of the government’s Access to Work scheme
• We hold the menopause friendly accreditation, hosting regular Menopause Peer Support Groups
• We are keen to reflect the diversity of UK society at every level within our organisation

We welcome applications from all sections of the community including people with lived experience and/or knowledge of disability or social exclusion.

If you have accessibility requirements and/or would like further information about the role, please contact. Shaw Trust reserve the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received.