SMI Physical Activity Specialist

Exciting opportunity is available for an experienced, enthusiastic, dynamic, and motivated Physical Activity Specialist with a passion and specialist interest in working with adults with Serious Mental Illness supporting their weight management. This role will contribute to the development, provision, and coordination of a SMI Lifestyle Service for adults aged 18 and over, delivered across the county of Staffordshire.

This service offers a personalised care package with a focus on those with Serious mental illness who have low levels of activity levels and or are overweight. The service is provided through nutritional support, physical activity, and advice on maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.

You will be responsible for providing high quality, physical activity advice and support, including individualised exercise guidance, working within a multi-disciplinary community team. Providing expert physical activity advice, underpinned by a sound knowledge of the principles of behaviour change, you will support adults, across Staffordshire, to make and maintain health related behaviour changes to improve health and wellbeing.

• Passionate about providing high quality, evidence-based services.
• Experienced in delivering high quality physical activity to adults over 18 with mental illness
• Experienced and confident in delivering one to one and group interventions, for adults with potential co‑morbidities / complex needs.
• Passionate and experienced in empowering individuals and groups, to make and sustain behavioural changes.
• Must be CIMSPA registered.

For more information and to download the job description please visit our website and email your CV and supporting statement to

Closing date: 6th February 2026 Interviews – 9th February Onwards

Please note:

Interviews will be held face to face.

We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Our Physical Activity Specialists support our service users to improve their health and wellbeing through safely increasing their levels of activity through a thorough process of individualised and tailored care, from assessment and planning to implementing and evaluating progress.

This post holder will:

• In line with NICE guidance, be responsible and accountable for the delivery of a high quality, evidence‑based Physical Activity, and prescribed exercise service for adults aged 18 and over with Serious Mental Illness to achieve the patient’s goals for weight loss and healthy lifestyle improvement.
• Working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team (MDT), provide specialist prescribed exercise and support (1‑2‑1 and group) regarding the benefits of, and opportunities to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase habitual levels of physical activity, to ensure excellent patient healthcare and contractual outcomes.
• Support and contribute to the development of all community physical activity programmes from the least intensive and tailored (such as community walks) to the most intensive and tailored.

• To plan, organise, deliver, and evaluate the physical activity and prescribed exercise element of the Adult Lifestyle Service to adults over 18 years of age with mental illness.
• Provide comprehensive assessment and provision of individual physical activity advice and exercise prescription, together with on‑going support to patients, in group and 1‑2‑1 settings implementing skills and knowledge of behaviour change theories.
• Ensure exercise prescription is continually monitored and progressed / regressed, to reflect individual needs.
• Support the physical activity development, delivery, evaluation, and quality assurance of the service and provide key physical activity expertise to the MDT and other colleagues within and across the wider Lifestyle services, ensuring excellent service delivery.
• Facilitate and empower patients to change behaviour and adopt positive lifestyle changes by providing health education and…