About this role
Job summary
SUBJECT TO CONTRACT AWARD
As a Lead Neighbourhood Work and Health Coach, you will lead and manage a team of Work and Health Coaches to provide early intervention work and health support and assessment to individuals. This provides holistic support to overcome health-related barriers to employment, and a single, joined-up gateway to other support services.
We need a Lead Neighbourhood Work and Health Coach to provide direct line management and supervision across the Essex area. They will provide highly effective support to individuals and guide them on their journey to returning, remaining or finding new employment while also supporting them to improve their health and wellbeing. They will also support robust relationships with a range of stakeholders, including the Local WorkWell partnership, employers, third sector and NHS partners as needed.
This is a performance-focused role, with clear targets. But more than that, its about changing lives.
We welcome applicants from local residents in the areas of delivery.
Areas of Delivery
West and South Essex
This is a community-based role. You'll work peripatetically across your chosen area(s), supporting clients where they are 5 days a week.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received. Early application is therefore encouraged.
1st Stage interview date: Tuesday 1st December 2026
Interview Format: This will be face-to-face.
Main duties of the job
As a Lead Neighbourhood Work and Health Coach, you will lead and manage a team of Work and Health Coaches to provide early intervention work and health support and assessment to individuals. You will work closely with the Local WorkWell Partnership to ensure participants can access all relevant local resources, employer contacts and the Additional Support Fund.
The Lead Neighbourhood Work and Health Coach provides direct line management and supervision across the West and South Essex area. The Lead Work and Health Coach will also be required to cover caseload if staff are absent and support staff with some of the more complex cases. The Lead will demonstrate best practice in supporting referred individuals to achieve employment and wellbeing goals. They will also identify and encourage robust relationships with a range of stakeholders, including employers, third sector and NHS partners.
This role is community-based and your support for staff will include in person mentoring and supervision, in addition to regular contact via Teams and other means.
About us
Employ-Ability, an Essex-based charity, is seeking to recruit suitable candidates to support those, with mental ill health and long term health conditions, to find and keep employment. Employ-Ability is a highly successful supported employment service, as well as a recognised Centre of Excellence. The charity works with Essex Partnership University Foundation Trust to deliver an Essex wide Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service across Essex and West Suffolk.
Are you passionate about helping people with mental and /or physical health support needs find meaningful, sustainable employment? Do you want to be part of a service that transforms lives through work, inclusion, and wellbeing?
Were looking for enthusiastic and driven Lead Neighbourhood Work and Health Coach to join our team.
Why Join us?
Together we are looking to create growth and opportunity for individuals with mental health conditions and build a better and all-inclusive working world. We work collaboratively to make a real impact in transforming someones life. We love what we do and feel we offer an incredibly rewarding career with an excellent training and development plan, a generous amount of annual leave and pension scheme.
Benefits
- 27 days annual leave (exc. Bank holidays)
- Birthday Leave
- Bupa Private Medical Cover (after probation)
- Flexible Working
- Company Pension and Sick Pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Life Assurance
- Hybrid working
- Reward Gateway (Employee discounts and benefits)
Job description
Job responsibilities
Core Responsibilities
- To manage a team of Neighbourhood Work and Health Coaches, delivering caseload reviews and monthly supervision. You will provide strong leadership and act as a primary point of contact for the team of Neighbourhood Work and Health Coaches, including keeping the team informed on project developments.
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with a range of referral partners including social prescribers, mental health teams, GPs and other community providers to grow referral pathways and opportunities for the development of the service. This will include attending a range of relevant networking and management meetings.
- Establishing and nurturing a no wrong door approach working in collaboration with all other employment services in their specific area of geographical responsibility.
- Ensure your staff can make best use of the Additional Support Fund, ensuring the fund is used and accounted for appropriately.
- As required, through staff absence or the need to model best practice, to provide support to participants with their search for employment, or their need for retention support; and more broadly to sustain their wellbeing.
- You will work with your staff to develop an effective model of intervention and support, broadly based on best Supported Employment practice, and with the additional element of joint working with partners to deliver an optimum service. Such a service will include:
- Assessment of need, background and current circumstances
- The identification of additional support needs and how to meet those needs
- Directly, or through partners, offer advice on health and wellbeing to encourage a healthy lifestyle
- Provide employment coaching, CV production, interview preparation and job brokerage
- Work directly and with partners to identify a range of suitable employment opportunities
- Offer support and guidance around issues of job retention, requiring a good basic knowledge of key employment law
- Engage with employers to facilitate a return to work, including with reasonable adjustments as required
- Offer relevant advice to employers, such as access to Mental Health First Aid training
- Offer relevant advice to employers, such as access to Mental Health First Aid training reflect the participant journey.
- You will ensure the team maintain accurate and compliant electronic participant records that clearly reflect their journey.
- You will ensure that quality and continuous improvement sit at the forefront of all priorities and remain a regular agenda item with staff.
- Relationship Management:
Working with the Head of Service agree on a partnership framework with key partners, priorities and processes identified; implementing this will require:
- The development of effective working relationships with a range of external agencies, which may include primary health care providers, local colleges and training providers, Job Centres and other third sector providers.
- Establishment of strong and effective relationships with funders and other contract providers to ensure we deliver in line with expectations.
- Attendance at occasional Board meetings to update on contract performance, utilising case studies to explain the process and value added through our provision.
- Deputise for the Head of Service in situations of long-term absence, details of that role are contained in a separate Temporary Job Description. The distribution of duties between Team Leads to be finalised by the Board at that time.
Other
- Undertake mandatory training as required, including training in the IPS approach and Job Retention best practice
- Actively participate in own continuous professional development
- Ensure your staff work to all administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and to keep accurate and complete records of casework.
- Implement the organisations policies and procedures as required, including information governance, safeguarding and maintenance of records as regards staff activity.
- As directed maintain necessary records to ensure the project captures its Social Impact data.
- Support the marketing and profiling of the service for the team. This includes delivering the communications strategy, collecting employment recovery stories etc.
- Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within the sector.
- Manage feedback, comments and complaints.
- You will be required to be mobile across a geographical area in order to support your staff.
- To undertake any other duties as may be necessary from time to time, including possible out of hours working for which there will be time off in lieu.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Level 3 Diploma in Employability Services Sector Qualification
- QCF in Advice & Guidance (Level 3)
Experience
Essential
- 3+ years experience of working with people with mental health support needs, or a similar group within health, social services or the voluntary sector
- 2+ years experience working in employment services
- Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets
- Strong networking abilities
- Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
- Experience of staff supervision, management and/or mentoring
- Experience of managing change effectively and facilitating innovation
Desirable
- Experience of delivering training
- Previous experience of delivering a service using the IPS model
- Own personal lived experience of recovery from mental health difficulties
- An understanding of latest developments and research findings re evidence based supported employment, workplace wellbeing
- An understanding of the impact of stigma on mental health and employment/workplace
- In depth operational knowledge of employment law/ /employment rights
- Experience of Job Retention work
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment
- Good understanding of the principles and practice of supported employment
- Working knowledge of a broad range of occupations and jobs
- In depth understanding of evidence based supported employment services; employment support needs
- Understanding of current Government initiatives relevant to employment e.g. Work Choice, Access to Work, Condition Management Programme, etc.
- Knowledge of good practice in employment; workplace wellbeing
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
- Up to date knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits and benefits rules
- Able to use IT and tools such as MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel
Desirable
- Knowledge of the benefits agency and all disability/ employment related benefits
- Knowledge of employment Law
Skills and competencies
Essential
- Strong leadership skills
- Excellent motivational, communication and listening skills
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a range of people
- Ability to model recovery focused practice including co-production
- Natural ability to build close, trusting and productive relationships with people
- Team orientated and works collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team
- Ability to work independently and use initiative to develop and promote a service
Personal qualities
Essential
- Non-judgemental and trustworthy
- Empathy with the needs of those experiencing mental health problems
- Passion and drive to make a positive difference to people's lives
- Positive mindset with the ability to motivate, engage and inspire
- Highly motivated with a genuine belief that someone with a mental health condition can find paid employment
- Resilient and tenacious to not give up despite setbacks and frustrations
- Commitment to integrity and excellent service delivery to the client, employers and clinical team
- Self-aware of personal strengths and weaknesses and actively invest in personal and professional development
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Employer details
Employer name
Employ-Ability
Address
Latton Bush Centre
Southern Way
Harlow
Essex
CM18 7BL
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.e-a.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)