About this role
Job summary
SUBJECT TO CONTRACT AWARD
As a Senior WorkWell Employment Specialist, you will be providing integrated holistic early help for people with health-related barriers to work. WorkWell is aimed at anyone with a disability or health condition who is in work or who could move into work with the right support.
As the Senior WorkWell Employment Specialist, you will develop and maintain active relationships with local employers, business networks and employer representative organisations. Your primary role will be focused on developing and promoting clear routes for employers to refer eligible employees through the agreed WorkWell access route.
Working with the Neighbourhood Work & Health Coach service, Jobcentre Plus, skills providers and other employment partners to improve handovers and resolve recurring pathway problems
You will be supported by a Team Lead and the broader management of Employ-Ability. You will also work in partnership with Trust Links to ensure the local delivery of a joined-up route into local services that can respond to each persons needs, including health, community, skills, employment and wider support Services.
This is a community-based role and you will be expected to work with employers and other services peripatetically across your area of responsibility.
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
South Essex
Main duties of the job
WorkWell is a health and employment support service providing integrated holistic early help for people with health-related barriers to work.
This is a community-based role and you will be expected to work with employers and other services across your area of responsibility, in person and via Teams or phone.
1st Stage interview date: Tuesday 1st December 2026
Interview Format: This will be face-to-face.
About us
Employ-Ability, an Essex-based charity, is seeking to recruit a suitable candidate 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.
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 an enthusiastic and driven Senior WorkWell Employment Specialist 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
- Develop and maintain active relationships with local employers, business networks and employer representative organisations. Use existing contacts and build new links where coverage is limited.
- Explain the WorkWell offer to employers and promote awareness of workplace adjustments, early support, job retention and return to work after ill health.
- Connect employers with relevant local services and make the benefits of engagement clear to them.
- Develop and promote clear routes for employers to refer eligible employees through the agreed WorkWell access route.
- Work with the Work & Health coach Service, Jobcentre Plus, skills providers and other employment partners to improve handovers and resolve recurring pathway problems.
- Align WorkWell with Connect to Work, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and other employment provision. Help partners understand the different offers, support warm handovers through agreed routes and avoid duplicate provision.
- Use established outreach in GP practices, Jobcentre Plus and community venues to raise awareness and reach people less likely to access traditional employment support.
- Take part in relevant employer events, job fairs and DWP networks. Coordinate activity within the charity and Trust Links Partnership Managers and Officers.
- Gather intelligence on local labour markets, workforce health, barriers to sustained employment and gaps in provision. Bring employer feedback to partnership discussions and help turn it into improvements to referral routes, pathway maps and practitioner communications.
- Map priority employer networks and employment pathways for each area, identify gaps in reach, help test referral routes and agree the initial employer engagement plan with Employ-Ability and Trust Links.
- Keep an detailed activity record of all employer contacts and engagement, outreach and geographic reach, referral routes developed, employer feedback, barriers identified and actions taken.
- Ensure you have a knowledge of other resources available to employers should they need support, such as access to Access to Work, Mindful Employer, Mental Health First Aid and Advice on the Equality Act 2010.
- Develop an effective working relationship with other partners and your colleagues within Employ-Ability through attending regular team and network meetings.
Other
- Ensure you understand and can convey the Additional Support Fund within the rules of the fund.
- To adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of WorkWell, and to keep accurate and complete records of your work.
- To work independently, reliably and deliver consistently to deliver effective practice.
- Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practices.
- To collect employment recovery stories from people accessing the service.
- Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
- Partake in continuous learning about mental and physical health conditions, their impact regarding employment and who best to refer to for management of the condition.
- Undertake mandatory training as required.
- Work flexible hours as required.
- To keep up to date with information on grants and advisory services for clients and employers, for instance funding for specialised equipment or advice on the Equality Act 2010.
- To support the team in promoting Employ-Ability in the community and with related publicity events and materials.
- You will be required to be mobile across a geographical area.
- 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.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received. Early application is therefore encouraged.
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
- Experience/understanding of working with people with long term health conditions support needs, or a similar client group within health, social services or the voluntary sector
- Experience of working in a senior role within health, social care or the voluntary sector with people who have experienced mental health problems/have employment support needs
- Ability to work independently and creatively to meet service requirements and key targets
- Experience of managing multiple tasks at any one time
- Experience of working assertively to influence decision makers
Desirable
- Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets
- HR or advice work involving Employment law
- Job retention experience
- Experience of service redesign and change management
- Data analysis, reporting
- Managing stakeholder relationships
Knowledge
Essential
- Proven experience of meeting and exceeding outcomes and targets
- HR or advice work involving Employment law
- Job retention experience
- Experience of service redesign and change management
- Data analysis, reporting
- Managing stakeholder relationships
- Knowledge of the Equality Act 2010
- Up to date knowledge of relevant Welfare Benefits and benefits rules
Desirable
- 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
Skills and competencies
Essential
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with a range of people
- Natural ability to build close, trusting and productive relationships with people
- Team orientated and works collaboratively within a mixed-disciplinary team
- Compelling written and verbal communication skills, tailored to a variety of audiences
- Ability to analyse, interpret and present Key Performance data
- Report writing skills
- Excellent coaching and active listening skills, ability to ask perceptive questions that tease out important information through mentoring and coaching
- Abilities to persuade and negotiate in a constructive and appropriate manner
- Original and astute thinking that leads to decisive action
- Able to work independently and use initiative to think quickly on the spot in different, and often challenging, situations
- Creative problem solving to tackle obstacles that arise and fulfil requirements of the role in innovative ways to deliver greater impact
- Can effectively manage time to meet deadlines while maintaining high standards
- Manage competing demands with project management tools and techniques
- Maintain effective and organised administration systems
Personal qualities
Essential
- Naturally interested in and energised by working with and talking to people
- Non-judgemental and trustworthy
- Capability to be warm and empathetic whilst respecting professional boundaries
- Passion and drive to make a positive difference to people's lives
- Belief that people with mental illness can gain and sustain meaningful work
- Able to model a strengths-based recovery model
- Positive mindset and motivational to others
- Instil hope and empower others to own their experience and choices
- Resilient and tenacious to not give up despite setbacks and frustrations
- Responds positively to challenges and is able to translate it into a valuable learning experience
- Resilient and won't take rejection or negative experiences personally
- Ability to self-reflect and understand own reactions and flex accordingly to any situation
- Patient and empathetic to others' situations without imposing own experiences or beliefs onto others
- Reliably deliver excellent results and go the extra mile for service users and employer
- 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
The Workspace
7 High Pavement
BASILDON
Essex
SS14 1EA
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.e-a.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)