Employment Advisor

Posting date:	13 June 2025
Salary:	£35,235 to £37,938 per year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	27 June 2025
Location:	Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1RQ
Company:	West Sussex County Council
Job type:	Contract
Job reference:	CPP01117_1749799628

Summary

Do you have experience of supporting people who experience complex challenges?

Are you good at building trust and rapport?

Are you confident working with a wide range of people including participants and employers?

If the answer is yes, we want to hear from you!

We are excited to recruit a dedicated team of Employment Advisors for Connect to Work in West Sussex, passionate about making a real difference in people's lives.

Through our Connect to Work supported employment initiative, you will have the rewarding opportunity to support refugees as they rebuild their lives and get into work or to empower young people aged 18-24, including those who have care experience or are living in temporary accommodation, into work.

Connect to Work is a national, government-funded initiative, aimed at working with individuals facing barriers and supporting them into employment. Working with a small group of clients, you will use a Supported Employment model to move participants quickly into work and help them stay in work.

This team will be at the heart of delivering the service in West Sussex. Working with a caseload of participants and with local employers, you'll provide information, advice, guidance, support, to break down barriers and help people move quickly into meaningful employment.

If you are eager to discover more about the Connect to Work programme and see how it can create life-changing opportunities by unlocking the world of work for people across West Sussex and Brighton and Hove, visit our Connect to Work Careers Page.

Salary: £35,235 to £37,938 per annum

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract until 31 March 2029

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: based at County Hall, West Street, Chichester PO19 1RQ, with some roles based at Centenary House, Woodfield Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 8GN.

Interview Date: Wednesday 09 July 2025. Interviews will take place via a Recruitment Assessment Day in Chichester which will run from 09:00am to 5:00pm. You will attend either a morning session from 9.00am -1.00pm or an afternoon session from 1.00pm - 5.00pm.

This role requires the successful candidate to travel throughout West Sussex for visits, working flexibly to meet the needs of the programme and participants.

Once-a-week attendance at your base location will be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

To work closely with clients and offer them the vital face-to-face support they deserve, you will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

About the Job

As Employment Advisor, you will be working with a caseload of refugees or young people aged between 18 to 24, covering locations in West Sussex.

Working as an Employment Advisor promises to offer a unique experience each day, filled with unexpected challenges and rewards! There are several key responsibilities that will be integral to this role, including:

• Building trusting relationships with participants, motivating and empowering them to take ownership of their employment journey.
• Conducting comprehensive assessments, including needs analysis and vocational profiling, to tailor support to each participant.
• Providing trauma-informed and goal-centred support, encouraging sustainable progress and addressing challenges constructively.
• Coaching participants to develop job-seeking strategies, improving CVs, building interview skills and supporting the development of work-related skills.
• Advocating for the benefits of recruiting a diverse workforce with local employers, using a strong understanding of the local labour market.
• Building and maintaining partnerships with employers, including from small- and medium-sized businesses, to create opportunities for your clients.
• Identifying and helping to secure competitive job opportunities that align with participants' aspirations, including accessing jobs that are not advertised.
• Working to the Supported Employment model which requires participants to begin their job search quickly, get into work as soon as they can and then supports them to maintain employment. Full training in the model will be given.
• Working the participants who are already in work but need support from Connect to Work to stay in work.

If you are passionate about making a positive difference in the community, then this role is perfect for you.

We would love to hear from you if you have

• Experience of delivering employment support and in particular of Supported Employment (IPS or SEQF).
• Good organisational skills: capable of managing a caseload and prioritising competing demands effectively.
• The ability to communicate and collaborate with a wide range of people, including members of the wider community, participants, employers and clinical or specialist support teams.
• Emotional intelligence and the ability to build and maintain rapport and a professional relationship with people with significant barriers.
• The ability to use assessment processes and to manage risk with people who may have complex needs and barriers.
• Tenacity, resilience and resourcefulness - the ability to overcome challenging situations and find alternative solutions.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 27 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part time) plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme.

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01117.

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV and cover letter.

Your cover letter should:

• Outline your motivations for applying.
• Please include your preference for your preferred team, Refugees or Young People. Please note you are not required to submit a preference at this stage of the process.
• Explain the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills in the attached job description).

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

RSi