Employment Specialist (Ref: 0107ZN)
| Posting date: | 12 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £27,500.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £27500.00 - £27500.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 24 February 2026 |
| Location: | Wigan, WN1 1HR |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | B0236-26-0045 |
Summary
About the Role All applicants must submit a CV along with a cover letter explaining why they should be considered for this role. Applications will not be accepted without a cover letter. Please note: This role may close earlier than the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Closing date: Tuesday 24th February 2026 Join our team as an IPS Employment Specialist in Wigan - Job Description/Person Specification Are you a compassionate and motivated individual who wants to change people's lives? Our team in Wigan is looking for an individual who is passionate about supporting people back into work, to join them in providing high-quality recovery support to a diverse client group. If you are enthusiastic, creative and have a genuine desire to help others, we'd love to hear from you. As a leading charity supporting people with drug, alcohol, and mental health challenges, we operate over 80 services across England and Scotland, providing free and confidential support to more than 100,000 people each year. Find out more about us here. Our vibrant services in Wigan and Leigh provide support to people concerned about their own or someone else's alcohol or drug use. We have services in both Wigan and Leigh but much of our work is carried out in the local communities we serve. Visit our website here to find out more about WithYou's Individual Placement Support service. Job Opportunity As an IPS Employment Specialist, we offer a starting salary of £27,500 rising each year in line with our pay progression salary bands to £32,000 per year. For further details please reach out to a member of the recruitment team. As an IPS Employment Specialist, you will support the IPS model as a specialism within a community substance misuse service and deliver support to people who are in treatment or recovery into employment. You will work directly with employers to secure employment opportunities and subsequently to provide ongoing support to meet both the employee's and employer's needs. Your work will help to tackle stigma by promoting the IPS model and its benefits to partner agencies and the wider community. Key duties of this role will include: Supporting the ongoing development of the Individual Placement and Support model within Wigan Ensuring that clients receive appropriate care and support from everyone involved in their return to work process Supporting clients to improve their employability using a range of employment interventions, including CV writing, vocational profiling, interview preparation and job matching Promoting the service offer and ensure continued employee engagement Delivering training and skill sharing sessions with the wider team on aspects of employment practice and IPS, tackling stigma and identifying clients who want to enter employment Essential Skills We're excited to receive applications from those with: Demonstrable experience of helping people facing severe labour market disadvantage to obtain or keep work An exceptional ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with both clients and stakeholders An understanding of the principles and practices the Integrated Support and Placement (IPS) model of supported employment An ability to communicate highly complex and specialist information effectively both verbally and in writing, including the production of formal reports DE&I As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our vision of a future where everyone lives a life free from the harm associated with drugs and alcohol. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans. As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role. With You is also a Disability Confident Employer and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role. If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best. Benefits 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave 2 days paid volunteer leave per year Auto-enrollment into We Are With You's pension scheme Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period