Individual Placement Support (IPS) Team Leader: Sponsorship Available

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Are you looking for a career where you can make a positive difference to the lives of people with mental health difficulties?

Do you believe you have the leadership skills to support a team of Employment Specialists, to support people to retain, find and sustain employment?

If so, this role may be just what you’re looking for!

We are seeking a motivated and experienced individual to lead our Employment Retention and Job Seeking Service. The post holder will support people experiencing severe mental health challenges and other barriers to employment, to retain existing employment, return to work, or secure competitive paid employment.

The role combines leadership, service development, partnership working and direct client support, ensuring high-quality, person-centred interventions that improve employment outcomes.

90% of people with Severe mental illness want to work, but currently only 8% are in work. Getting into employment can be a critical part of a recovery journey, so as a Team Leader, you will be supporting a team of Employment Specialists, providing supervision, training and role modelling of the IPS approach. This is a dynamic and diverse role, where you will also work as part of mental health teams to promote employment and raise expectations around the ability of service users to retain and access paid employment. The ability to network in the local community and build strong relationships is essential.

Main duties of the job

You will be required to:

Provide employment support for our client group, who are furthest away from the job market, in the hope that retaining or securing employment will aid an individual’s recovery and promote social inclusion.

Work within the principles of the IPS model; to monitor the team’s performance and collated and submitted data monthly (this will be shared with NHS England, IPS Grow and other stake holders).

Lead a team of Employment Specialist to promote referrals from various referral routes, to ensure that the service achieves referral/access targets set by NHS England.

Lead a team of Employment Specialist through external monitoring (Guided Self Assessment and Fidelity reviews) and help build adherence to the IPS model.

Promote and nurture a positive team environment with open communication, collaboration and a shared goal.

To work directly with employers to secure employment opportunities and support your team to develop good links with local employers. You will need to be confident to make approaches of this nature on behalf of jobseekers.

Liaise closely with DWP providers and other stakeholders

You will have experience both in the field of employment support and with clients experiencing mental ill health

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Holder of a degree or equivalent qualification
  • Experience or knowledge of recruitment/employment
  • Trained in IPS Model

LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

Essential

  • Experience of working with and supporting people who have experienced mental health problems (or other unemployed disadvantaged groups) into employment
  • Supervising, mentoring or coaching front line staff in best practice delivery

PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

Essential

  • Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies and legislation in relation to employment

transport

Essential

  • access to a vehicle, valid UK driving licence and able to drive throughout the county

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 31 August 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.