IPS Team Manager | Connect to Work
Preston | Standguide
Permanent contract
Deadline: 23rd February 2026
Job overview
For over three decades, Standguide have been dedicated to supporting individuals and employers across the UK. As a nationwide market leader, we have assisted over 13,000 people in the past year alone to retrain, embark on new career paths, or establish their own businesses.
Role
As a Team Manager, you’ll lead a small team of Employment Specialists, ensuring they adhere to the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for health service users. Responsibilities include supervision, training, and caseload management to maintain high-quality service meeting Fidelity standards. You’ll assist clients with health support needs in securing sustainable paid employment aligned with their preferences.
Responsibilities
What you’ll do
- Effectively manage a high-quality service that adheres to the principles of IPS best practice
- Drive and monitor stakeholder engagement to ensure development of a robust referral pipeline
- Attend multidisciplinary team meetings, delivering presentations as needed to promote provision
- Monitor and manage performance of the IPS Employment Specialists – guide them individually on best practice and achieving individual and team job outcome targets
- Support the design and delivery of in-house staff training and development (including facilitating peer learning and best practice)
- Coordinate the work of Employment Specialists in a region in relation to building relationships with employers to effectively access the hidden labour market, external agencies and delivery of job seeking groups
- Spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences
- Arrange/facilitate education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
The person
What you’ll need
- Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience
- Desirable – trained in IPS approach
- Knowledge of disability and special needs issues, policies, and legislation in relation to employment
- 3+ years’ experience of working with people with health support needs, or a similar group within health, social services, or the voluntary sector
- Natural ability to build close, trusting, and productive relationships with people
- Ability to model recovery focused practice including co-production
- Clean driving licence and full-time access to car as this role requires travel.
- Overseas equivalent qualifications will be accepted.