IPS Employment Specialist
Nottingham City | Nottingham Recovery Network – Framework
Permanent contract
Deadline: 5th October 2026
Job overview
We deliver services across Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, West Northamptonshire, Derbyshire and Sheffield. We work to end homelessness and related disadvantage by deliver high impact services that create lasting change for the people we support.
Why Join Us?
- We invest in you and encourage career progression – providing a full induction, e-learning and classroom training, management development pathways, fully-funded professional qualifications and more.
- Your wellbeing is important to us. We emphasise wellbeing in all our working environments and employ a Wellbeing Practitioner to support our staff.
- Employee assistance programme, salary sacrifice schemes.
- Stakeholder pension, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and paid sick leave.
- 32 days holiday including Bank Holidays – increasing with service.
- Paid DBS and Update Service.
- Loyalty awards and non-contributory life insurance.
- Equality and diversity is important to us: we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and cultures, and appreciate the variety of experience they provide. As one of Nottingham’s few Disability *Confident Leaders, we warmly encourage job applications from people with disabilities.
- Framework is incredibly proud to hold Investors in People (IIP) Gold accreditation. This accreditation recognises our continued commitment to creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow.
Role
You will manage a caseload of clients of people in structured treatment for drug and/ or alcohol use to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences. You will deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (for which training will be given); providing person centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment.
You will work as part of a community drug and alcohol treatment service, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment.
Responsibilities
Core Responsibilities:
- Manage a caseload of around 25 clients in structured treatment for substance use who are motivated to start/return to work.
- Deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for which training will be given.
- Meet and support clients to understand their key skills, aspirations and goals through completing a Vocational Profile and produce an Action Plan to help them obtain and sustain competitive employment. This includes support with their job search, CV production, application forms, interview techniques and career development.
- Assess client support needs related to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of mental health symptoms etc, and provide support & guidance.
- Attend weekly clinical team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner.
- Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job search and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
- Provide 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.
- Build relationships with colleagues in clinical teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention in the recovery journey).
- Once employment has been secured continue to provide quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring and in-work support to clients and employers to help sustain employment.
- Establish positive and integrated relationships with clinical teams, employers and other service providers. This includes:
- To build and maintain employer relationships and maintain employer engagement database.
- Arrange regular meetings with clients to monitor and review progress pre and post-employment.
- Work collaboratively with clinical specialists to support clients to sustain employment and positive recovery outcomes.
- Spend time getting to know local employers, in order to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
- To challenge inequalities experienced by clients and address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation
- Work with employers to promote the service, identify job opportunities and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to reduce barriers in the work place – this can include exploring ‘job carving’ i.e. carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to do.
- To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who can help individuals to achieve their employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers.
- To adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and to keep accurate and complete records of casework.
- To work independently, reliably and deliver consistently to deliver effective IPS practice.
- Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.
- To co-produce service development with service users where possible.
- 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 substance use and mental health conditions, their impact and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required.
- Work flexible hours as required.
Relationship Management
Other responsibilities