Employment Specialist - Individual Placement and Support

Overview

IPS Employment Specialist

Crewe| Permanent | Full Time

Help turn recovery into opportunity.

The right job can change more than someone’s income.

It can build confidence, create stability and open up new possibilities.

We’re looking for an IPS Employment Specialist to join our Crewe service, helping people receiving drug and alcohol treatment move into sustainable paid employment that reflects their strengths, interests and ambitions.

This is employment support with purpose.

Why this opportunity?

Individual Placement and Support is an evidence-based approach that brings employment support directly into treatment services.

You’ll work with a caseload of around 25 people, supporting them from their first conversation through to finding and sustaining meaningful paid work.

You won’t wait for someone to become “job ready”. You’ll start with what matters to them, build on their strengths and help remove the barriers that may be holding them back.

Working alongside treatment colleagues, local employers and partner organisations, you’ll create opportunities that work for both the individual and the employer.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll:

• Deliver high-quality employment support in line with the IPS model.
• Help people identify their skills, employment goals and preferred career direction.
• Support job searches, applications, interview preparation and workplace transitions.
• Build strong relationships with employers across Crewe and the surrounding area.
• Identify suitable paid opportunities and promote inclusive recruitment.
• Work closely with treatment teams to provide coordinated, person-centred support.
• Help people sustain employment by responding early when challenges arise.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to service performance and reporting.

Where you’ll work

Location: Crewe, with travel across the local area to meet with people, employers and partner organisations.

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week.

Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and any associated payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

Responsibilities

Service Overview:

In this role, you'll manage a caseload of 25 individuals receiving structured treatment for drug and/or alcohol use, helping them secure sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences.

You'll deliver the IPS employment support approach, offering person-centered advice and guidance while fostering positive relationships with local employers to create employment opportunities.

Your focus will be on helping clients sustain their employment while working collaboratively with treatment service staff to identify potential referrals and provide integrated support leading to job acquisition and retention.

IPS is a fundamental commitment in the Government’s Drug Strategy, revolutionising employment support in all treatment services in England. This evidence-based model ensures service users secure preference-led paid work, significantly more effective than any other support.

About you

You believe that meaningful employment can play an important role in recovery.

You’ll be confident building relationships, approaching employers and supporting people who may have experienced barriers to work.

You’ll bring:

• Experience of supporting people towards employment, training or positive life change.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Confidence engaging with employers and developing new opportunities.
• The ability to manage a varied caseload and balance competing priorities.
• A person-centred and outcomes-focused approach.
• Good organisation, IT and record-keeping skills.
• A commitment to working collaboratively within an integrated treatment service.

A degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience would be welcomed. Experience supporting people affected by drug or alcohol use, mental health needs or other barriers to employment would also be valuable.

You don’t need previous IPS experience. You’ll receive comprehensive training and ongoing support to develop your skills and knowledge.

What we’ll give you

You’ll join a supportive team where your development is encouraged and your contribution is valued.

Our benefits include:

• 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays, increasing by one day for each completed year of service up to 30 days.
• A paid Wellness Hour every week.
• Access to our Wellness Hub and Employee Assistance Programme.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• Training, career development and progression opportunities.
• Employee discounts across shopping, cinema, holidays and more.
• Our Refer a Friend Scheme, offering vouchers for an eligible successful referral.

Make your next move matter

At Change Grow Live, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to change the direction of their life.

You’ll help people recognise their potential, connect with employers and build a future through work that is right for them.

Our values—Be open. Be compassionate. Be bold.—guide everything we do. If they reflect the way you work, we’d love to hear from you.

Please review the attached job description and role specifics for full details of the responsibilities and person specification.

A note about using AI in your application

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

We reserve the right to close this opportunity early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

This opportunity is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions.

Please note that we are not accepting applications from recruitment agencies for this vacancy. Direct applications only.

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 25 to 28 (£30,268.05 - £32,802.41)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Closing Date

23/10/2026

If you have any questions on this opportunity that you would like to talk through please contact us using the below details:

Mia Tillyer | [email protected] | 07436021640 This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.