Employment Specialist - Lancashire - North

General Information

City: Preston

Country: United Kingdom

Working time: Full-time

Salary: £29,000 - £32,000

Closing date: 06-Jul-2026

Description & Requirements

Be part of something great! Maximus is a global organisation that specialises in providing health and employment services to millions of people every year. Here in the UK we employ around 5,000 people across the country to deliver services that have a profound impact on people's lives. From assessments and health services to employability programmes and specialist support, we do work that matters with people who care.

The Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) Employment Specialist will demonstrate the core values of Supported Employment, empowering participants to gain employment while delivering the 5 stages of Supported Employment: Customer Engagement; Vocational Profiling; Employer Engagement; Job Matching; and providing In-Work Support/Career Development. This role is community based, covering the north of Lancashire, ideally based in the Lancaster/Morcambe area.

Supporting vulnerable adults with a variety of health conditions, disabilities and other barriers to meaningful employment, you will engage with a variety of stakeholders and advocate on behalf of your caseload to promote equality and gain employment opportunities. We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic individual who is deeply passionate about supported employment and truly believes in its power to transform lives.

Responsibilities

• Support a caseload through the 5 stages of Supported Employment, building rapport and trust, ensuring choice and control, and advocating on behalf of participants.
• Adhere to the SEQF quality framework.
• Develop a comprehensive vocational profile and conduct detailed job analysis to identify support needs and tailor interventions.
• Provide job matching services, identifying suitable employment opportunities aligned with client skills and preferences.
• Deliver one to one pre employment support, offer on the job support including coaching, workplace adjustments, and mentoring to ensure a smooth transition and long term retention.
• Provide benefits calculations and disclosure support.
• Meet and exceed KPI targets.
• Ensure compliance by accurate data entry, completion of contractual and internal documentation, and provider guidance.
• Engage with a variety of stakeholders (partners & employers) to advocate on behalf of the caseload.
• Facilitate integration with local communities and partners, ensuring employment support is woven into the broader local services network.
• Engage with community organisations to promote the program and generate referrals.
• Use a range of recruitment activities to match and market participants to relevant vacancies or potential employers.
• Work with employers to job carve positions, negotiate work trials, and provide support such as training and natural support development.
• Signpost participants to partner services to remove barriers and develop support networks.
• Provide mentoring support, advice, and guidance to participants and employers to ensure sustained employment.
• Develop circles of support for participants to support their aspirations.
• Promote a zero rejection philosophy of Supported Employment to stakeholders.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Strive for the best quality standard by accurate record keeping and following SEQF guidelines.
• Gather feedback from stakeholders, participants, and employers to inform continuous improvement efforts.
• Implement innovative approaches to improve service delivery and participant outcomes.
• Reflect on personal performance and engage in professional development activities.
• Collect and analyse data to monitor program effectiveness and identify improvement areas.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with systems including MS Outlook, Teams and OneDrive.
• Numeracy and literacy skills.
• Experience working to quality standards and associated KPI's.
• Creative problem solving skills.
• Experience of organising workload and managing priorities.
• Experience of people development in individual or group settings.
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate self management.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• A genuine passion for empowering individuals with disabilities or barriers to employment.
• A strong commitment to delivering person centred support and achieving positive, life changing outcomes.
• Ability to inspire confidence, self belief, and motivation in individuals.
• Deep sense of purpose and motivation to make a difference.
• Committed to transforming lives through compassionate support.
• Experience of supporting participants through Supported Employment contracts and/or employability related work.
• Ability to coach individuals to develop healthy work behaviours and career development.
• Welfare to Work sector specific qualification (e.g. Supported Employment Techniques, Level 3 Certificate for Supported Employment Practitioners, NVQ L3 in Employment related services) or willingness to develop/training.
• Motivated and adaptable nature.
• Sales, promotional or influencing skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills (active listening, questioning, building relationships).
• Participant focused with realistic goal setting.
• Stakeholder and communication skills (relationship building, negotiation, persuasiveness).
• Quality focus with creative innovation input.
• Integrity, willingness to learn, teamwork, empathy, conflict management, resilience and time management.

Key Contacts & Relationships

• Internal: Line Manager, Central Teams, Labour Market Analyst, Borough Integration Managers, Employer Engagement Specialist, Fidelity Officer.
• External: Partners (e.g. referral sources), Employers, Circles of Support.

EEO Statement

MAXIMUS is committed to developing, maintaining and supporting a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process. We ensure no applicant receives less favourable treatment due to any personal characteristic. We are a Disability Confident Leader; our scheme offers a guaranteed interview for eligible applicants with a disability. Where reasonable, MAXIMUS will review and consider adjustments for applicants who express a requirement for them during recruitment.