Job overview

Help us close the gap: 80% of people with severe mental health issues want paid work, but only 8% achieve it.

Join Berkshire Healthcare’s Individual Placement and Support (IPS) team, now in its 10th year, and make a real difference. We’re looking for an Employment Specialist to support clients with severe mental health issues to find and keep meaningful work, while building relationships with employers to break stigma and create opportunities.

We’ll train you in the IPS approach, so experience in supported employment or mental health is helpful but both are not essential. What matters most is your passion, empathy, and drive to help people succeed. 

There will be a two-stage interview process:

1. By telephone–informal discussion

2. Face to Face (please note we do not offer interviews online)

At interview, you’ll need to show examples of:

• Empathy, tenacity, and hope when working with people facing severe mental health challenges
• Excellent motivational, communication, and listening skills
• Strong organisation and perseverance (also shown in your application)

Applications for this role will be reviewed in the order they are received. The role may close early if the right applicant is found. If you’re ready to fight inequality and champion opportunity, apply now and help us change lives.

Main duties of the job

• You’ll support a caseload of up to 20 people with severe mental health issues who are unemployed or struggling in the workplace
• Working directly with all relevant stakeholders – including clients, clinicians, consultant psychiatrists and employers and Job Centre Plus – you’ll aim to enable your clients to gain, sustain and retain paid employment. 
• You’ll have the opportunity to transform the lives of your clients, to give them hope, direction and support their recovery journey. It's also challenging, so you’ll need to be able to demonstrate perseverance, whilst being empathic and dedicated to finding clients a role that’s right for them. 

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust site

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

Watch our careers video to learn more.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

If you need help with your application, please contact us on [email protected]

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.

No agencies, please.