Employment Specialist

You will be based in one of the areas above, however you will be required to attend the Civic Offices, Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth on occasions. Please state in your personal statement which area you prefer, Basingstoke and Aldershot or Portsmouth and surrounding areas. The Service Portsmouth City Council's Employment, Learning and Skills delivers a wide range of DWP, ESFA and ESF funded programmes. The programmes we work on provide support to residents within local communities; many of whom are either long term unemployed, have a disability or health condition, including mental health issues, or have other barriers as to why gaining sustained employment is proving to be a challenge. Services include relevant interventions for young people and other excluded or vulnerable groups to provide local communities with an inclusive workforce. Your New Role Working within Portsmouth City Council's IPS 'IndividualPlacement andSupport' model contract, the role will include managing a caseload of clients 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 theIndividualPlacement andSupport(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 & alcohol treatment service, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment support. IPS is a 'work first' intervention designed to support people into sustained employment.,

• Driving Licence and use of a car for business travel is required - this is because you will be regularly visiting employers, work placements hosts and customers to carry out employment engagement, placement host reviews and customer in work reviews as well as on occasion to accompany clients to interviews.
• Due to the diversity of our customer base, the need for regular one to one meetings and the flexibility required in delivering our contracts a basic DBS Check will be required.
• The role will be officed based at the various Recovery Hubs.
For full details, please review 'who is the person' on the job profile attached below. About Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) As part of Local Government Reorganisation, current plans will see Portsmouth City Council combine with the district and borough councils of Fareham, Gosport and Havant and parts of East Hampshire and Winchester district councils to form a new, larger unitary authority for south east Hampshire. We are working towards an implementation date of 1st April 2028, known as vesting day, subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then, we remain focused on maintaining continuity, supporting our workforce, and continuing to deliver excellent services to our residents throughout the transition to the new unitary authority. This is an exciting time to join us, offering the opportunity to contribute to organisational transformation, develop your career, and help shape future services for our communities.

You will have experience of talking to employers and helping people into work. You will conduct employer engagement to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual's strengths, needs, abilities and preferences. You will be able to manage and support a caseload of clients and review progress, pre and post-employment. You will also have the proven ability to build rapport with people and especially understanding issues for people affected by substance misuse or similar conditions. You will maintain an equality & diversity approach at all times. You will have the ability to work on own initiative and within a team, flexibility to cope with the varying demands of the role and bedrivento succeed and set high personal standards so that targets are met.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it. Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career's portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Basic level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS