Lead Employment Specialist

Lead Employment Specialist

Bristol

ACH is a social enterprise with a clear vision, dedicated to empowering refugees and migrants in the UK to lead self-sufficient and ambitious lives. We bring together a diverse team of strategists and researchers, driven by their own lived experiences, to provide tailored integration services.

Our mission goes beyond individual support; we actively challenge and disrupt the systems that perpetuate inequalities in our society. With a proven track record of delivering effective support services, in 2024, we helped house over 1,400 individuals and provided support to over 500 of our service users, helping them to achieve their personal goals and lead fulfilling lives in their new country.

We are now looking for a Lead Employment Specialist to join us on a full-time, permanent basis, working 37.5 hours per week.

• Salary of £34,277 per annum
• 25 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Pension
• Flexible working
• Employee Recognition Programme
• Training and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Social gatherings and staff retreats
• A fully stocked staffroom!

This is a fantastic opportunity for a talented employability professional with experience supporting individuals with complex challenges and from disadvantaged backgrounds to join our mission-driven organisation.

In this deeply rewarding role, you will have the chance to help individuals navigate significant barriers and take meaningful steps into employment, whilst developing your portfolio of experience and building your own career path for the future.

What’s more, you will be enabled to stretch and refine your expertise, stepping into a role that makes a genuine difference to people’s lives.

• As a Lead Employment Specialist, you will oversee the delivery of high-quality, person-centred employment support to individuals facing complex barriers.
• Lead a team of Employment Specialists, supporting individuals with disabilities, learning difficulties, neurodiverse conditions, poor mental health, and other complex backgrounds to prepare for, secure and sustain meaningful paid employment.
• Work in line with the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) and SEQF (Supported Employment Quality Framework) fidelity models, overseeing the delivery of supported employment programmes from initial engagement to job search and sustained ongoing support.
• Combine team leadership, intensive one-to-one support, and employer engagement to collaborate with multidisciplinary health and community teams to promote inclusion, independence, recovery, and long-term wellbeing.
• Allocate caseloads and monitor performance.
• Develop and monitor participant action plans and vocational profiles.
• Implement tailored In-Work Support (IWS) and job coaching strategies.
• Build partnerships with statutory, VCSE, and employer organisations.
• Identify opportunities to expand or improve service delivery.
• Negotiate job opportunities with employers.
• Represent us in network initiatives across Bristol and surrounding areas.
• Travel across Bristol and surrounding areas to provide community and in-work support.

• Experience working with individuals with learning disabilities, ASD, mental health conditions, complex health challenges or disadvantaged groups.
• Experience in employability support or careers guidance.
• Employer engagement experience.
• Experience managing a team and overseeing projects.
• The ability to understand and meet KPI targets.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong IT literacy, including Microsoft Word, Excel and CRM systems.
• The ability to travel across the city and work flexibly.
• At a minimum, GCSEs in Maths and English at Grade C/4 or equivalent.
• A qualification in Supported Employment/IPS, or willingness to work towards achievement within nine months.

The closing date for this role is 1st April 2026.

Other organisations may call this role Senior Employment Adviser, Employability Team Leader, Employment Programme Manager, Supported Employment Lead, Employability Manager, Job Coach Team Leader, or Employability Services Manager.

Webrecruit and ACH are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you want to become our Lead Employment Specialist, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.