Employment Specialist | Connect to Work

Could you help people with health conditions, disabilities and complex barriers achieve their employment goals? Join Triage as an Employment Specialist in Gateshead and deliver personalised IPS support that empowers people to secure meaningful, sustainable employment and build brighter futures.

Deadline: 14th August 2026

• East of England
• Full-time

Who is Triage?

Triage provides information, advice, guidance, skills, workplace training, work preparation and supportive recruitment services that help people secure a job, progress in the workplace and build meaningful careers.

Delivering from locations across Scotland and England, Triage partners with multiple public, private and community organisation. Working with local, regional, and national stakeholders, prime contractors and Jobcentre Plus, we deliver employment, education and training programmes that respond to the social, cultural, inclusive and economic growth agendas.

We are looking for people to join us, who reflect our values. With offices across the UK, our values are what helps unite our teams and provides us with a sense of belonging. No matter the location we work in, or the role we carry out, we feel a sense of community and that’s all because of our values. For us, our five values frame our interactions and set standards both internally and externally – they are the building blocks on how we do business.

“We thrive together”, “We do something amazing everyday”, “We never give up”, “We know our knowledge is power”, “We act with kindness”.

In other words, if you have a true passion for working with and helping others, Triage could be the employer for you.

The IPS Employment Specialist plays a pivotal role in supporting individuals with health conditions (including mental health), disabilities and complex barriers to employment, to gain and sustain meaningful paid employment. The role is based on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model, which is an evidence-based approach to vocational rehabilitation.

The role is deeply impactful, helping individuals overcome barriers to employment and promoting social inclusion, contributing to a fairer society by challenging stigma and discrimination in the workplace.

You will be required to build and manage a caseload of up to 25 people at any one time and will also engage with local employers to match participants with suitable roles that are both sustainable and rewarding.

Your work location(s) will mainly be based in and around the communities we support and will be caseload dependant. You will be expected to manage your time and diary effectively to maximise face to face time with each participant. Specific working locations can be discussed at interview stage.

Triage is a Disability Confident Employer who wishes to engage and encourage people with a disability or long-term health condition, ensuring they have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. We will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum requirements for the job and make reasonable adjustments to ensure candidates are not disadvantaged in any way.

Required criteria:

• Outstanding interpersonal skills (empathy, teamwork, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence) and ability to build rapport with a range of people
• Proven experience of supporting people overcome barriers to obtain or keep work
• An understanding of the principles and practices of supported employment
• Proven track record of building collaborative relationships with employers
• High level of optimism, initiative, and effective interpersonal skills in order to engage effectively with participants, clinical teams and employers
• Proven experience of delivering one-to-one support and facilitating small group
• Demonstrated experience working within a structured delivery model, with the ability to creatively adapt the approach through innovative activities and thinking-ensuring the service remains inclusive, engaging, and beneficial to all participants, regardless of their individual barriers to employment
• Proven experience of meeting and exceeding progression targets.
• Proven experience in the use of assessment…