Lead Employment Specialist

Lead Employment Specialist - County Durham

Location:

County Durham (main base to be discussed with line manager), travel will be required throughout the region and between services.

Working Hours:

37 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (with one 30 minute early finish each week. Contract Type:
Permanent Salary: £29,430 - £37,610

* Please note:

You will need a full driving licence and access to a vehicle, as the role involves working across County Durham and meeting with employers and partners.

Please note:

The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band.

About Waythrough Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England. Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers. Make a real difference in your community Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives?

Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change.

Are you passionate about helping people overcome barriers to employment and supporting them to build a brighter future? Waythrough is looking for a motivated and experienced Lead Employment Specialist to join our CDDARS service across County Durham. This is an exciting opportunity to lead and develop a team of four Employment Specialists, helping people accessing drug and alcohol treatment to find and sustain meaningful, paid employment.

You will play a key role in developing our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach, supporting your team to build strong relationships with local employers and create opportunities for people who may have never worked or have been out of employment for a long time. This is a rewarding role where you will have the opportunity to shape and develop the service, make the role your own and help people take positive steps towards long-term employment and recovery.

• Lead, supervise and develop a team of four Employment Specialists, providing coaching, mentoring, training and ongoing support.
• Support the delivery of a high-quality IPS service, ensuring best practice is followed and positive employment outcomes are achieved.
• Manage a small caseload of around 10–15 individuals, supporting them to secure sustainable paid employment that reflects their skills, strengths and preferences.
• Build and maintain relationships with local employers, identifying opportunities and helping the team access the hidden labour market.
• Support the team to develop effective employer engagement and job development strategies.
• Monitor service performance, review progress against targets and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare reports for internal and external stakeholders, including commissioners.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, external agencies, training providers and other partners to help individuals achieve their employment goals.
• Gather feedback from the people we support and use this to improve service delivery.
• Support employers to understand individual needs and, where appropriate, negotiate workplace adjustments and ongoing support to help people remain in employment.

We are looking for someone who can bring strong leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, alongside a genuine passion for helping people…