Senior IPS Employment Specialist

All applicants must submit a CV along with a cover letter explaining why they should be considered for this role. Applications will not be accepted without a cover letter.

Please note:
This role may close earlier than the stated deadline if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Closing date:
Tuesday 24th February 2026

Are you a compassionate and motivated individual who wants to change people’s lives? Our team in Stoke on Trent is looking for an individual who is passionate about supporting people back into work, to join them in providing high-quality recovery support to a diverse client group. If you are enthusiastic, creative and have a genuine desire to help others, we’d love to hear from you.

As a leading charity supporting people with drug, alcohol, and mental health challenges, we operate over 80 services across England and Scotland, providing free and confidential support to more than 100,000 people each year. Find out more about us here.

Our services in Stoke on Trent provide free and confidential services, without judgement, to adults and young people facing challenges with drugs and alcohol.  to find out more about With You’s Individual Placement Support service.

This is a permanent role, working 22.5 hours per week over 3 days.

You will manage a team of Employment Specialists, focused on building effective working relationships with local employers, training providers and colleges, to secure employment and education opportunities for people in community treatment for substance misuse, including ensuring the service is focused on accessing the ‘hidden’ labour market. You will hold a small caseload of people in drug and alcohol treatment services who wish to return to, or start, paid employment.

Clients will be worked with for up to 9 months, plus up to 4 months of in-work support, as specified in the IPS-AD trial protocol.

• Leading the ongoing development of the Individual Placement and Support model within Wigan
• Liaising with Public Health England, senior practitioners and managers within the service and the local authority commissioner around the ongoing implementation of the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support model
• Ensuring that clients receive appropriate care and support from everyone involved in their return to work process
• Providing job development and job search activities directed toward positions that are individualised to the interests and uniqueness of the client, following the evidence-based principles and procedures of IPS supported employment
• Providing ongoing support according to both the employee’s and employer’s needs to enable people who have experienced dependency on drugs and/or alcohol to retain employment once secured

As a Senior IPS Employment Specialist, we offer a starting salary of £30,000 rising each year in line with our pay progression salary bands to £36,000 per year. For further details please reach out to a member of the recruitment team.

• Demonstrable experience of helping people facing severe labour market disadvantage to obtain or keep work
• An exceptional ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with both clients and stakeholders
• An understanding of the principles and practices the Integrated Support and Placement (IPS) model of supported employment
• An ability to communicate highly complex and specialist information effectively both verbally and in writing, including the production of formal reports
• The ability to lead and motivate others, nurture and encourage teams

As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our vision of a future where everyone lives a life free from the harm associated with drugs and alcohol. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and we encourage people from underrepresented…