Senior Employment Advisor (Manager)

Job description

Job responsibilities

This role is part of an employment advice service that works closely with clinicians who provide psychological therapies to people with common mental health problems. As the Senior Employment Advisor, you will manage and support a team of Employment Advisors (EAs) who offer a support service to clients with common mental health problems to help them gain, return to or retain employment.

The role will require you to build and promote strong relationships and enable effective links between employers and other agencies to support delivery of a personalised client focused service. It is also crucial that you can build relationships with Job Centre Plus and other key stakeholders.

As a Senior Employment Advisor, you will also need to keep up to date with accurate information on local resources, facilities, training and employment opportunities for your clients and staff. You will also need to be aware of relevant employment legislation and changes to the benefit system that may affect your clients and staff.

Key Objectives:

• Be responsible for managing a team of Employment Advisors (EAs),ensuring the effective delivery of all work focused and non-work focused interventions by ensuring effective leadership and management of teams of Advisers.
• Provide a service that is comprehensive and accessible to a broad range of patients who have commonplace mental health problems and who are over 16 years of age.
• Implement policies and standard operating procedures for their own work and propose changes that would impact on their work.
• Ensure EAs maintain appropriate clinical records and maintain outcome data as per service operational policy.
• Responsible for liaising and maintaining good working relationships with local employers, trade unions, Job Centre Plus and other organisations forming the local labour market.
• Hold a reduced caseload, (size will be determined by workload) that is likely to consist of clients who have complex employment difficulties.
• To attend and actively participate in Supervision, Annual Performance Appraisal and commit to identify and explore training opportunities based on own gaps in knowledge.
• To chair monthly team meetings and ensure effective dissemination of information to staff including organisational updates.
• To manage any complaints about the service, liaising with your line manager, Head of Service Operations and Talking Therapies as required.
• To attend all mandatory and essential training as per Mid and North East Essex Mind Policy.
• To work within the ethos and policies and procedures of Mid and North East Essex Mind.
• To lead on recruitment of staff in line with Mid and North Essex Minds policies and procedures and with in-service training on role and induction process with HR support.
• To be responsible for the teams Sickness/Absence procedure and conduct Back to Work interviews in line with HR procedures.
• To work alongside Marketing/Fundraising and Talking Therapies, to promote the Service.
• Keep up to date with the latest updates on employment law, labour market changes and benefits system.
• To adhere to the Safeguarding Adults Policy and Safeguarding Childrens Policy (as appropriate), follow reporting and recording processes in the event of any Safeguarding incidents.
• Attend and actively participate in Supervision, Annual Performance Appraisal and commit to identify and explore training opportunities based on own gaps in knowledge
• To work within the ethos and policies and procedures of Mid and North East Essex Mind.
• To work within the parameters of the Organisations and Service Policies, Processes and Procedures.
• To uphold all Health and Safety processes and Risk Management both for premises and client and staff safety.
• To be responsible for undertaking the Management On-Call system (out of hours support) on a rota basis.
• Perform all other duties as may reasonably be expected of your line manager.

Person Specification

Personal Characteristics

Essential

• A caring, responsible and positive approach.
• Reliable, trustworthy and enthusiastic.
• The ability to travel independently across our locality.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of providing vocational/employment support.
• Significant experience in leading/managing a team
• Experience of supporting people with MH conditions into vocational/employment activities.
• Understanding of the employment needs barriers and difficulties faced by people with MH conditions.
• Experience of assessing, planning and facilitating activities that focus on recovery and vocational skills.
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team

Desirable

• Experience of working in a service where agreed targets are in place, demonstrating specific outcomes
• Experience of assessing, planning and facilitating activities that focus on recovery and vocational skills

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree in a relevant area or equivalent experience in employment advice and or mental
• health

Personal Characteristics

Essential

• A caring, responsible and positive approach.
• Reliable, trustworthy and enthusiastic.
• The ability to travel independently across our locality.

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

Essential

• Working knowledge and experience of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
• Good IT skills
• Ability to collect and report data to support service performance and evaluation.
• Knowledge of employment and disability related benefits.
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Understanding of and commitment to Organisation values.

Desirable

• Ability to be flexible, open and creative in problem solving.
• Working knowledge of community resources.
• Knowledge of employment law and the Equality Act 2010.
• Knowledge of evidence based interventions to support people with common MH problems remain in, return to & gain work

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Mid and North East Essex Mind

Address

The Constantine Centre

272a Mersea Road

Colchester

Essex

CO2 8QZ

Employer's website

https://mnessexmind.org/ (Opens in a new tab)