Employment Specialist (6 Posts)

Salary details: £ - £

Are you passionate about reducing health inequalities in our communities through employment? Do you have demonstrable experience of building effective relationships with a variety of partners from both the private and public sector?

Derbyshire County Council Public Health are committed to improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and other complex barriers to employment in Derbyshire.  We will be delivering the Connect to Work programme which is aimed at supporting people aged 18+ to achieve paid employment using the Supported Employment Quality Framework model.

This work sits within the Wider Determinants of Health team and supports the development and implementation of work linking to the Council’s Public Health strategy.

Reporting to the Team Manager, the post holder will be required to support people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and other disadvantages and barriers by:

• Developing high-quality vocational profiles that clearly outline participants employment goals, strengths, support requirements, and job‑matching preferences.
• Coordinating with specialist health, wellbeing, and support services to deliver an integrated whole‑person and whole‑health approach to employment.
• Supporting participants to develop and strengthen employability skills, including CV development, job applications, interview preparation, and workplace confidence.
• Proactively engaging with local and regional employers to identify job opportunities, influence inclusive recruitment practices, and negotiate appropriate reasonable adjustments.
• Acting as an advocate for participants within recruitment and employment settings, promoting equality, inclusion, and best practice in line with supported employment principles.

The right candidate needs to:

• Demonstrate experience of proactively building and sustaining effective relationships with employers, training providers, and partner organisations to create positive employment outcomes.
• Possess a strong understanding of the barriers faced by disabled people and those with health conditions within recruitment, selection, and the workplace.
• Have a clear understanding of the values, principles, and evidence base underpinning supported employment frameworks (e.g. place‑then‑train models).
• Show a strong working knowledge of local and national labour market information, inclusive recruitment practices, and initiatives such as the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.
• Demonstrate a strong level of IT literacy, including proficient use of Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel and Outlook, alongside the ability to confidently navigate and maintain a range of databases.
• Be confident operating with a high degree of autonomy, professional judgement, and accountability, while contributing to continuous service improvement and performance outcomes.

We have multiple posts across the county in each district/borough. The post holder’s base will be determined by the area that they will be covering.

The post holder will be expected to work from home and travel when needed to participant appointments, meetings and other events. Some travel across other areas of Derbyshire will also be required from time to time.

As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled candidates.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about the role, please contact Michelle Cartawick, Disability Employment Service Team Manager by email michelle.cartawick@derbyshire.gov.uk

Important: Derbyshire County Council holds a sponsorship licence, but this role does not offer visa sponsorship. Please apply only if you already have the right to work in the UK without sponsorship, as applications that do not meet this requirement will be rejected.

Important Fixed-term Contract Information:

These are fixed‑term posts funded specifically to deliver the Connect to Work programme. Appointments will be made on a fixed‑term basis for up to 4 years, aligned to the duration of the project and the availability of project funding. While postholders will commence employment at the same time, individual contracts may end at different points during the project lifecycle as funding reduces or delivery phases conclude.

The roles exist solely to deliver this defined project and are not part of the organisation’s ongoing, permanent staffing structure. Employment will therefore come to an end when the role’s project funding ceases or the project concludes.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council, you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.