Employment Specialist

Reed in Partnership's Employability Division aims to positively transform lives by helping individuals who are unemployed, economically inactive, or facing challenges such as health conditions, disabilities, or caring responsibilities to find sustainable employment. Through a wide range of tailored support services including one-to-one careers guidance, CV writing, interview preparation, and skills training, we have supported over 250,000 people on their journey into work.

Our Connect to Work programme, funded by East Midlands Combined Authority, focuses specifically on supporting unemployed participants with complex barriers to employment, including those with a disability or health condition. We provide them with up to 12 months of personalised support to enter or re-enter the workforce.

Please note internal applications for this role close 06/05/2026

What is the role about?

Employment Specialists are the front line of Reed in Partnership, directly contributing to our mission by supporting jobseekers (our participants), engaging with individuals within communities across Derbyshire to generate referrals onto the programme, as well as promoting the benefits of the Connect to Work programme. Our participants are the lifeblood of our business and providing them with an excellent service is at the very core of the Employment Specialist role.

Just some of your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

Taking Ownership

• Meeting with and supporting a caseload of jobseekers in the community, identifying their barriers and creating tailored action plans to progress them into employment.

• Delivering personalised, one-to-one guidance to our participants including CV writing, interview preparation, and skills development.

• Meeting and exceeding performance targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Working Together

• Collaborating with participants to shift their mindset and build the confidence they need to find and sustain work.

• Engaging with local employers to identify job opportunities.

• Signposting participants to internal and external stakeholders to address specific barriers such as health, housing, or financial challenges.

• Promoting the Connect to Work programme within the community to generate referrals, raising awareness of its benefits and impact.

• Attending events within the local community to promote the Connect to Work programme to generate referrals, raising awareness of its benefits and impact.

Being Fair, Open, and Honest

• Providing inclusive support and advice to people from all backgrounds.

What’s in it for you?

A generous base salary (pro-rata for part time), and great flexibility with your working schedule, we offer training, development and progression opportunities. You will have access to the range of Reed in Partnership benefits, which include:

• 25 days annual leave (pro-rata for part time) plus statutory bank holidays

• Reed Pension Scheme

• Award Winning Management & Leadership training

• Professional & Personal Development Funds

• Bi-annual pay reviews

• Plus, much more that can be found on our website.

The Employment Specialist role offers immense satisfaction of connecting people with the tailored support that they need to fulfil their potential. At Reed in Partnership, our values - Fair, Open & Honest, Take Ownership, and Work Together, guide everything we do. Join us in delivering services that make a real difference.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for someone with:

• Ability to demonstrate coaching/mentoring experience and persuasion/influencing skills through previous work or social activities.

• Experience of working in a customer facing environment (i.e. Customer Services, Hospitality, Social Care, Customer Services, Sales)

• Experience of working in a fast paced, performance target driven environment.

• Willingness to travel locally (e.g. to meet customers/employers).

• A minimum of 2 A-Levels or an equivalent Level 3 Diploma. GCSE English Language at a minimum of a Grade B (or equivalent Level 2 qualification). OR achievement of a Level 2 in Literacy Assessment at interview stage. OR International Equivalents.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience working within a Community Engagement role (i.e. Business Development, Outreach)

• Fluency in more than one language