Job Introduction
The pay range for this role will be £31,537– £36,363 (pro rata for part time colleagues)
We’re looking forward to welcoming new colleagues under this refreshed framework of pay, terms, and conditions. To promote fairness and consistency, all new starters will begin at the bottom of the pay band. This reflects our commitment to equity across the organisation and aligns with the approach taken with existing staff during the transition. While the starting salary is fixed, the role offers excellent scope for growth, meaningful contribution, and being part of a forward-thinking team.
You can also find out more about the new terms and conditions that we are introducing on our careers site on, 'More than just a job' brochure
Are you passionate about helping people into sustainable employment?
Join us in delivering the Connect to Work programme – a dynamic, person-centred employment support initiative designed to help individuals living in Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP).
Connect to Work is a voluntary employment support programme that helps people with disabilities, long-term health conditions, such as mental ill health and other complex challenges, secure and retain employment. Through personalised support and strong partnerships with local employers, we aim to empower people to overcome barriers and thrive in meaningful employment.
We’re building a passionate and dynamic team to deliver the Connect to Work programme across Dorset and BCP—and we’re currently recruiting for a range of exciting roles!
If you’re enthusiastic about helping people into meaningful employment and think you’ve got the skills, experience, or potential to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.
Main Responsibilities
- Manage a caseload of participants with disabilities / health support needs and other barriers to employment, employing IPS methods to offer personalised guidance and support
- Meet, assess and support participants to understand their key skills, aspirations, and goals through completing a Vocational Profile and production of an Action Plan to help them obtain and sustain competitive employment. • Provide person-centred advice and guidance to participants
- Maintain a community focus and work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, support services, referral partners, education partners, Primary Care and NHS teams, job centres and VCS organisations to maintain positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to support
- Build positive relationships with local employers to enable participants to move into and / or maintain suitable employment including sourcing job opportunities and raising awareness of reasonable adjustments, return to work strategies and ongoing contact, reducing barriers in the workplace and supporting employers to become disability confident
- Provide a quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring and in-work training and support to participants and employers to help sustain employment
About You
We’re looking for someone who is motivated, adaptable, and passionate about supporting others into meaningful employment. The ideal candidate will bring relevant experience or transferable skills and a willingness to learn and grow within the role.
You will ideally have:
- Experience in caseload management and delivering person-centred support, or transferable skills from roles involving mentoring, coaching, or advisory work.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of individuals and build positive working relationships. Whether through previous experience in employer engagement, stakeholder collaboration, community outreach, or sales, you’ll bring, or be keen to develop, the negotiation skills needed to create meaningful employment opportunities.
- Excellent IT skills, including confidence using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and online communication tools such as Microsoft Teams.
- A solution-focused and outcome-driven approach, with the ability to identify barriers and work collaboratively to overcome them.
- The ability to work independently and as part of a team, managing your time effectively and adapting to changing priorities.
- A flexible, proactive attitude, with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
- A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that all participants are treated with respect and supported according to their individual needs.
This is a community-based role and there will be a requirement to travel to different locations around Dorset, from a base location of one of our learning centres in either Dorchester or Weymouth. Employment Specialists will make use of local authority contact points to speak to potential Connect to Work participants. These will include: family hubs, customer service points, and early help team access points. Time will be co-located in other Dorset-based service locations and will also include visiting participants in their workplaces. There may be times when Employment Specialists will be required to work outside of normal office hours to support individuals.
Applications are welcomed from people with lived experience. We are a flexible employer and provide a variety of working arrangements tailored to the needs of each role. Part time working would be considered for this role- please reference whether you are looking for a part time or full time role.
Why Join Us?
This is your opportunity to be part of a forward-thinking programme that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Connect to Work follows a place, train, and maintain model—supporting individuals to move into employment quickly, while providing tailored training and ongoing support to help them succeed and stay in work.
As a ‘work first’ intervention, the programme is designed to help people achieve lasting employment outcomes through personalised, person-centred support and strong partnerships with local employers. You’ll be part of a team that makes a real difference in people’s lives by helping them build confidence, develop skills, and thrive in meaningful employment.
As an Employment Specialist Practitioner, you’ll work closely with individuals who may face complex barriers to employment—such as health needs, disabilities, or mental health challenges. You’ll support them to overcome these barriers by providing tailored advice and guidance, and by working collaboratively with employers to identify and adapt suitable job opportunities.
How to Apply
If you’re reading this and feel excited about the opportunity, we’d love to hear from you! Whether you have direct experience or transferable skills and a passion for helping others, please use the personal statement to tell us why you’d be a great addition to our team, using the Job Description to support your application.
Please note, this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship and we can only consider applicants with existing right to work in the UK.
About BCP Council
BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.
Our Benefits
A Place to Thrive – Join BCP Council
At BCP Council, we’re not just building a workforce— we’re transforming how we recognise and reward our people.
Check out our attractive enhanced benefits and find out more about the new Pay and Reward package at (Employee benefits | Working for BCP link to careers page)
Be the difference - Join an organisation that values you
More About us | Working for BCP
DBS
BCP Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the community and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Applicants to this post will be required to complete the appropriate level of Disclosure & Barring Service Check. Please refer to the Job Description or Role Profile for more details.
