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Lead Employment Support Specialist

Are you passionate about inclusion and helping people overcome barriers to work?

We’re seeking a Lead Employment Support Specialist to oversee delivery of the WorkWell programme across Northumberland, leading a team to provide high-quality, person-centred employment and skills support.

Funded by the Government as part of the Health and Growth Accelerator pilot, WorkWell supports working-age individuals whose health may put their employment at risk. Working closely with GPs, the programme helps identify patients struggling in work and provides tailored support, including access to health, employment, and financial advice to help them stay in work.

About the Role

This is a pivotal and agile leadership role operating across Northumberland. You will lead the delivery of the WorkWell programme, working closely with GP surgeries, health settings, and community partners to ensure residents can access tailored support that improves wellbeing and helps them progress towards employment, skills, and sustainable outcomes.

You will manage a team of Triage Employment Advisors, overseeing referrals from healthcare professionals, community services, partners, and self-referrals. In addition, you will provide leadership and oversight to Housing Employment Specialists and Refugee Employment Specialist provision, ensuring services are aligned, high-performing, and responsive to resident needs.

Working collaboratively across the local employability landscape, you will build strong partnerships, drive service improvement, and identify opportunities to integrate support across programmes. As a hands-on leader, you will also provide direct support to residents where required, ensuring high-quality service delivery and positive outcomes.

This role is full time and fixed term for 1 year.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and develop a team of Employment Advisors delivering employment support services.
• Oversee the WorkWell programme across Northumberland, ensuring quality, consistency, and impact.
• Build and maintain strong relationships internally and externally with employment teams delivering
  • Connectto Work
  • Economic Inactivity Trailblazer programmes
  • VCS employment providers
  • DWP Programmesincluding RESTART
  • Housing and Refugeeemploymentprogrammes
  • Health and Wellbeing support
• Drive performance, ensuring delivery against targets and outcomes for Workwell and other employment programmes where necessary
• Oversee additional smaller employment programmes, ensuring effective delivery and compliance.

• Ensure robust quality assurance processes, data accuracy, and contract compliance across all programmes.
• Model best practice through a small caseload whererequired.
• Ensurehigh standardsof safeguarding, health & safety, and risk management, with clear reporting processes in place.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, empowerment, and continuous improvement.

About You

We are looking for a confident and experienced leader who:

• Has a strong background in employability, supported employment, or related services.
• Can quickly understand and manage multiple systems and programmes with excellent attention to detail.
• Demonstrates strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
• Is highly organised, resilient, and able to manage competing priorities in an agile environment.
• Has experience of working in partnership with health services and external stakeholders.
• Is committed to safeguarding, equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Champions avalues‑basedapproach focused on dignity, choice, andperson‑centredsupport.

Additional Information

• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential.
• Travel across Northumberland will be required.
• Occasional out‑of‑hours working may be necessary.

If you’re motivated to make a real difference and support people into meaningful, sustainable employment, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information about this role, please contact Vanessa Laing, Senior Manager on Vanessa.Laing@northumberland.gov.uk

Why choose us?

Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is ‘Land of Great Opportunities’, for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.

For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website here.

We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)

To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.

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Further information

For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

Alternative application format:

British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net

For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930 .