Connect to Work - Senior Employment Specialist

Mae’r ddogfen hon ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh.

Senior Employment Specialist - Connect to Work Programme

• Location: Ty Elai and community-based settings across Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Grade 11: £44,253 per annum
• Contract: Until 31st March 2027 subject to external funding

Enhanced DBS Required

Join us in making a positive difference to people's lives across Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The Connect to Work Programme is a new employment support initiative designed to help people overcome barriers to work and achieve sustainable employment. We are seeking two passionate and experienced Senior Employment Specialists to lead frontline delivery of the Connect to Work programme.

About The Role

As a Senior Employment Specialist, you will play a key leadership role within the Connect to Work programme. You will manage and support a team of Employment Specialists while maintaining your own participant caseload, delivering high-quality supported employment interventions based on the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approaches.

You will work closely with participants, employers, health services, community organisations, and other stakeholders to help individuals overcome barriers and achieve sustainable employment outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading delivery of the Connect to Work programme within a designated locality.
• Working closely with the Connect to work programme Co-ordinator.
• Line managing and supporting a team of Employment Specialists.
• Carrying a caseload and providing intensive, person-centred employment support.
• Supporting participants with disabilities, health conditions, and other significant barriers to employment.
• Building strong partnerships with employers, statutory services, community organisations, and referral partners.
• Monitoring performance, quality standards, programme fidelity and contractual outcomes.
• Supporting service development, local engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensuring compliance safeguarding, GDPR, health and safety, and programme requirements.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience working with disabled people, individuals with health conditions, or those facing significant barriers to employment.
• Experience of supervising, leading, coordinating, or line managing staff in a community or service delivery environment.
• Experience of working collaboratively with statutory, voluntary, and community organisations.
• Experience of customer assessment, action planning, and progressing individuals towards their goals.
• Experience of using databases and monitoring systems to record outcomes and performance.
• Knowledge of supported employment approaches, including SEQF and IPS principles.
• A strong understanding of person-centred, outcome-focused support.
• Welsh language skills or willingness to learn Welsh.
• Knowledge of employment and benefit systems.
• Experience developing engagement programmes or employability projects.

Why Join Us?

At Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, your work will directly contribute to improving people's lives and strengthening our communities. We are committed to supporting our employees through excellent training and development opportunities, flexible working arrangements, wellbeing support, generous annual leave, and access to a range of staff benefits.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Adam Bowen via email Adam.J.Bowen@rctcbc or via mobile on 07824496387.

Protecting children and vulnerable adults is a core responsibility of all staff appointed to the Council.

In addition to this safeguarding responsibility, the successful applicant for this role will also be subject to an Enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

The Council values diversity in its workforce. We are committed to ensuring that no unlawful discrimination occurs in the recruitment and selection process on the grounds of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, transgender, including those with non-binary identities, religion or belief or pregnancy and maternity. We offer a number of staff networks for employees including the Allies Network, a Disability and Carers Network and Perthyn our LGBTQ+ Network.

An application submitted for this post in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.

As part of the Council’s longer term objectives in relation to the Welsh language and its Workforce Planning Strategy, it is committed to a guaranteed interview scheme for Welsh-speakers of Level 3 and above. If you meet the essential criteria as identified in the person specification for the job and are a Welsh-speaker of Level 3 and above, you will be invited to interview if you choose to participate in the scheme.

In view of the large number of Application Forms which are currently being submitted individual applications are not acknowledged. Consequently if you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application is unsuccessful on this occasion. In which case you are thanked for the interest you have shown in applying for a position within the Council.

In support of the Council’s voluntary pledge to support the Armed Forces, the recruiter must always be prepared to ensure that applicants who have identified themselves as members of the Armed Forces including Service Leavers, Veterans or Reservists and who meet the essential criteria of the person specification, are offered an interview.

Care Experienced Leavers – Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of the Council’s corporate parenting role it is committed to supporting its care experienced leavers. This means anyone who has spent time within the care system at any point in their life. We encourage applications from individuals who are care experienced to enable them to access employment, education, experiences and volunteering opportunities.

The Council will guarantee an interview for any care experienced leavers who wish to take part in the scheme who meet the essential criteria for the role.