Employment Specialist

Closing date: 18 October 2026

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 Cat Buck, Connect to Work Team Manager by email cat.buck@derbyshire.gov.uk

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.

Provisional Interview Date: Week Commencing 26/10/2026

Provision Start Date: 7th January 2027