Homelessness Employment Specialist

Starting salary of £25,662 Pro Rata + Benefits

Rotherham (Full Time) or Barnsley (Part Time)

(However, if your preference is another area, please don’t be put off from applying as there are potential vacancies for other schemes – we’d love to hear from you, let us know your preference in the application.)

Location and programme information:

We have an exciting new pilot project integrating IPS employment support with local homelessness teams in Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley. IPS removes the conditions to starting work by helping people to access employment immediately and offer ongoing in-work support.

We may have varied vacancies up for advert over coming months as we mobilise a new programme, and continue to deliver on our existing programmes, so we welcome you to apply now and state your area of preference

We are seeking motivated and passionate Employment Specialists who are looking for a career in employment support to be part of our wonderful teams here at South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA).

As an IPS Homelessness Employment Specialist, you’ll play a vital role in helping people experiencing homelessness back to work, which can be a barrier in remaining employed or regaining employment. This is an opportunity to offer hands-on support, to give people the tools they need and ultimately transform lives.

It calls for a combination of skills:

• the ability to empathise with clients;
  
  
• the resilience and determination to seek out job opportunities;
  
  
• the communication skills to engage employers and
  
  
• change perceptions around homelessness and employment.
  
  Do you understand the crucial role employment can play in enhancing people’s lives ?
  
  Do you enjoy meeting people and making new connections?
  
  Do you want to make a genuine difference and transform someone’s life?
  
  If you answer yes to all the above, then we encourage you to apply!
  
  As an IPS Homelessness Employment Specialist, you will be able to assist individuals with placing people into employment while offering support. This is part of a pilot employment service for people with experience of homelessness and rough sleeping who have high support needs, and focuses on helping people to access paid employment immediately, alongside the offer of ongoing in-work support. This is a randomised control trial that is being funded by Centre For Homelessness Impact with a view to improve funding and access to services in the future. You’ll receive all the training and support you need to take on the role and have access to a wide range of opportunities to develop your skills whilst working at SYHA.
  
  We welcome applications from all experience levels and backgrounds. What you will need is a good understanding of the barriers faced by people surrounding getting into work, with experience of networking and building relationships with a variety of people.
  
  What is a Employment Specialist?
  
  This is a rewarding and diverse role where no day is ever the same. Using the person-centred model, you will be supporting people from all walks of life by:
  
  
• Using a strengths-based coaching style to encourage sustainable outcomes for the individuals in your caseload.
  
  
• Collaborative working with external bodies to generate referrals to the service, and with other healthcare professionals to support our customers to gain and sustain employment.
  
  
• Building relationships with employers to understand their recruitment needs and source individualised employment opportunities based on people’s preferences.
  
  
• Working with employers to support their employees who are struggling due to their health to thrive in the workplace.
  
  
• Motivating people, to ensure frequent engagement and to focus on developing their skills to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to find and sustain meaningful and fulfilling employment.
  
  
• Working with health partners to provide an integrated, and well-rounded employment service.
  
  
• Advocating for your caseload by educating and engaging with employers regarding the service.
  
  Who are we looking for?
  
  We are seeking a positive, proactive and empathetic person to join our organisation and welcome applications from all experience levels and backgrounds. Ideally, our successful candidates will have:
  
  
• Passion, drive and commitment to challenge inequality and break down barriers, with a strong belief in strength-based support and personalised care.
  
  
• Ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders using a variety of methods such as in-person or via email.
  
  
• Excellent organisational skills, including diary management, with the ability to manage various tasks and priorities.
  
  
• Confidence to work out in the community, meeting new employers, advocating for the people you are supporting, and show casing all our service has to offer.
  
  
• Strong ability to record information accurately and timely and have excellent IT skills.
  
  
• Ability to travel within the South Yorkshire and holding a full valid driving license with access to a vehicle for work is desirable.
  
  
• Previous knowledge or experience of working as an employment specialist is desirable
  
  We are also actively interested in individuals with transferrable skills for this role such as experience in using a persuasive communication style, motivational interviewing or promoting service to a variety of audiences, this can include but not limited to, coaching, recruitment, sales, education, training/mentoring or sales roles.
  
  Why work for South Yorkshire Housing Association?
  
  At SYHA, our purpose is for our customers to settle at home, live well and realise their potential. Our employees enable us to create the best services, support and experiences for our customers.
  
  You will receive a number of staff benefits working for SYHA, such as:
  
  
• A monthly Essential Car User allowance and full mileage expenses
  
  
• Generous holiday entitlement – 27 days annual leave plus statutory bank holidays and an additional 4 SYHA days
  
  
• Flexible working options including Flexi Time, Condensed Hours, Part Time
  
  
• Advice and resources on exercise, finances, mental health and wellbeing
  
  
• Employee discount schemes
  
  Alongside this you will be given exceptional on-the-job training from the moment you start the role, with access to a wide range of programmes to train and develop your skills as you continue your career within SYHA.
  
  Please note that we may remove this advert prior to the advertised date, dependent on the level of response received. Please apply at your earliest convenience.
  
  At SYHA, we value the incredible contribution and talent that people with disabilities can and do bring to our workplace and we are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. As part of our commitments, we will ensure that disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at interview.
  
  To be considered under the scheme, disabled applicants must disclose their disability (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) on the Equal Opportunities section of the job application.
  
  Closing Date: Sunday 1st December (please note that we may remove this advert prior to the advertised date, dependent on the level of response received. Early applications are highly encouraged)
  
  Interview Dates: 9th and 10th of December 2024