Employment Specialist

Location: Medway

Salary: £24,000 - £28,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 20 Aug 2025

About The Role

The Forward Trust are looking for a motivated and empathetic individual to join us as an Employment Specialist, supporting unemployed participants to overcome barriers and secure sustainable, meaningful employment.

You will manage a caseload of clients, offering tailored, person-centred advice and guidance to help each individual develop confidence, identify their goals, and take clear steps towards work.  You will also work closely with local employers and external partners to match clients to suitable job opportunities, and provide in-work support to help them succeed.

What you will be doing…

• Manage a caseload of unemployed participants, supporting them to overcome barriers and achieve sustainable employment.
• Deliver tailored support using a strengths-based approach, helping clients develop action plans, vocational profiles, and job goals.
• Support clients with job searches, CVs, applications, interviews, and career planning.
• Deliver high-quality one-to-one and group-based coaching, aligned to our employability framework and Theory of Change.
• Promote mindset development, emotional intelligence, and self-confidence to prepare clients for the workplace.
• Work in partnership with employer engagement teams to identify opportunities, arrange interviews, and support job retention.
• Build positive relationships with local employers and external agencies, advocating for inclusive recruitment practices and reasonable adjustments.
• Meet required KPIs and performance targets, with full training and support provided.

You will be a great fit for this role if you…

• Have experience in employability, coaching, support work, or a related field.
• Are skilled at building trust, empowering others, and taking a person-centred approach.
• Understand the barriers people face when trying to access work and know how to help overcome them.
• Are confident working independently and as part of a team, with strong organisation and time management skills.

This is a varied and rewarding role that requires strong interpersonal skills, a coaching mindset, and a passion for helping people thrive.  If that sounds like the type of role for you, then we would love to hear from you!

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits - 

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme 
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

https://careers.forwardtrust.org.uk/vacancies/297/employment-specialist.html

Contact information

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