Job Description

Job summary

Lea Vale Medical Group are looking for an Employment Advisor. As an MSK Employment Advisor, you will provide tailored, person-centred employment support to individuals with musculoskeletal conditions. You will work closely with clinical teams, employers, and community partners to help people overcome barriers, return to, remain in, or find new employment. We welcome applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds, including those with lived experience of managing health conditions or supporting others.

What We Offer

Comprehensive induction and ongoing training. Supportive team environment with regular supervision. Opportunities for personal and professional development. Flexible working arrangements. Access to NHS pension and staff benefits
Salary: Equivalent to Band 4 Agenda for Change

Main duties of the job

Deliver one-to-one employment support, using a strengths-based, person-centred approach.

Co-produce action plans with participants, recognising and valuing their unique experiences and aspirations.

Work collaboratively with physiotherapists, GPs, and the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure seamless support.

Advocate for participants with employers, supporting workplace adjustments and return-to-work strategies.

Maintain accurate records and contribute to service evaluation and improvement.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

Is empathetic, a good listener, and able to build rapport with people.

Values the skills and insights gained through both professional and lived experience.

Is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of their work.

Can manage a varied caseload and work flexibly across different settings.

Has experience in employment support, health, social care, or community roles (formal qualifications are welcome but not essential if you can demonstrate the required skills).

Overview of your organisation

We are a CQC outstanding rated practice located in Luton and Bedfordshire, across 4 sites. The successful candidate will be joining an innovative and proactive practice.

We are looking for staff who share the same teamworking ethics to join our team.

We learn from the past but are always looking to the future. This is true for when we look for new staff as well, your skills and experience will be what make you suitable for this role but we are more interested in your ideas for the future! How you want to develop yourself and how that will improve our practice and the service we offer to our patients.

Key Responsibilities

To work with people that are unemployed and/or have challenges with their current employment. To encourage them to recognise the importance of productive work to good mental health and to help them plan a route into meaningful activity and employment.

Caseload Management:

Support participants by recognising and building upon their lived experience, empowering them to identify their own goals and overcome barriers to employment. Manage a diverse caseload of participants with MSK conditions, providing tailored information, advice, and guidance to address workplace problems and support employment goals. Use holistic assessment tools to identify aspirations, needs, and barriers, co-producing action plans with participants.

Primary Care Integration:

Work closely with physiotherapists (First Contact Practitioners) and the multidisciplinary team to ensure seamless support for participants, integrating clinical and employment interventions. Attend practice appointments and events to build caseload and promote the service.

Employment Support:

Provide employment coaching, including careers guidance, CV building, interview technique, and job brokerage. Advocate for participants with employers, negotiating workplace adjustments and supporting return-to-work strategies. Develop in-depth knowledge of the local labour market, local support and new initiatives, taking into account the needs of the client to broker effective interventions. Including specialist schemes to help with retaining or finding employment. Maintain ongoing support after return to work to help sustain employment.

Health and Wellbeing Promotion:

Deliver wellbeing advice and promote healthy lifestyle changes relevant to MSK conditions. Signpost or refer participants to additional support (e.g., universal credit, mental health) as needed.

Service Promotion and Development:

Proactively promote the MSK EA service within general practice and the wider community. Meet referral and performance targets in line with service KPIs.

Administration and Data Management:

Maintain accurate and compliant electronic client records. Collect and report data to support service performance and evaluation.

Key Working Relationships

Partnership working with commissioning organisations including attending team/network meetings, 1-2-1s and training

Build and maintain strong relationships with a range of roles within General Practice including First Contact Practitioners, social prescribers, GPs and other community providers. Develop and maintain relationships/links with a range of external agencies that help individuals to achieve employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers. Identify, understand and nurture relationships with the wider employment support services in the locale.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

Be able to display an awareness, understanding and commitment to the protection and safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults.

Qualifications

Essential criteria

NVQ level 3 minimum or equivalent. Evidence of further study in vocational training, careers advice, job retention and presenteeism. We welcome applications from individuals with relevant lived experience, even if formal qualifications are not held, provided they can demonstrate the required skills and abilities
Key Skills/Attributes

Essential criteria

Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to work well under pressure and effectively plan and prioritise own workload. Ability to assess individual strengths in relation to employment and adapt activities to be appropriate for the needs of individuals. Ability to quickly build rapport and strong relationships with a range of participants and stakeholders. Ability to use ones own lived experience, where appropriate, to inspire and support participants. Ability to collect and report data to support service performance and evaluation. Ability to negotiate with employers on behalf of service users. Excellent IT skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office software and previous experience of working with databases. Understanding of data protection and information security.
Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of providing vocational/employment support. Ability to manage a caseload of individuals with different needs and goals. Experience of working in a service where agreed targets and key performance indicators are in place. Experience may include supporting others through personal or lived experience of overcoming barriers to employment, health challenges, or disability.

Desirable criteria

Experience of working with people suffering from common MSK problems.
Other

Essential criteria

A car driver OR able to travel independently within the local area in accordance with the service needs. Ability to work well within a team and foster good working relationships.
Knowledge

Essential criteria

Understanding of common MSK problems and the potential workplace implications of these conditions. Working knowledge of community resources including employment and disability related benefits.

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of employment law and the Equality Act 2010. Knowledge of evidence-based interventions to support people with common MSK problems to gain, return to or retain employment
Job Types: Part-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

Expected hours: 30 per week

Benefits:

Company pension Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Free parking Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 01/02/2026