Employer Engagement Employment Advisor

Job Introduction

About Us

Oxfordshire Employment – An Award-Winning Organisation Making a Difference!

Are you looking to make a meaningful impact in your career? Oxfordshire Employment, an award-winning organisation, is expanding thanks to new government funding initiatives. We are proud to have received a "good" score in the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF), reflecting our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

At Oxfordshire Employment, we are dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and or long-term health barriers to find and maintain meaningful employment. Our expansion allows us to extend our reach and support even more people in achieving their career goals.

Why Join Us?

• Award-Winning Excellence: Be part of a team recognised for breaking down barriers to employment and making a real difference in people's lives.
• High SEQF Score: Our good rating under the SEQF highlights our dedication to providing high-quality supported employment services.
• Growth and Opportunities: With new government funding, we are expanding our services, creating more opportunities for both our customers and our team.
• Inclusive and Supportive Environment: Work in a dynamic and inclusive environment where your skills and contributions are valued.
• Professional Development: Benefit from ongoing training and development opportunities to enhance your career.

About the Role

Are you passionate about creating employment opportunities and building relationships with employers that change lives?

As an Employer Engagement Advisor, you will play a key role in supporting the Employer Engagement Lead to develop and maintain strong partnerships with employers across Oxfordshire. Your primary focus will be identifying, developing and promoting paid employment opportunities for people accessing the DWP Connect to Work programme, helping individuals with disabilities, health conditions and other barriers to employment move into sustainable, meaningful work.

Working closely with local employers, partner organisations, training providers and colleagues, you will actively promote the benefits of inclusive recruitment and support businesses to access a diverse and talented workforce. You will help identify vacancies, facilitate introductions between employers and participants, and support the development of employment pathways that lead to real job outcomes.

While the main focus of the role is employer engagement and business development, you will also utilise your Employment Advisor experience to provide direct employment support to participants when required. This may include supporting individuals to prepare for work, matching candidates to suitable vacancies, providing advice and guidance around employment, and assisting with transitions into paid work.

You will maintain accurate records in line with organisational and contractual requirements, contribute to performance targets, and support the delivery of high-quality employment outcomes across the Connect to Work programme. The role requires a proactive, organised and collaborative approach, with a strong commitment to improving employment opportunities for people facing barriers to work.

About you

We are looking for an enthusiastic, confident and relationship-focused individual who is passionate about creating employment opportunities and making a positive difference in people's lives.

You will be an excellent communicator with the ability to build credibility and develop productive working relationships with employers, business representatives, partner organisations and customers. You will be comfortable engaging with employers at all levels, promoting the benefits of inclusive employment and identifying opportunities that support people into paid work.

The ideal candidate will have experience within employment support, recruitment, employer engagement, or a related field. Experience as an Employment Advisor or supporting people with disabilities, long-term health conditions or other barriers to employment, as the role will occasionally involve providing direct employment support to customers.

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Be confident building and maintaining relationships with employers and external stakeholders.
• Have excellent networking, influencing and communication skills.
• Be proactive in identifying job opportunities and developing employment pathways.
• Understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities and health conditions when seeking employment.
• Be organised and able to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Be motivated by achieving positive employment outcomes for individuals and business benefits for employers.
• Be able to work independently whilst contributing effectively as part of a wider team.
• Share our values of inclusion, respect, collaboration and continuous improvement.

This is a highly outward-facing role that involves regular travel across Oxfordshire to meet employers, attend networking events, participate in partnership meetings and support employment opportunities within local communities. While there is flexibility to undertake administrative tasks from home or an office base, the primary focus of the role is building employer relationships and creating opportunities that lead to sustainable paid employment outcomes. Due to the extensive travel requirements of the role, applicants should live within a reasonable commuting distance of Oxfordshire and be able to travel efficiently across the county on a frequent basis. Applicants who live close to the Oxfordshire boundary and can demonstrate their ability to meet the travel requirements of the role will be considered. 

If you are passionate about employer engagement, creating opportunities, and making a genuine difference to people's lives, we would love to hear from you.

Rewards and benefits

• Culture of flexible working
• Technology to support agile working where role permits
• 30 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays 
• Option to ‘buy’ additional holiday
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.

Your office base may be subject to change as we are currently transitioning between temporary and permanent office locations due to the closure of County Hall. If this is applicable to you, you will be notified, but no reimbursement will apply in respect of travel.

Our commitment to:
 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, full time and part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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