***THIS JOB VACANCY HAS NOW CLOSED***
Part time: 22.5 hours per week (open to other work patterns)
Location: Home based
Contract: Fixed term 18 months
Salary: Pro-rata based on £31,270.00 FTE, dependent on location and qualifications
Are you passionate about supporting people to overcome barriers to secure meaningful employment? Do you have the resilience and drive to solve any problems that arise on this journey? If so, we are keen to hear from you.
It’s an exciting time to join The Poppy Factory as we expand and offer services to more people within the military community. The successful candidates will be working closely with our partners at The Ripple Pond to help the families and carers of veterans with health conditions gain and retain employment.
This new service is the result of a two-year funding pilot from the Armed Forces Covenant Trust. In addition to service delivery, the Families Employment Specialist (FES) will help to build a high quality and sustainable programme from the ground up, commencing delivery in early 2023. They will be supported by our existing team and will be built on the foundation of 100 years of experience and expertise; helping veterans with health conditions.
We are looking for people who place importance in values such as empathy, collaboration and adaptability and are especially interested in applicants who have lived-experience within the military community as a spouse or family member.
We anticipate this role will be primarily home-based with all necessary IT equipment provided, therefore applicants will need an appropriate space to work at home. There will be occasional travel required for national team meetings in Richmond. These currently take place 3 times a year and require an overnight stay. There will also be periodic in-person meetings with colleagues which can take place at a convenient location locally.
We are looking for people who meet the following criteria:
- Lived experience of being a family member of serving military or veterans
- Experienced in helping others in need of support. This could be in employment, housing, health, social care. It could also be in a voluntary or personal capacity.
- Able to apply sound judgement and make reasoned decisions based on available information.
- Good at research and investigation, finding information and services that could help someone.
- A confident communicator with a warm and approachable manner.
- Someone who can quickly and successfully build rapport and relationships with colleagues, clients and partners.
- Creative problem solvers who are motivated by a challenge and focus on solutions.
- Strong sense of shared purpose with The Poppy Factory’s mission and values.
We are keen to make this role as accessible as possible to people who need a flexible working pattern, and this can be discussed at interview. Hours could include weekends or evenings if this best serves the people we are supporting.
If you are excited to be part of an ambitious and growing service, this could be a fantastic role for you.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and LGBT+ candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our organisation.
For further information, including the full job description for the role, please refer to the candidate pack.
How to apply
To apply for this position please prepare your CV and a covering letter clearly outlining how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification as set out above and submit via the online application process. For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Tom Adam on 07880 092216.
Click here to apply for the role of Families Employment Specialist
The closing date for this vacancy is 1 January 2024.
No agencies please.
The successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.
About The Poppy Factory
The Poppy Factory aims to be an exemplar employer. We recognise the impact that working with a challenging cohort can have on our staff, which is why we prioritise work/life balance and support mechanisms including training, supervision and EAP provision.
The Poppy Factory provides competitive terms and conditions of employment, including:
- Opportunity for home-based and flexible working
- 28 days’ basic annual leave per year (including a day in lieu of Armistice Day, and 3 days’ Christmas closure), rising to 32 days with long service, plus bank holidays
- Double-matched pension contributions up to 10% employer contribution
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Poppy Factory is committed to equality, valuing diversity and promoting inclusion. Our commitment is to take positive measures to recruit people from underrepresented groups, and we actively encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process to accommodate disabled candidates.
