Job summary
Help people stay in work when life gets complicated.

Every day, talented people leave work because illness, injury, disability, treatment, caring responsibilities or life events make work feel impossible.

We believe there is another way.

We are looking for an experienced Vocational Rehabilitation Case Manager to help colleagues navigate the journey back to meaningful work following long-term sickness absence. This is not a traditional case management role. It is an opportunity to transform lives, retain talent, and prevent people from becoming detached from the workforce.

You will work alongside Occupational Health, HR, managers, clinicians, and external services to remove barriers, coordinate support, identify opportunities and create sustainable return-to-work plans that focus on ability rather than limitation.

You will be someone who can balance compassion with challenge, see potential where others see obstacles, and navigate complex situations with confidence.

If you believe work can be part of recovery rather than something people return to after recovery, we would like to hear from you.

This role is for you if you:

• Are passionate about helping people remain economically active.
• Have experience managing complex health and employment cases.
• Can influence managers and stakeholders at all levels.
• Understand disability, rehabilitation, and workplace adjustment principles.
• Want to shape a new approach to workforce retention and recovery.

Main duties of the job
The Vocational Rehabilitation Case Manager will lead the coordination of complex long-term sickness absence and return-to-work cases, supporting colleagues to remain in or return to meaningful employment wherever possible.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary workforce health team, the postholder will undertake holistic assessments of barriers to work, develop personalised vocational rehabilitation plans and coordinate interventions across Occupational Health, Wellbeing, Human Resources, managers, healthcare providers, and external agencies.

The role will focus on identifying practical solutions that support job retention, sustainable return to work, redeployment opportunities and workplace adjustments. The postholder will provide expert advice to managers on rehabilitation principles, phased returns, functional capacity and reasonable adjustments whilst ensuring colleagues receive compassionate and proactive support throughout their recovery journey.

The postholder will contribute to service development, workforce intelligence and evaluation activities designed to improve workforce retention, reduce long-term sickness absence and strengthen organisational capability.

About us
With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Job responsibilities
Key Skills and Attributes

• Strong vocational rehabilitation/ occupational therapy and case management expertise.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage complex and emotionally challenging situations.
• Skilled in problem-solving and identifying practical workplace solutions.
• Understanding of disability legislation and workplace adjustments.
• Ability to influence managers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Commitment to person-centred and strengths-based approaches

Please review the full Job Description and Person Specification documents which are attached to this advert

Person Specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential

• BSc Hons in a clinical profession or equivalent
• Appropriate professional registration (NMC, HCPC)
• Requires specialist clinical knowledge in traumatic brain injury and attendance at relevant training
• Evidence of maintaining professional competence through CPD

Desirable

• First line management course (e.g. BELS)

Experience
Essential

• Knowledge of cognitive/psychological problems associated with head injury
• Significant post graduate experience, including experience of working with clients with TBI/Neuro conditions
• Experience in evaluation of practice
• Experience of audit and EBP implementation.
• Awareness legislation relating to health and safety, litigation and Data protection

Desirable

• Experience of involvement in research.
• Direct counselling experience

Communication and relationship skills
Essential

• Participation and leading/organising in-service training programmes.
• Ability to motivate, train and teach own and other disciplines. Teach groups of up to 25
• Demonstrate leadership ability
• Able to communication complex condition related information to patients, relatives/carers and other clinical/social care staff where there may be barriers to understanding e.g. language barriers, speech, cognitive problems

Desirable

• Experience of running groups.

Analytical and Judgement skills
Essential

• Ability to assess, formulate a diagnosis and plan patient management using clinical reasoning skills and a range of treatment options
• Experience of performance management
• Supervision of band 5 staff assistants and students.
• Assess and manage risk in own area. Evaluation of clinical interventions of self and your team

Planning and organisation skills
Essential

• Ability to organise and prioritise workload and support team when required

Desirable

• Experience of planning service delivery and writing annual plans.

Other requirements specific to the role (e.g. be able to drive or work shifts
Essential

• Qualified driver/car owner (Community based post).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).