Job info	Job info details
Job title	Divisional Director - Education and SEND
Strategic team/Directorate	Children’s Services
Service	Education and SEND
Business unit	Education and SEND
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Director of Children’s Services
Accountable to (line manager)	Director of Children’s Services
Salary grade	TBC
JE ref	HAY108

1. Key purpose of job

• To provide strategic leadership and management of the division, ensuring that creative and innovative solutions are deployed to improve long term performance, effectiveness and efficiency of the Division and wider Directorate, whilst ensuring that these services meet the highest standards of governance, finance, people, risk management, probity and service delivery.
• As a member of the Children’s Services and wider Council Leadership Team, to take a collective and shared responsibility service delivery of improved outcomes.
• To support the development and delivery of the overall strategic objectives of the Council, working as ‘one Council’ across the organisation.
• To positively promote and represent the Director of Children’s Services to manage the Directorate – driving performance, effectiveness, and efficiency

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Strategic objectives for Education and SEND services are developed and delivered, ensuring that services support the overall direction of the Council.
• There is effective leadership of organisational improvements, reform, and change management in line with the Community and Corporate Plan to support delivery of efficient, high-quality services which enable resident choice and a ‘One Council’ approach.
• There is clear, strong, and motivational leadership to create a high-performance culture, both across the Division and wider Directorate that drives continual improvement, efficiency savings and high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Opportunities are identified to deliver the strategic agenda and find means of realising the full value of those opportunities through direct action, securing the necessary resources, adapting policy, commissioning, and community and partner action.
• The Director of Children’s Services is supported to ensure that the Council is an active partner in the Southwest and is engaged in all initiatives and opportunities that emerge from regional and national collaboration.
• The division supports the continued improvement of our cultural aspirations, role modelling and embedding our values, driving engagement and innovation, and promoting diversity and inclusion.
• Accurate and timely strategic advice is provided to the Director of Children’s Services wider Senior Leadership Team Members.
• Education and SEND is developed to ensuring that the Council meets its legal and statutory obligations for young people and their achievements.
• Strategies are in place to work with schools and other associated bodies to influence and inform the level of school performance and pupil attainment.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.

Leadership

• To contribute towards the corporate management and leadership of the Council as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, actively understanding the challenges and proactively and effectively support colleagues in ensuring policy objectives are achieved and services planned, commissioned, and delivered in an effective and efficient way.
• To ensure delivery of budget priorities and the effective use of the Council’s resources.
• To lead on areas of activity, policy and organisational development as required.
• Contribute to a high-performance culture by providing strong and motivational leadership to drive continuous improvement and efficiency savings.
• To develop a culture of collaborative working relationships with partners and communities to ensure the effective delivery of services and management of resources.

Strategic

• To support the strategic leadership of the Council’s financial position, in collaboration with the Director and other Senior Leadership Team colleagues.
• To proactively engage in the interface between elected Members and Officers; taking a leading role in relation to policy co-ordination and performance management; assist and advise Elected Members and work closely with the relevant Portfolio holders.
• Support strategic leadership of the Directorate, ensuring that the development, design and delivery of services reflects evolving delivery models and supports the delivery of efficiency savings and high quality, customer focussed services.
• To assist the Director in ensuring that appropriate governance, programme management and stewardship for delivery of services is embedded within the Directorate.
• Ensure partnerships are created, developed, and maintained across Torbay, regionally and nationally in order to generate resources and opportunities.
• Build a cohesive management team that supports and delivers the Council’s Community and Corporate Plan.

Service

• Provide clear leadership and management direction to achieve the efficient and effective operational delivery within services in the Divisional Directorate.
• Provide guidance and support to Elected Members to help them translate their political priorities into initiatives that deliver the intended outcomes for residents.
• Deliver on the service plan, ensuring that it underpins and supports the achievement of the Community and Corporate Plan, with appropriate governance procedures, clear objectives, and performance monitoring.
• Support the Director to deliver excellent client, management, and contract oversight of all external service providers, ensuring delivery standards are met.
• Actively engage with the community – individuals, community groups, businesses, and public sector partners as required.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• Management of a budget totalling £9m

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• Postholder will directly line manage and supervise the Head of Vulnerable pupils and Virtual School, the Head of Servive SEND and the Head of Service Quality First Teaching.
• Overall responsibility for ensuring effective leadership and management of around 60 employees across the division.
• To assertively and continually challenge teams and managers to improve performance.
• To establish annual objectives and ensure that these are cascaded to team members. monitoring their performance through the Council’s appraisal process.
• To ensure the effective safe recruitment, retention and training of staff.

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Office based with flexibility for hybrid and occasional home working.
• Occasional weekend and evening work is required.
• Will be required to attend meetings with schools, partners and other stakeholders virtually and in person.

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal resources

9. Key contacts and relationships

External

Ofsted, Department for Education, Regional Schools Commissioners, NHS, 0-19 Partnership, Torbay Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Central Government, other Local Authorities, other public sector organisations, the Council’s auditors, private and voluntary organisations and employers, community and voluntary sector

Internal

Chief Executive / Senior Leadership Team, Leader of the Council and Executive Members, other senior staff across the Council, Trades Unions, employees at all levels across the Council.

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

• All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures and are aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Children’s Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council
• This post is office based at Electric House but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
• The post is eligible for hybrid working.
• You will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Self Declaration Form. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post. You will only be asked to disclose ‘unspent’ convictions.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If this post is customer facing, it will require the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Divisional Director - Education and SEND
Strategic team/Directorate	Children’s Services
Service	Education and SEND
Business unit	Education and SEND

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Excellent leadership skills, able to provide clarity to teams on the vision and purpose of their work.
• Ability to promote and ensure the delivery of high standards of Education for school aged children of the Bay.
• Ability to ensure all statutory responsibilities are met by the Local Authority for children as citizens of Torbay.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership, advice and support to other Educational providers and leaders across the Bay.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret and deploy complex data and translate complex information.
• Strong track record of building and nurturing productive working relationships, able to influence at the most senior levels both inside and outside the Council.
• Ability to provide insight and strategic understanding around the current and future landscape of Education Services.
• Ability to show strong financial management.
• Highly effective communication skills, able to influence others with impact and professional credibility.
• Ability to work with and manage demands of elected members and their priorities.
• Ability to deliver creative and innovative solutions to improve the use of resources and achieve value for money across the Directorate.
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Experience of working in a similar role in the public sector.
• Experience of working with Elected Members and of dealing with politically sensitive issues

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the current Education landscape including SEND and all other statutory functions provided by the Local Authority.
• Proven competent working knowledge of School leadership / Inspection Frameworks and ability to advise Schools and Academies appropriately.
• Competence and confidence in working with elected members and regulators.
• Knowledge and understanding of schools and how teaching, learning, curriculum, leadership, management and governance contribute to overall effectiveness and establish a positive climate for improvement.
• Knowledge of keys factors, influences and legislation facing education establishments and local government.
• Good knowledge of project, change and performance management.

Desirable knowledge

N/A

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Significant experience of working within or with the Education sector at a senior level.
• Experience of managing and improving service delivery within a complex work environment.
• Experience of building high performing teams and providing inspirational leadership to teams, driving a high performance culture.
• Highly motivated senior leader, able to act as a role model to team members and peers.
• An inspiring leader, able to engage team members to deliver exceptional performance in a challenging environment.
• Significant experience of working with partners and communities for the benefit of the Service and wider Council.
• Adaptable and flexible to meet a variety of challenges.
• Innovative, change champion, who is happy to challenge the status quo.
• A passionate role model of the values of the Council.
• Experience of managing budgets

Desirable experience and achievements

N/A

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• A relevant qualification to degree level (or equivalent).
• Commitment to continued personal and professional development.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

• Project Management
• Professional management qualification

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours
• Ability to accommodate on-call working
• Ability to accommodate occasional home-working