Assistant Director Children’s Partnerships and Sufficiency

North Yorkshire Council; Northallerton; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 112,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional government body in Northallerton seeks an Assistant Director for Children’s Partnerships and Sufficiency. The role demands innovative leadership in strategic sufficiency and impactful partnerships, ensuring quality delivery of services for children and young people. The ideal candidate will have strategic leadership experience, be responsible for overseeing performance improvements, and manage commissioning for educational and care services. A commitment to inclusion and strategic governance is essential. This position offers a competitive salary and hybrid working options.

Qualifications

• Experience in strategic leadership within children's services.
• Strong background in commissioning and partnership coordination.
• Understanding of local government and educational frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic sufficiency and commissioning of children's services.
• Oversee performance and improvement of Children and Young People's Services.
• Manage delegated budgets and ensure effective governance across services.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

Partnership Coordination

Commissioning

Performance Improvement

Education

Relevant Professional Qualification

Job description

Job Overview

North Yorkshire is England’s largest county and a beautiful, vibrant place to live and work. It is an exciting time for me personally as I join North Yorkshire Council as the new Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Service in January 2026. Even at this early stage, I feel welcomed and inspired by talented, ambitious colleagues with a strong track record and a shared commitment to excellence.

Location and Salary

Salary: £100,545 to £111,533 plus relocation support
Location: Northallerton / Hybrid

About North Yorkshire Council

North Yorkshire Council has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services. Our Children’s Services are nationally recognised for excellence and routinely share best practice across the sector. Our teams are proud of what has been achieved and are committed to continuous improvement, ensuring services deliver real impact for children, young people and families while making effective use of public money.

While many residents enjoy a high quality of life, North Yorkshire is diverse. Some communities experience significant deprivation, and the county’s rural geography presents challenges around access and sufficiency. These realities make strong partnership working and strategic leadership essential.

The Council is approaching its three-year anniversary following local government reorganisation in April 2023, bringing together eight councils into the new North Yorkshire Council. This unification creates new opportunities to strengthen local delivery, improve system working and secure greater investment through devolution.

The York and North Yorkshire devolution deal could unlock around £2.4bn of investment over 30 years, focused on economic prosperity and long-term opportunity. This provides a powerful platform for the new Assistant Director to shape innovative, sustainable approaches across the whole children’s system.

Role Summary

We are now seeking a professional, influential Assistant Director to lead strategic sufficiency, commissioning and partnership infrastructure that underpins children’s services across the system. As Assistant Director Children’s Partnerships and Sufficiency, you will play a central, system-wide leadership role, connecting across the full breadth of services to children and young people. You will jointly lead delivery of the Council’s ambition for children, with accountability for strategic sufficiency, commissioning and partnership infrastructure that underpins education, care, early years and SEND services.

Core Responsibilities

• Providing clear, innovative leadership across strategy, commissioning and operational delivery
• Shared responsibility for the overall performance and improvement of Children and Young People’s Services
• Lead statutory responsibilities for school and childcare sufficiency, partnership coordination, transport and admissions, alongside cross-system governance for safeguarding, SEND and early years
• Oversee commissioning, evaluation and market development, ensuring value for money and sustainability
• Work closely with fellow Assistant Directors, Corporate Directors, elected members and senior leaders across partner organisations, exercising significant autonomy and influence

Portfolio Includes

• CYPS commissioning and contract management
• Partnerships and safeguarding
• Transport, admissions and appeals
• Early years sufficiency
• School place planning, including capital and PFI

Senior Leadership Activities

• Be a core member of the Children and Young People’s Leadership Team
• Lead collaboratively across the directorate to ensure strong practice and outcomes
• Sponsor cross-cutting transformation activity in response to local need and national reforms
• Lead prevention, commissioning and targeted services
• Manage delegated budgets and provide assurance on performance and savings
• Lead on resilience, risk and business continuity planning
• Provide outstanding strategic leadership, promote inclusion and model the Council’s values and behaviours

Political Restrictions and DBS

This is a politically restricted post and subject to DBS clearance.

Close Date

Close Date: 25 January 2026

Apply

Want to learn more? I would encourage you to speak to our executive recruitment partners to further explore your interest further. More information regarding the role is available, please click apply for job description and details of how to apply.

El Mayhew
Corporate Director, Children and Young People’s Service
North Yorkshire Council

We are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers.