Assistant Director, SEN and Youth Directorate 3 posts

Education Authority - Northern Ireland; Belfast; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional education authority in Northern Ireland is seeking an Assistant Director for the SEN and Youth Directorate. This pivotal role involves leading SEND statutory and support services delivery and collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders. The position demands at least two years of experience in senior management to effectively enhance service processes for children with special educational needs. The role offers a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change in the educational landscape, with a strong focus on inclusive practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of experience in a senior management role.
• Experience working collectively across a senior team.
• Strong communication skills across various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for SEND services.
• Lead service delivery across special educational needs.
• Engage with stakeholders to enhance service delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Continuous Improvement

Strategic Planning

Problem-Solving

Education

Experience in a senior management role

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post: Assistant Director SEN and Youth Directorate

Reports to: Chief Transformation Officer SEN

Assistant Directors are responsible for providing strategic leadership for the effective and efficient delivery of all SEND statutory and support services and services provided to special schools and specialist provisions in mainstream schools.

Corporate Leadership

Assistant Directors work flexibly and collaboratively with the Chief Executive and Chief Officers to provide corporate leadership to EA, particularly in regard to progressing EA's improvement journey and ensuring corporate alignment across the organisation.

These are challenging roles requiring proven skills in leading and working collaboratively with others to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities

• Collectively as part of the Senior Leadership Team optimise business structures, harness strengths and make EA a great place to work.
• Lead a portfolio of services to enable the delivery of high‑quality services to schools and other stakeholders, and/or deliver projects and programmes in line with EA's priorities and business plan.
• Work collectively with other Assistant Directors to agree and progress corporate priorities.
• Support the Chief Officers in considering the resourcing profile and organisational changes required to deliver the optimum structure for EA.
• Focus on corporate leadership duties, offering leadership that empowers individuals managing services to focus on operational excellence.
• Support the Chief Officers in leading detailed reviews of EA's core functions and current challenges to inform a more balanced structure.
• Work towards EA's long‑term improvement ambitions, ensuring that the future structure is aligned with its vision, purpose and strategic goals.
• Provide support to the Chief Executive and Chief Officers in prioritising EA's activities to determine which are essential and which may need to be discontinued, paused or reconfigured.
• Ensure that EA lives within its annual budget allocation from the Department of Education.
• Work in partnership with staff and stakeholders, including partners across the education sector, governing bodies, school leaders, trade unions, elected representatives, other related agencies, the media and the public.
• Maximise opportunities for improvement while promoting innovation and ambition.
• Provide corporate leadership for all programmes and projects relating to improvements to service delivery models while ensuring that EA adheres to relevant legislation and standards.
• Ensure that service delivery is shaped by service user input.
• Advise the Department of Education on policy issues and contribute to policy reviews.

The above responsibilities apply to all Assistant Directors (ADs). Whilst ADs are initially appointed to a specific post there may be opportunities to move to another AD position in any directorate, providing personal development opportunities for a wide‑ranging and varied career.

Key Areas of Focus

Post 1 – SEND Statutory Services

The Assistant Director for SEND Statutory Services leads statutory special educational needs services for schools, overseeing the SEND Assessment and Review service and the Educational Psychology service.

Budget: £304 million | Staff: 462

Post 2 – SEND Support Services

The Assistant Director for SEND Support Services leads and oversees pupil support services for children with special educational and medical needs.

Budget: £78 million | Staff: 599

Post 3 – Special Schools and Specialist Provisions

The Assistant Director for Special Schools and Specialist Provisions leads and oversees all services delivered to special schools and specialist provisions in mainstream schools.

Budget: £214 million | Staff: 67

Vision and Approach

The vision for SEN Transformation is to ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs can reach the maximum outcomes throughout their educational journey. That means we will tailor services to meet the needs of the children and young people who need the services.

In practice this means:

• A system that identifies the specific intervention required for the child to have the best education possible.
• A system that empowers local decision‑making to meet the needs of the children in local schools, regardless of the stage on the Code of Practice.
• A support offer which provides the options to meet the local need across all stages of the Code of Practice.

Additional Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the directorate fostering a culture of improvement, collaboration and engagement.
• Lead service delivery across relevant area of special educational needs.
• Lead on relationship‑building with all stakeholders and ensuring that services provide effective advice, support and assistance to parents and schools.
• Provide leadership of continuous improvement and transformational change across SEND statutory services.
• Develop and implement a strategic long‑term plan to promote and sustain inclusion for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
• Review, reset and enhance statutory assessment and annual review processes ensuring a robust support model for all children with SEN.
• Drive the transformation of the support model for children holding statements of SEN, focusing on improved outcomes and service delivery.
• Design pilot and evaluate enabling support programmes delivered outside of standard school hours and term times.
• Secure and direct investment in classroom assistants and teachers, including those in pre‑school leadership roles, to enhance support for children with SEN.
• Lead the design and launch bespoke data dashboards to monitor and improve outcomes for children with SEN.
• Lead the development and implementation of alternative interventions programmes to maximise the outcomes of children and young people.
• Implement transitional support programmes tailored to key stages of the learner's educational journey.
• Tackle key challenges in special schools and enhance their support for inclusion across Northern Ireland communities.
• Improve planning processes to accommodate a changing pupil profile and evolving needs.

Other Duties

Any other duties related to the role which may be required from time‑to‑time by the Chief Executive and the Board.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998) be expected to promote Good Relations, Equality of Opportunity and pay due regard for Equality Legislation at all times.

Person Specification – Essential Criteria

• Minimum of two years experience in a senior management role successfully leading services across several areas and having an impact on multiple people.
• Experience of working collectively across a senior team to align goals, resources, policies and processes to optimise use of the organisation’s resources to deliver maximum value for the public / customers.
• Experience of leading and championing continuous improvement in complex service delivery that has delivered improved outcomes for the public / customers.
• Strong communicator with proven skills to engage across a range of stakeholders demonstrating successful impact.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the potential and challenges of delivering SEND related services to children and young people and schools.
• Senior management role includes providing advice or being party to decisions affecting strategic issues concerning the organisation in which the individual is working.

Additional Requirements

• Have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner, or provide sufficient information on an appropriate alternative form of transport.
• Commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery, aligning personal values with those of the EA.
• Willingness to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background, bearing the cost of the certificate, if recommended for appointment to a post that involves regulated activity.

Benefits

For more information on the many great benefits of joining the Education Authority, please consult the relevant internal resources.

Equal Opportunities

The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.