Interim Service Manager - SENA

Leicestershire County Council; Glenfield; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking an experienced Service Manager to lead the Post-16 SENA Team, guiding transitions for young people with SEND and ensuring preparation for adulthood.

You will collaborate with colleges, health, social care and education partners to improve outcomes and champion co-production with families. A DBS check is required and flexible working may be considered.

Qualifications

• Management qualification and continued learning experience.
• Significant SEND, Post-16 education or related service experience.
• Strong knowledge of SEND legislation and governance framework.
• Senior management experience in a complex service and budget management.
• Proven ability to influence partners and deliver improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of the Post-16 SENA Team.
• Drive improvements in Post-16 EHCPs, annual reviews, transitions, and preparation for adulthood.
• Build effective partnerships with colleges and Post-16 providers to improve outcomes for young people with SEND.
• Lead and develop staff, promoting high standards, accountability, and performance.
• Ensure young people’s aspirations and adult life outcomes are central to decision-making.
• Work with education, health and social care to support transitions to adulthood.
• Contribute to SEND sufficiency, commissioning, High Needs funding and budget management.
• Oversee complex cases, mediation, tribunals and complaints.
• Champion co-production and the voice of young people and their families.

Skills

Leadership

SEND knowledge

Strategic thinking

Partnership building

Change management

Communication

Budget management

Team management

Problem solving

Education

Management qualification

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall Glenfield LE3 8RA

Salary: £65,109 -71,631 per annum ( Pro rata for part time)

Working Hours:37 Hours per week

Contract Type: Fixed term for (24 Months) Or Secondment for (24 Months) With Managers permission

Closing Date: 26th November2026

Interview Date(s): TBC 9th Dec 2026

Make an impact. Shape the future of Post-16 SEND in Leicestershire.

We are looking for an experienced, ambitious and collaborative leader to join Leicestershire’s SENA Service at an exciting point in its development.

This Service Manager role will have a particular leadership focus on our Post-16 SENA Team, providing senior oversight of our work with young people as they move through further education and towards adulthood. You will work closely and collaboratively with colleges, Post-16 providers, education, health, social care and other partners to strengthen pathways and support effective transitions for young people with SEND.

A key priority will be ensuring that preparation for adulthood is at the heart of our work, supporting a stronger focus on young people's aspirations, independence, employment, community participation and adult lives, alongside the effective delivery of our statutory EHCP responsibilities.

You may bring substantial experience from SENA or statutory SEND services, or you may come from a strong Post-16 background, including further education, transitions and preparation for adulthood. What matters is your ability to lead complex services, inspire people, build strong partnerships and maintain a clear focus on improving outcomes for young people.

Why join us?

Leicestershire’s SENA Service is diverse, ambitious, innovative, creative and forward-thinking. We want people who bring ideas, challenge us to improve and work collaboratively to find better solutions.

Partnership and co-production are central to how we work. We work closely with our Parent Carer Forum, SEND Hub, and our Strategic Young People’s Group, ensuring that children, young people and families have a meaningful voice in shaping our services.

Most importantly, the children and young people of Leicestershire matter to us. We want young people with SEND to have high aspirations for their future and to be supported to move into adulthood with the greatest possible opportunity for independence, employment, relationships, community participation and a fulfilling adult life.

This two-year opportunity gives you enough time to make a real impact, build relationships across the Post-16 sector, lead meaningful change and see the results of your work. It also provides an excellent opportunity to broaden your senior leadership experience and take the next step in your career.

About the Role

• Provide strategic leadership of the Post-16 SENA Team.
• Drive improvements in Post-16 EHCPs, annual reviews, transitions, and preparation for adulthood.
• Build effective partnerships with colleges and Post-16 providers to improve outcomes for young people with SEND.
• Lead and develop staff, promoting high standards, accountability, and performance.
• Ensure young people's aspirations and adult life outcomes are central to decision-making.
• Work across education, health, and social care to support successful transitions to adulthood.
• Contribute to SEND sufficiency, commissioning, High Needs funding, and budget management.
• Oversee complex cases, mediation, tribunals, and complaints.
• Champion co-production and the voice of young people and their families.

An enhanced DBS with barred list check is required for this post.

For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• A management qualification, evidence of continued learning and development, and demonstrable, fully evidenced experience of developing, managing and delivering an effective service relevant to this level of responsibility.
• Significant relevant experience within SEND, Post-16 education or a closely related service for children and young people, together with strong knowledge and understanding of SEND legislation, statutory guidance, national policy and the legislative and governance framework associated with SEND.
• Substantial senior management and leadership experience within a complex service, including managing staff and other resources, strategic thinking, and successfully leading significant and demanding programmes of organisational and service change.
• Proven experience of developing and delivering high-quality services in accordance with statutory requirements and strategic organisational priorities, including strong performance management and reporting and the ability to research, analyse and use information and data to inform service improvement, recommendations and service planning.
• Excellent communication, partnership, influencing and negotiation skills, including significant experience of working with and influencing partners to deliver change, communicating complex information effectively to different audiences and building effective relationships at all levels.
• Strong experience and understanding of resource management, including High Needs funding and commissioning requirements, with a successful track record of planning and delivering change within agreed timescales and budgets and securing organisational efficiencies where possible.
• Proven ability to operate effectively within a complex and demanding environment, including managing a heavy workload and competing priorities, identifying and managing risk and interdependencies, solving complex problems, appropriately challenging established practice, extensive experience of managing staff and other resources. Motivating others and demonstrating a clear commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our valuesandto delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Please note: If you are appointed to this role on a fixed-term or internal secondment basis, you may later be offered a permanent appointment to the role, should the opportunity become available. Any such arrangements will be subject to organisational requirements and the relevant policy conditions being met.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion,please contact:

Michelle White Head of Service - SEND & Children with Disabilities

Email: [e-mail]