School Applications Officer

Lancashire County Council; Preston; On-site; GBP 40,777 - 46,142; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire County Council in Preston is seeking a School Applications Officer to support SIMS users and leverage data tools within the MS 365 environment.

You will lead specialist SIMS areas, deliver consultancy sessions in schools, create training materials, manage the Service Centre's calls, and contribute to new service options. Closing date 11 September 2026; start from 1 December 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting school staff using SIMS or end-user with substantial experience.
• Expert knowledge of FMS, Assessment Manager or Nova T6.
• Advanced data manipulation skills with Power BI and Excel; MS 365 capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Desk-based management of support calls as part of Service Centre; update Service Now incidents.
• Produce support documentation for the Digital Hub; develop and run training sessions.
• Input into development of new service options; provide consultancy sessions in schools and deliver presentations.

Skills

SIMS knowledge

Power BI

Excel

Microsoft 365

Tools

SIMS

Power BI

Excel

Microsoft 365

Job description

Salary £40,777 - £46,142 per annum | 37 hours per week | Permanent, Full Time | School Applications Officer

Schools Applications Officer

Candidates must have experience in either supporting school staff using SIMS or be an end-user with substantial experience, advanced specialist knowledge and demonstrate an aptitude to move into a support, training, and consultancy role.

We are particularly interested in candidates with expert knowledge of either FMS, Assessment Manager or Nova T6.Advanced data manipulation skills, using products such as Power BI and Excel would be advantageous alongside Microsoft 365 capabilities. We will require the successful candidate to be a lead specialist in at least one area of SIMS and to increase this to additional areas of expertise.

Candidates must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be confident in forming relationships with school staff, both face-to-face and by digital channels. The role involves desk based management of support calls as part of our Service Centre; keeping our Service Now incident management system updated; producing support documentation for our Digital Hub, developing and running training sessions, and helping input into the development of new service options.

A substantial part of the role involves providing consultancy sessions in schools and delivering presentations in your specialist areas.

The closing date for applications is Friday 11th September 2026 and we are offering the appointment from 1st December 2026. For full details please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification. For an informal discussion about the role please contact Yvonne Bown, Schools Applications Manager on 01772 530717

The post you are applying for is covered by theRehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, found on our website here.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

Job Description and Person Specification