SEND Reform Officer

Swindon Borough Council; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Swindon Borough Council is seeking a SEND Reform Officer to support the delivery of our ambitious SEND Reform Plan and Transformation Programme. You will coordinate improvement activity across education, health and care partners, in collaboration with senior leaders, schools, partners and families.

The role focuses on governance, milestone delivery and stakeholder engagement. The role requires experience in transformation or change programmes within public sector environments, strong

Qualifications

• Experience of supporting or leading transformation or change programmes.
• Experience of programme, project or service improvement in public sector or complex organisations.
• Strong coordination and organisational skills for multiple priorities.
• Experience in monitoring performance, risks and reporting to stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and ability to build cross‑organisational relationships.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate multiple SEND reform projects and workstreams across education, health and care partners.
• Monitor progress against milestones and report on performance to governance boards.
• Manage risks, issues and dependencies to keep programmes on track.
• Lead designated projects and ensure improvement activity is planned, delivered and evaluated.
• Engage stakeholders and partners to support effective partnership working.

Skills

Programme management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Communication

Job description

Swindon Borough Council is seeking a SEND Reform Officer to support the delivery of our ambitious SEND Reform Plan and wider SEND Transformation Programme. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in coordinating and delivering improvement activity across education, health and care partners. Working alongside senior leaders, schools, partners and families, you will help ensure that transformation projects remain on track and deliver meaningful and sustainable improvements for children and young people with SEND. In this role, you will support the delivery of a complex programme of SEND reform and improvement. Working closely with the SEND Reform Programme Lead, you will help coordinate multiple projects and workstreams, maintain programme governance arrangements and monitor performance against agreed milestones. You will support the management of risks, issues and dependencies, oversee programme reporting and contribute to stakeholder engagement activity across the SEND partnership. The role will also involve leading designated projects and workstreams, ensuring improvement activity is effectively planned, delivered and evaluated. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a high-profile programme of change that will have a lasting impact on the lives of children, young people and their families.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and capable programme professional with strong organisational and relationship‑building skills. You will have:

• Experience of supporting or leading transformation, improvement or change programmes.
• Experience of programme, project or service improvement management within a public sector or complex organisational environment.
• Strong programme coordination and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Experience of monitoring performance, managing risks and producing reports for a range of stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The ability to build effective relationships and work collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• The ability to work independently and use sound professional judgement.
• A commitment to partnership working and improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Experience of working within SEND, education, health, children's services or a related environment would be desirable, as would knowledge of SEND legislation and policy. You must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act for the effective performance of a customer‑facing role). The ability to travel throughout the Borough will be required to support partnership working.

Are you an organised and motivated programme professional who is passionate about driving improvement and making a difference for children and young people with SEND? The team operates a hybrid working model, with staff expected to attend the office for a minimum of two days per week. You will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check. As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance. For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. It's why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. So, you'll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We'll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, we'll achieve our vision of a prosperous, revitalised Swindon together. And you'll be proud to say it was made better with you. Potential applicants are sometimes put off if they don't meet 100% of the requirements. We think individual experience, skills and passion make all the difference, so if you meet the majority of the criteria, we'd love to hear from you.