Senior SEND Quality Manager

The Wild; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days holiday

Pension

Carer's leave

Volunteer days

EAP

Learning & development

Wellbeing discounts

Job summary

Surrey County Council in Woking seeks a Senior Quality Manager to lead the SEND Quality Team, driving continuous improvement and ensuring high-quality support for children and families.

The role focuses on implementing the SEND Quality Framework, audit and training programmes, and strengthening inspection readiness within our services. Hybrid working is supported with a focus on outcomes.

Qualifications

• Substantial SEND experience including statutory processes.
• Proven leadership and team management experience.
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in quality assurance or auditing.
• Commitment to inclusive practice and outcomes for children.

Responsibilities

• Leading and motivating the Quality Team to deliver against strategic priorities, with children and young people at the centre of all activity.
• Overseeing audit and training programmes, ensuring that insight and learning drives continuous improvement.
• Ensuring services are compliant with legislation, policy and best practice guidance.
• Coordinating audit and review activity to support inspection readiness and external scrutiny.
• Analysing data and feedback to identify risks, themes and opportunities for development.
• Building strong, collaborative relationships across services and with partners.

Skills

SEND quality

Leadership

Data analysis

Auditing & compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

This permanent, full-time position has a starting salary of £55,486 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

We have a great opportunity for a Senior Quality Manager to join our fantastic SEND Quality team based in at Victoria Gate in Woking.

We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 2 days per week on average (40% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service plus bank holidays
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About The Role

At Surrey, we are committed to ensuring that every child and young person with SEND receives the high-quality support they deserve. We are already making strong progress on this journey, working together across our SEND services to deliver timely, effective support that leads to meaningful, positive outcomes. Our approach is grounded in strong, respectful relationships with children, young people, families, schools and partner organisations. Relational and restorative practice sits at the heart of everything we do-because we know that how we work is just as important as what we deliver.

As a Senior Quality Manager within our SEND Quality Team, you will play a vital role in driving continuous improvement across Surrey's SEND services. The team is responsible for implementing Surrey's SEND Quality Framework in line with current legislation, ensuring that our services consistently meet high standards and deliver for children and families.

You will lead a dedicated, child-focused team to deliver our annual programmes of audit and training, ensuring that learning is translated into meaningful action. Your work will directly support better outcomes for children and young people by strengthening quality, practice and consistency across the service.

This is a key leadership role where you will also contribute to inspection readiness and wider regulatory activity, ensuring that Surrey is well prepared and confident in demonstrating the impact of its work.

What you'll be doing

• Leading and motivating the Quality Team to deliver against strategic priorities, with children and young people at the centre of all activity
• Overseeing audit and training programmes, ensuring that insight and learning drives continuous improvement
• Ensuring services are compliant with legislation, policy and best practice guidance
• Coordinating audit and review activity to support inspection readiness and external scrutiny
• Analysing data and feedback to identify risks, themes and opportunities for development
• Building strong, collaborative relationships across services and with partners
• Championing high-quality practice that improves outcomes and ensures no child or young person is left behind

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the quality of SEND services in Surrey, helping us to deliver on our commitment to children, young people and their families.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Substantial SEND experience including statutory processes
• Proven leadership and team management experience
• Strong analytical, organisational and problem-solving skills, with ability to manage competing priorities
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with ability to handle sensitive situations
• Experience in quality assurance or auditing
• Commitment to inclusive practice and outcomes for children

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 16/09/2026 with interviews planned to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.