Service Manager for Education Quality and Strategy

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council; Halifax; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council seeks a talented leader to provide strong, strategic direction for its school effectiveness service. You will work with colleagues to shape strategy, ensure statutory duties are met, and maintain effective relationships with headteachers, education leaders, and Ofsted.

The role requires senior leadership in education, a track record of closing inequality gaps for vulnerable children, and the ability to manage budgets and deliver improvements.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in a school, trust or local authority.
• Proven track record of delivering school improvement for vulnerable groups.
• Strong organisational and communication skills; experience with budget monitoring.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development of services within statutory duties.
• Provide system leadership for schools and settings across Calderdale.
• Collaborate with the Assistant Director to ensure effective leadership.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

Budget monitoring

Communication skills

Collaborative working

Job description

Post Ref: C011

Please note: Internal, at risk or redeployee applicants will be seen in the first instance.

Vision 34 is Calderdale's overarching plan for the next ten years. It promotes the importance of hope and kindness in young people as well as unlocking their talent and opportunities. Across the partnership, we agree that the priority is for all children in Calderdale to grow up healthy, safe, resilient, and successful. We are highly aspirational for all our children and young people to achieve their potential and to live a larger life. Our Council Plan is committed to reducing inequalities and for our children the priorities of Starting Well and Developing Well.

This post is a key contributor towards meeting this aspiration and the postholder will play a pivotal role in relation to us realising this corporate priority.

We are looking for a talented person to provide strong leadership for our school effectiveness service; where you will work with supportive and enthusiastic colleagues to shape the direction and strategy of services.

You will strive for excellence in delivering statutory duties with continuing successful provision of traded services and the effective brokering of system leadership and school to school support.

We take great pride in our positive relationships with schools, academies, colleges and other educational settings.

Calderdale is a place where you can make a personal and collective impact on the lives of children and young people.

You will lead, influence and shape the strategic development of services within the context of legislation with reference to national, regional and local policy, by delivering strategic leadership for quality assurance and improvement of children and young people's outcomes in schools and settings across Calderdale.

You will collaborate with the Assistant Director: Education and Inclusion in developing and leading as well as ensuring that the Local Authority is an effective systems leader for all our children, fulfilling its statutory duties and maintaining effective relationships with headteachers, education leaders, the Regional Director and Ofsted.

We are looking for a person who is emotionally literate and resilient with great integrity and a determination to make a difference. The qualities of creativity and innovative thinking are also an asset in this key role.

You will have senior leadership experience in a school, trust or local authority, and a proven track record of delivering school improvement results which are child focused and will lead on the work to close inequality gaps for vulnerable children and young people. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate strong organisational and communication skills and be familiar with budget monitoring and collaborative working.

Please contact Connie Beirne, Acting Service Manager for Early years, Schools Strategy and performance at [e-mail] if you would like to discuss the role.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment. Applicants to posts that are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act will require a DBS from the Disclosure and Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed.

Closing Date: Sunday 13th September 2026

Interview Date: Week commencing 28th September 2026

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year (unless exceptions apply) and meet the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

We may utilise digital interview methods.

As part of our Vision https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision/ we aim to be a talented, resilient and inclusive community. We welcome applications from all and offer a variety of flexible working / job share opportunities.

All applications are anonymised before being seen by the selection panel.

As part of our fair recruitment process, we ask that all applications are written by the candidate and that Artificial Intelligence (AI) use is limited, unless assistance is required as a reasonable adjustment for a disability. Content should be truthful, accurate, evidence based and not embellished - see guidance.

For support on your application please read our Application Booklet or visit our Employment Hub.