Strategic Partnership Lead

Central Bedfordshire Council; Shefford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking an experienced Strategic Partnership Lead to shape services for children, young people and families. You will provide deputy leadership for the Strategic Partnerships Team and act as Deputy Inspection Lead for Children’s Services and SEND, working with senior leaders and multi-agency partners to drive improvement.

You will coordinate governance, assurance and performance activity, develop strategic plans and ensure robust partnership arrangements while

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience working within Children's Social Care, SEND, Youth Justice or a comparable public sector environment.
• Knowledge of Ofsted inspection frameworks.
• Experience developing strategic reports, self-evaluations, governance papers and improvement plans.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using performance information to drive service improvement.
• Ability to influence, negotiate and build credibility with senior stakeholders and partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting complex information clearly to a range of audiences.
• A passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate inspection readiness and improvement activity across Children and Families, SEND and Youth Justice.
• Support the development of self-evaluations, strategic plans and improvement programmes.
• Act as a critical friend to services, providing challenge, support and advice to drive continuous improvement.
• Oversee governance arrangements, ensuring effective accountability and partnership working.
• Coordinate statutory returns and submissions.
• Analyse performance information and evidence impact to support strategic decision-making.
• Develop and review policies, procedures and guidance in line with legislation and best practice.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners, influencing at all levels of the organisation.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Partnership building

Analytical skills

Influence stakeholders

Communication skills

Education

Degree-level qualification

Tools

Performance data analysis

Job description

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families? Do you thrive in a strategic environment where partnership working, influence and continuous improvement are at the heart of what you do?

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated Strategic Partnership Lead to join our Children & Families Directorate. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping services, driving improvement and ensuring Central Bedfordshire remains inspection-ready and focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for children and families.

As Strategic Partnership Lead, you will provide deputy leadership within the Strategic Partnerships Team and act as Deputy Inspection Lead for Children's Services and SEND. You will work closely with senior leaders, elected members and multi-agency partners to coordinate strategic improvement activity, oversee governance arrangements and strengthen organisational resilience.

This is a varied and influential role where you will:

• Lead and coordinate inspection readiness and improvement activity across Children and Families, SEND and Youth Justice.
• Support the development of self-evaluations, strategic plans and improvement programmes.
• Act as a critical friend to services, providing challenge, support and advice to drive continuous improvement.
• Oversee governance arrangements, ensuring effective accountability and partnership working.
• Coordinate statutory returns and submissions.
• Analyse performance information and evidence impact to support strategic decision-making.
• Develop and review policies, procedures and guidance in line with legislation and best practice.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners, influencing at all levels of the organisation.

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this .

Our are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.

Safeguarding:

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Your application to us is a reflection of who you are professionally and should give us an accurate and authentic picture of your skills, experiences and if applicable qualifications. Before you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm if you have used AI.

All new starters will join us on a four-month probationary period. During this time, if you are offered a Hybrid role you will be required to attend a Central Bedfordshire Council office location more frequently to support thorough and well-supported onboarding into your role. Please keep this in mind if you anticipate extensive travel to Central Bedfordshire.

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for our roles. Successful applicants that may require a visa will need to consider the options for obtaining and/or maintaining the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the contract offered.

Free information, advice and guidance into work or learning provides free, impartial, information advice and guidance to those aged 16+ looking to get into work, learning or exploring a change of career.

We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with the ability to build strong partnerships and deliver results.

You will have:

• A degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Experience working within Children's Social Care, SEND, Youth Justice or a comparable public sector environment.
• Knowledge of Ofsted inspection frameworks.
• Experience developing strategic reports, self-evaluations, governance papers and improvement plans.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using performance information to drive service improvement.
• The ability to influence, negotiate and build credibility with senior stakeholders and partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting complex information clearly to a range of audiences.
• A passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families.