Position No: POS1022751

Salary: G14  £47,822 - £65,302 p.a. - includes Market Enhancement

Hours: 37 hours per week

Base: Progress House, Westwood Park Drive, Wigan, WN3 4HH

As a key member of the dynamic and forward-looking Education Service at Wigan, you will work across all phases of Education and in close partnership with Early Years settings, schools, colleges and other services to improve outcomes for all children and young people in the borough.

With proven experience in the development of education strategies to achieve improved outcomes, you will provide strategic management for our 0-19 Standards service ensuring effective partnership working across early years providers and schools.  You will be required to manage services including school improvement/ Governor services and the Education Business Intelligence Unit which provide an enabling infrastructure to support and quality assure Wigan’s education system to raise standards and provide the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

You will have significant technical knowledge and understanding of the education sector as a whole as well as a proven ability to deliver improved outcomes and maintain effective partnerships.  Reporting to the Assistant Director, Education, you will lead and manage Wigan’s School Improvement Strategy, having operational responsibility for monitoring the performance of early years settings and schools and co-ordinating programmes of intervention as well as ensuring that the Local Authority’s statutory duties are met.

Qualified Teacher Status and extensive experience at a senior strategic level in a school/ LA or related organisation will be critical.  You will be highly analytical and have the proven ability to develop and maintain effective and sustainable relationships with a wide range of partners.

Working for one of the UK’s Leading Local Authorities in the development of School to school Improvement, we can offer an exciting, stimulating and rewarding working environment, a highly skilled and supportive team, and an opportunity to make a real difference to the future of Wigan’s children and young people.

Key responsibilities:

• Wigan’s School Improvement Consortia Strategy
• Early Years Education Service: including contributing to the broader early years agenda in delivering the integration of early years health, education and early intervention
• Education Business Intelligence Unit
• Governor Services
• Music Service

Proven experience across more than one of these areas should be demonstrated.

Key requirements:

In order for your application to be successful, you will need to be able to demonstrate:

• evidence of achieving significant impact on improving standards/ outcomes
• understanding of effective school improvement
• the ability to develop and manage effective working relationships with early years providers, schools, Colleges and Local Authority officers
• effective leadership skills which engage, motivate and develop a strong performance culture for individuals and teams
• sensitivity and strong arbitration skills in difficult situations and ability to deal tactfully with key stakeholders
• the ability to lead rapid change and improvement where there is poor performance
• extensive senior leadership experience in Education
• inspection experience (desirable).

Part-time, job-share and/or secondments will be considered.

Previous applications will be considered.

Interviews to be held: Monday 3 March 2014.

Further details about this role can be found in the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

To apply, please visit: www.yourcounciljobs.co.uk/wigan

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Kirston Nelson, Assistant Director, Education on 01942 489452.

This post is subject to Enhanced Disclosure Procedures.

Wigan Council supports work life balance.

Wigan Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Closing date: Friday 14 February 2014