Assistant Director - Education

Location: Cheshire Lines Building

Hours: 36.00 hours per week.

DBS Check: Enhanced

Reference: CF&E/20/137363

Wirral has been a leading borough in galvanising our response to the greatest challenge in a generation. Receiving national and local recognition along the way for being one of the first responders to the pandemic.

Although these are times of great change, some things remain the same. Residents are still at the heart of everything we do. Wirral is home to vibrant, energetic and engaged communities, people who take real ownership of their local area and are passionate about making Wirral an even better place. The council and its partners have pledged to #BeTheDifference. 

We have huge ambitions for Wirral. To achieve everything we have promised to our residents, we need great people, with compassion and energy to really make a difference to their lives.

This is an exciting time for us and an exciting time to join us as a senior leader: we are looking for an Assistant Director for Education to lead us through very challenging times for education. You will lead the development of strategy, providing support and inspiration, and delivering continuous performance improvement for our education system so that all children can achieve their full potential. Above all you will act as an ambassador for the Council and Wirral working with and alongside a range of stakeholders and partners to ensure delivery of the Council’s education agenda.

We are keen to hear from people who are passionate about inclusion and narrowing the gap in education outcomes for children and young people. You will have developed your skills through successful strategic leadership within a school/education setting. Excellent communication skills to inspire others and articulate a clear vision for education, and learning are a must, along with the ability to build positive relationships with key stakeholders across the education environment, including staff, pupils, governors, and parents.

You will be joining a talented and ambitious team. You can look forward to an impressive package of benefits and an organisation committed to celebrating the diversity of our workforce and collaborating to make the most of our differences.

We support our people. We develop and invest in our people. We know that together we can achieve the best for our community.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jenny Woods, Recruitment and Resourcing Manager jenniferwoods@wirral.gov.uk.

Selection process details

To apply for this role please complete the online application form including your CV and a personal statement by midnight on the closing date. Within your personal statement we want to hear about you and your experience, but we also would like to assess your suitability against our behaviours documented in the Competency Framework guide. There are seven behaviours in total, but we have asked for examples on just two at this stage, detailed below:

Your personal statement should be no longer than 2500 words and should:

Outline how you feel you suitable for the role. Include your personal skills, qualities and experience and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the criteria set out in the job description

Provide an example of when you curated a vision and engaged stakeholders effectively to make this a reality (Behaviour - Leadership)

Provide an example of when you have made a difficult decision which you have had to defend whilst maintaining engagement and credibility with stakeholders (Behaviour - Decision making)

More information can be found in the Competency Framework guide.

The Candidate pack also provides further details in relation to the role and the selection process details.