Deputy Director for the Regional Schools Commissioner

Pay band: Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1 (Deputy Director)
Contract: 3 years’ fixed-term contract with possible extension of up to one year or secondment
Will require regular attendance at meetings in central London
Working pattern: Flexible working, full-time, part-time, job share

The Department for Education strives to provide every child and young person in Britain with world-class education and care, equipping them with the skills and attributes they need to achieve to the best of their ability throughout their working lives. We’ve rolled out one of the most ambitious education reform programmes in the world, with over 5,000 academies and free schools now up and running. The National Schools Commissioner (NSC) and Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) are a vital part of the academies system, helping to drive up standards and develop schools’ capacity for self-improvement. We’re looking for two Deputy Directors to lead a team in support of the RSCs in the West Midlands and the Lancashire and West Yorkshire regions to help them deliver on their priorities.

You’ll be a member of the senior management team, and you’ll bring pace and intellectual focus to policy development and delivery, with a lead role in implementing a school improvement strategy. Working across a broad spectrum of stakeholders – from schools and academy trusts to local authorities and government ministers – you’ll focus on:

• Managing the accountability framework and helping to improve underperforming academies
• Providing high-quality strategic advice to RSCs and ministers
• Developing a vision for good practice in academy governance and communicating this vision across the sector
• Exemplifying a culture of enthusiasm, collaboration, and continuous improvement that inspires staff and delivery partners to engage with the long-term vision and purpose of the department

With a strong track record as an outstanding leader, you’ll have the confidence and presence to influence people across the sector and the credibility to advise ministers and headteachers. You’ll have in-depth appreciation of how your role fits into the department’s school improvement objectives and wider public needs and expectations, and be able to strike the right balance between taking risks and maximising returns. These are highly influential roles, and your impact of the decisions and actions you help to determine will be felt across the entire educational system for years to come.

For further information, including details of how to apply for these roles, please visit the Civil Service Jobs website www.civilservice.gov.uk/jobs – search under Department for Education.

To apply, please send your completed application to SCS.RECRUITMENT@education.gsi.gov.uk quoting the job title of the post you wish to be considered for.

The recruitment is regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

Closing date: noon 30 January 2017

The Department for Education is an equal opportunities employer.