SEND Strategy and Innovation Admin Support in Chelmsford

This role sits within the SEND Strategy and Innovation team, where you will be part of a small, collaborative team providing proactive, high-quality administrative support to managers and contributing to effective service delivery. You will play a key role in managing records, coordinating diaries (including for the Head of SEND Strategy and Innovation), organising meetings and events, and ensuring timely preparation of documentation such as reports and minutes.

The role involves working closely with colleagues, schools, stakeholders and families to support compliance, communication and operational processes, while maintaining strong working relationships and a high standard of customer service. It also includes supporting financial administration, such as income management and invoicing, and contributing to wider service priorities and performance objectives. This is a part-time position, offering up to four days per week (maximum 30 hours).

The SEND Strategy and Innovation Team has the responsibility of the Local Offer, SEND transformation and development, SEN Tribunal, SEN Capital Programme and developing different SEND strategies across Essex. You will work as part of a small team, providing proactive and efficient support to managers within the SEND Strategy and Innovation team. The role involves delivering high-quality administrative support that contributes to positive improvements in service delivery, including managing the diary of the Head of SEND Strategy and Innovation. This position requires an experienced administrator with strong organisational skills. You will demonstrate excellent communication abilities and be able to build effective working relationships, ensuring a high standard of customer service.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for delivering high quality administration support services, including all administrative tasks, creating and maintaining records and databases across the SEND Strategy and Innovation team.
• Work collaboratively with team managers to support the administration activities across the service.
• Responsible for reviewing and maintaining directory listings by liaising with providers to ensure content on the Essex Local Offer website remains accurate, up to date, and relevant to users.
• Support scheduling social media posts and monitoring and replying to comments.
• Responsible for the effective management of key appointments and prioritising items for attention, according to sensitivity, confidentiality and contention.
• Responsible for organising and facilitating conferences, events and meetings, liaising with schools and other stakeholders to ensure the effective organisation of termly meetings across the quadrants.
• Responsible for ensuring all minutes, correspondence, reports and presentations are prepared and delivered in a timely manner, accompanied by relevant supporting documentation.
• Works collaboratively with the School Communication and Educational Psychology teams, to ensure critical incidents in a timely manner.
• Provides support to the SEND Strategy and Innovation managers, to ensure effective income management and invoices are raised when required.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent by experience.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge and familiarity of working with Microsoft Office Applications.
• Evidence of the ability to develop and sustain effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and work collaboratively within a team to deliver agreed outcomes.
• Willingness to work with a range of stakeholders.
• Evidence of being able to prioritise effectively, work at pace and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Evidence of being able to present information in a structured manner.
• Ability to build good working relationships across a large, complex organisation with colleagues and customers.