Education Sufficiency and Place Planning Officer in Knowsley

We are looking for driven and passionate people to work with us to deliver real benefits for our residents and businesses and become part of the Knowsley Journey.

Knowsley Council is an award-winning Local Authority, named Local Authority of the Year in the Municipal Journal Awards 2024. We are an Accredited employer under the Liverpool City Region Fair Employment Charter, demonstrating that we are committed to the principle of fair employment and we are dedicated to providing a healthy, fair, inclusive and just workplace. Come join us and be part of our success.

Are you passionate about Children and Young People? Do you have the skills and experience to deliver Education and Early Years sufficiency across the Borough? Do you enjoy using data and intelligence to plan and shape education provision for children and young people? If so, you may be the perfect candidate for this role.

You will play a key role in helping children and young people in Knowsley thrive by supporting the planning and delivery of Education and Early Years sufficiency across the Borough. You will review, analyse and monitor information on school and Early Years provision to ensure children and young people can access suitable education provision.

You will work collaboratively with education providers, including academies, faith schools and voluntary schools, to gather, maintain and analyse accurate information on school capacity, capital investment, building condition, suitability and sufficiency. You will ensure you work proactively in terms of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms to ensure SEND sufficiency in Knowsley.

To lead partnership governance arrangements through School Sufficiency Governance Board. You will work with schools to determine and keep net capacity assessments up to date and work closely with the Knowsley Admissions Service to plan for school sufficiency.

Corporate Parenting Responsibility: All Council employees share a responsibility to support and champion children in care and care-experienced young people. This includes demonstrating care, commitment and ambition, helping to create a supportive environment, remaining alert to concerns, and promoting and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues.

Experience leading workstreams that include needing to work with external partners. Experience of producing and monitoring high level data to inform planning and problem solving. Experience in gathering and analysing written and numerical information - presenting it clearly to a range of audiences. Effective influencing skills and experience of negotiations with a variety of stakeholders. Good knowledge of national education policy and the role of local authorities. Excellent IT skills, preferably including experience of using Microsoft Office software such as Outlook, Word, Excel and TEAMs.

At Knowsley Council we will consider requests for flexible working. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, working from home, compressed hours, part-time. There is a requirement for you to attend your work base at least 2 days per week.

We welcome applications from residents and beyond, regardless of background, belief, or identity, recognising the value that diversity brings to our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and candidates with disabilities as we acknowledge their underrepresentation in our workforce.

Please note sponsorship is not available for this role. We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applicants.

At Knowsley we value our applicants and want them to feel well-informed and welcomed. If you have any questions about this specific job role or what it is like to work at Knowsley, please contact: Ben Blake.

If you are interested in this vacancy, please upload your CV along with a supporting statement as one document in PDF or Word format. Your CV and supporting statement should be tailored to reflect the competencies within the person specification. Please note if a CV and supporting statement does not reflect the person specification it is unlikely to be shortlisted.

How to apply: To upload your CV you will need to click on the link below and create an account with Jobs Go Public if you have not already done so. You will also be required to input your name and email address and will be invited to complete an equal opportunities questionnaire.