Learning Infrastructure Manager in Leeds

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Salary: PO6 £51,356 - £54,495

Hours: 37 per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds City Centre (with flexible and hybrid working arrangements)

As a Learning Infrastructure Manager, you’ll thrive on leading change, shaping strategy, and making a real difference for children and young people across Leeds. You’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring every child has access to high-quality learning places and safe, effective transport, while supporting the council’s ambition to be the best city for children to grow up in.

About you:

• Substantial experience of leading teams and managing complex programmes in the education sector.
• Strong understanding of statutory duties relating to education transport, school place planning, and children’s services.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, deliver savings, and drive continuous improvement.
• Analytical skills to interpret data, develop business cases, and present complex information clearly.

About the role:

You’ll provide strategic and operational leadership across the Learning Infrastructure service, including education transport, sufficiency of learning places, asset management, and traded services. You’ll deputise for the Head of Learning Infrastructure, lead a talented team, and work closely with partners to deliver statutory duties and service improvements.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a significant programme of statutory duties in relation to the learning estate, Children and Families assets, and education transport, ensuring successful delivery.
• Work with a range of colleagues from across the directorate, Council and partners to ensure the right support for teams, managers and senior leaders.
• Line management and development of staff, including supporting them to be their best and reflect the organisation’s values.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across the service with high-support, high-challenge.
• Manage competing priorities, ensuring consistency of approach, with a key focus on delivery and quality.
• Provide written and verbal reports on activity to the directorate’s senior leadership team and other stakeholders, as required.
• Oversee budgets aligned to the service supporting delivery, including planning and monitoring spend.
• Engage with partners and other stakeholders to gain agreement to, and ensure ongoing commitment to, delivering the service plan.
• Advise senior leaders, executive and elected members as required on matters of policy and strategy.
• Chair and manage meetings as required, including agenda planning and preparation.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse of equality and diversity.

Qualifications:

Appropriate professional qualification or equivalent substantial knowledge gained through significant managerial experience across the service area.

Essential Requirements:

• Strong leadership skills in the context of managing staff and service delivery.
• Ability to review current processes and delivery models, identify areas for improvement.
• Ability to manage budgets and identify targeted savings and resource management.
• Excellent report writing skills, with the ability to present complex information succinctly.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across team and organisational boundaries.

Experience Required:

• Substantial experience of working with partners in the education sector.
• Experience of working across complex programmes supporting successful delivery of statutory duties.
• Experience of line management and supporting teams through both cultural and operational change.
• Experience in identifying roles and resources needed to deliver statutory duties and project plans.
• Experience of managing budgets and finances and generating traded incomes.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required:

• Able to understand and abide by Council’s Equalities and Diversity Policy.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.