Education Officer - nasen in Tamworth

Salary: £54,983.41 per annum

Hours: Full time

Location: Hybrid working arrangement, home working & Tamworth (2 days per week)

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: Sunday 21st June. We will be reviewing applications as they come in, please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Too many children and young people do not have access to an education that enables their full potential. With the markers for change set out by government in the recent White Paper and accompanying SEND reform consultation, the nasen membership tells us that change needs to come now. We are working hard to deliver on requests for nasen SEND services – that’s advice and consultancy tailored to a school, a local authority or setting, along with both our online CPDL and in person delivery. We have never been busier.

About us: nasen is the National Association for Special Educational Needs – a charitable organisation that exists to support and champion those working with, and for, children and young people with SEND and learning differences. We seek to ensure that all education practitioners across early years, schools, post-16 and wider settings are equipped to understand, identify and support those with SEND and learning differences, and provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD), resources, advice, information and much more to enable all staff to meet the needs of all their learners. nasen brings organisations together, whether locally or nationally, to share practice, shape solutions. Our priorities are those that matter to the education and SEND sector, drawing on our direct engagement with practitioners, school leaders, SENCOs, local authorities and hearing from the lived experience of children and young people.

About the role: Do you have what it takes to join us and nasen’s team of committed Education Officers? Are you an experienced teacher and leader of SEND and inclusion? Are you committed to improvement for schools, colleges and settings for the benefit of children and young people? nasen is looking to recruit an experienced teacher to work as part of the Education team. If you have senior leadership experience in an educational setting, an in depth understanding and appreciation of the SEND policy landscape, have extensive experience as a practitioner working with children and young people with SEND, as well as proven ability to write and deliver training to education professionals, then we would love to hear from you. You will bring first‑hand experience of inclusive practice, be able to share strategies and solutions, and inspire confidence. We are looking for strategic and visionary leaders who can inspire and deliver our nasen consultancy, training and respected programmes. We are able to offer a flexible start date according to your availability.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: We aim to be an inclusive employer – let us know if you have any access requirements for the recruitment process. We are happy to offer interviews online or in person. The interview process will include a conversation with prepared questions.

Enquires: If you would like a conversation about the role advertised, please contact Michael Surr on recruitment@nasen.org.uk

Application process and interview timetable: To apply for the role, please send your CV along with a short statement to say how you meet the requirements in the job description provided in no more than 1000 words. Applications are open until 21st June. We will be reviewing applications as they come in. We reserve the right to close recruitment earlier than this date if we receive sufficient quality applicants. Please note that applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

Employee Benefits:

• 30 days annual leave per year, pro-rata for part-time
• Christmas Closure – additional to annual leave allowance
• Hybrid working (policy available on request)
• 8% employer contribution pension
• Flexible start and finish time, Friday early closure
• Employee Assistance Scheme
• Life Insurance Policy x3 of your salary
• Cycle to Work Scheme available

Job Description and Person Specification:

Role Objectives:

• To work as part of the Education Team to contribute to all of nasen’s educational objectives.
• To develop and deliver services to support and improve the SEND workforce.

Responsibilities:

• Develop educational resources for nasen members and for external clients as required, including the Department for Education, schools, Local Authorities and other organisations.
• Write blogs for ‘nasen Plus’ members and support the editorial process, including for articles submitted for publication in nasen Connect.
• Where appropriate, represent nasen in response to external requests from the media, individuals and other institutions.
• Provide thought leadership for nasen based on a high level of understanding of current SEND policy across the UK.
• Develop and provide guidance, resources, training and advice to improve the SEND workforce.
• Produce educational copy for nasen’s sales and marketing team as required.
• Support nasen-led and nasen-commissioned research.
• To provide professional guidance via the SENCO Support Service.

Provision of Professional Development:

• Write training and professional development content, including practical resources and content for digital distribution via nasen Academy and other platforms.
• Write and deliver webinars/webcasts for education professionals.
• Deliver professional development and training through presentations, seminars and workshops at conferences, events and consultancy opportunities (nationally and internationally).

Quality Assurance:

• Provide quality assurance and review the work of nasen’s education associates, colleagues and other professionals as required.
• Keep up to date with the latest research, policy and practice in the fields of inclusion, neurodiversity, SEND and education more broadly.

Education Business Development:

• Understand and keep up to date with developments in the educational charities and broader education sectors.
• Research and deliver intelligence that will inform new potential education projects, resources and training.

Other:

• To undertake relevant training and development, as required.
• To undertake other duties and responsibilities as required, appropriate to the grade of the post, as agreed with the Education Director.

Person Specification:

Education and Qualifications:

• Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline.
• Qualified Teacher Status or an alternative relevant teaching qualification.
• Masters level qualification or equivalent CPD.
• PhD in a relevant discipline (bonus but not essential).

Knowledge and Experience:

• Senior leadership experience, relating to SEND and inclusion, in a relevant educational setting.
• Writing and delivery of training, professional development and presentations for education professionals.
• Project working, strategy development and implementation.
• Preparing and creating clear, well‑reasoned, concise reports and correspondence.
• Writing and producing educational material and resources for a range of audiences.
• Partnership, collaborative working and relationship management.

Specific skills and behaviours:

• In‑depth understanding and appreciation of the SEND and inclusion policy landscape and markets.
• A willingness and ability to innovate, influence and foresee future developments and to respond proactively and creatively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (for a broad range of audiences) and strong organisation skills.
• Ability to establish personal and professional credibility with senior school‑based managers, practitioners, key stakeholders, academic and teaching staff in a range of settings.
• Knowledge of the voluntary and community sector supporting children, young people and their families.
• Creative and logical thinking.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability and willingness to work both individually and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage demanding situations, prioritising and planning workloads effectively, managing several projects simultaneously.
• Excellent IT skills, with good knowledge of Microsoft packages, databases and the internet.
• Ability to work unsupervised using own initiative in a logical, systematic and organised manner.

This role requires some travel within the UK during the week and occasionally at weekends. There is also the potential for some international travel. The post‑holder will need to adopt a flexible approach to support nasen’s work.