- Suffolk County Council
- Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX
- Salary: £91,136 - £109,215 per annum
- Hours: 37 hours per week flexible working options available
- Contract: Permanent
We are looking for an experienced and values-driven leader to join our senior leadership team as Assistant Director for Inclusion and SEND.
This is a key leadership role focused on improving the lives and outcomes of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). You'll lead our approach to inclusion across Suffolk, ensuring children, young people and their families can access the right support at the right time and have every opportunity to thrive.
Your role and responsibilities
A key element of this role is to provide system leadership across education, health and care, developing the partnerships and services that enable the Council to deliver its statutory responsibilities for SEND while creating a more inclusive system for children and young people across Suffolk.
You'll lead the delivery of the Suffolk SEND Strategy and Transformation Programme, oversee statutory SEND services, specialist education provision and educational psychology, and work collaboratively with partners to improve outcomes across the local area.
Your immediate priorities will include:
- Providing visible leadership across the SEND and Inclusion system, stabilising statutory performance and embedding sustainable change.
- Lead the next phase of delivery of the Local Area Inclusion Plan.
- Drive the Local Authority’s preparation for and implementation of national SEND reforms.
- Strengthen operational performance across statutory SEND services.
- Driving the development of a more inclusive education system through strengthened mainstream inclusion, specialist and alternative provision.
We support hybrid and flexible working, however, in this role you’ll be expected to provide visible, accessible leadership across the organisation and with our partners. This means you'll regularly work from our offices and across Suffolk.
About you
You'll be an inspiring and resilient leader with the experience and credibility to lead change across a complex system.
We're looking for someone who brings:
- A strong commitment to improving the lives of children and young people with SEND.
- Significant senior leadership experience within education, SEND, children's services or a related field.
- A successful track record of leading complex transformation and delivering sustainable improvement.
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries to build strong partnerships and influence system-wide change.
- Strong understanding of SEND legislation, statutory responsibilities and the education landscape.
- Experience of leading large, multidisciplinary teams and managing complex budgets.
- Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the ability to lead through change and inspire confidence.
You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.
Empowering Everyone
We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.
For more information
Please contact Sarah-Jane Smedmor for a conversation about the role. You can reach her by emailing Sarah-Jane.Smedmor@suffolk.gov.uk.
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word) and Role Addendum (Word).
Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.
Step 3 - Upload an up-to-date CV and supporting statement:
Please upload an up-to-date copy of your CV together with a supporting statement explaining your motivation for applying for the role and demonstrating how your experience, achievements and leadership approach equip you to deliver the role's key priorities and responsibilities. Please use specific examples to demonstrate the outcomes and impact of your work.
- You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word).
- Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4.
For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.
Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.
Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at recruitment@suffolk.gov.ukor 03456 014412. You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.
Closing date: 11.30pm 29June 2026.
This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.
