Senior Leader, Inclusion & Education Innovation

Reimagine the possibilities. At Suffolk County Council, we’re entering one of the most exciting periods in our journey to improve outcomes for children and young people. Over the last 18 months, our Children and Young People’s Services have made significant strides – stabilising services, strengthening performance and rebuilding confidence across the system. Now we’re ready to take the next step.

With strong corporate backing, growing momentum, and renewed energy across our partnerships, this is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of education and skills in Suffolk, and make a lasting difference for children, young people, and families.

As our Assistant Director for Inclusion and Education, you’ll provide strategic leadership across education, skills development, and learning provision. You’ll lead service redesign, improvement programmes, and the integration of diverse educational functions, ensuring that Suffolk delivers high-quality, inclusive, and impactful learning experiences for all. You’ll also be responsible for driving innovation, embedding best practice, and translating strategic ambitions into tangible outcomes that benefit children and young people across the county.

We’re looking for a visionary and collaborative leader who can inspire confidence across schools, multi-academy trusts, colleges, training providers, and other partners. With strong financial and strategic acumen, you’ll have a proven track record of improving education and skills services, leading complex programmes, and managing change within large organisations.

This is a role with real influence. With national education reforms ahead and a strong Children and Young People’s leadership team in place, you’ll have the opportunity to help shape services for the future while consolidating the excellent progress already achieved.

You’ll work alongside talented and committed colleagues in a supportive leadership environment that values partnership, creativity, and high performance. Most importantly, you’ll have the chance to make a measurable, lasting impact on the lives of children, young people, and their families across Suffolk.

Join us and lead the next phase of Suffolk’s education and skills journey—help ensure every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.

To find out more please contact our retained recruitment consultants at Tile Hill: Anita Denton on 07725 554802 or Chris Barrow on 07437 839048 or visit this link.

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 31st May 2026.

To apply, please submit an up-to-date copy of your CV (four sides of A4 maximum), along with a supporting statement (four sides of A4 maximum) detailing your experience and achievements and addressing the key criteria for the role set out on this site and using examples to demonstrate how you meet the requirements. Documents should be uploaded via our website, please include and upload the below information in two documents only.

If you experience any issues whilst applying, please contact matthew.ashby@tile-hill.co.uk.

Applications should include:

• Full contact details;
• Names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees (we will ask your permission before contacting referees);
• Details of your notice period;
• Notification of any dates when you are not available for an interview.

At Tile Hill, we are committed to inclusion and accessibility. We champion and support all individuals to ensure everyone feels valued, listened to and motivated to get the very best out of each recruitment process and that processes are designed to meet the needs of individuals. If you have any specific requests and would like a confidential discussion with the Tile Hill team, then please email inclusion@tile-hill.co.uk.