A great life begins…with a great organisation

Are you an ambitious and inspirational leader who can help us to continue to transform the way we deliver our services?

Lancashire is a place we’re extremely proud of, and our vision for children and young people in Lancashire, that we share with our partners, is that children, young people and their families are safe, healthy and achieve their full potential.

We're looking to appoint a new Executive Director for Education and Children’s Services, a fantastic opportunity for both aspirational Directors of Children’s Services as well as experienced Executive Directors who want a new challenge.

Our new Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services will take up an important seat around the strategic leadership team table and be instrumental in helping us to continue to transform the way we deliver our services.

About us

We are the fourth largest county council in England spanning twelve districts that cover a huge geographic area with a wide range of urban and rural communities.

Under our vision of “helping you to make Lancashire the best place to live, work, visit and prosper” we have 4 key priorities:

1. Delivering better services
2. Protecting our environment
3. Supporting economic growth
4. Caring for the vulnerable

About the role

Reporting to the Chief Executive and Director of Resources, and working closely with the Corporate Management Team, the Leader and elected Members, you will lead and direct the Education and Children’s Services functions to develop a vision and strategy that delivers effective and safe children’s services and achieves strong ambitious outcomes for children and young people.

We have plenty for you to build on, including our positive progress in children’s services over the past few years, increased investment in Targeted Youth Support, early work to consider the potential for the ‘No Wrong Door’ and ‘Achieving Change Together’ approaches, and recent success in securing Department for Education funding and support to better use digital services to improve our partnership working, linked to our ambition to develop the Family Hubs model in Lancashire.

Who we are looking for

Ambition - You will be passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of the children, young people and families across Lancashire and be ambitious about driving service excellence.

Inspirational Leadership – You will have both a professional and politically sensitive leadership approach. A key driver for success in this role will be your passion for people, both those you work with and the individuals we support.

Collaborative – You will work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people to give them the best possible start in life.

If you’re looking for somewhere you can make a tangible difference to the lives of others whilst developing your own career, in a flexible, dynamic, innovative environment then we want to hear from you.

Why join us

• The salary package is up to £161k (pay award pending), but flexible for an exceptional candidate, plus generous relocation package.
• A minimum of 25 days’ annual leave, plus 10 statutory and extra statutory days. This will increase to 31 days after 5 years’ continuous local government service.
• If you are not already a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme, you will be brought into the scheme when you take up your position.
• Personal and professional growth and development opportunities
• We embrace diversity and that includes around personal and family commitments, so appreciate that you may want to work from home when possible.
• We are committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce, so we especially welcome applications from those who would support that challenge by joining us.

Timeline

Closing date for applications - Tuesday 4 January 2022

Shortlisting (candidates are not required to attend) – Mid/late January 2022

Technical assessments, 1:1 with the Chief Executive and Director of Resources, partner panel and young people’s panel – via Microsoft Teams - During February/early March 2022

Final assessment and interviews - Thursday 10 and Friday 11 March 2022

More information

To find out more and download the candidate pack visit our dedicated microsite www.lancashire.gov.uk/lifebegins   

We are working in partnership with Penna who are supporting us in managing the recruitment process. For an informal discussion, please contact Helen Alwell on 07809 905467 or Julie Towers on 07764 791736.