Bristol Council - SEND Consultant

As part of the Safety Valve Programme, Bristol City Council is seeking a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Funding and Specialist Places Client Lead.

The successful candidate will internally review and improve the Local Authority's approach to funding specialist provision and also work directly with schools and multi-academy trusts (MATs) in Bristol to deliver new Specialist places in mainstream settings to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

The successful candidate will work with internal staff and external stakeholders to identify issues with the current SEND financial system, develop and implement new processes, and deliver transformation to improve the model.

This role is crucial in managing and overseeing operations to identify opportunities for new places, negotiate funding agreements, specifications, and delivery timescales with schools/MATS.

You will work alongside the Head of Capital Projects/Capital Programme Manager to ensure new specialist places are delivered on time and to quality levels agreed with the schools/MATs.

Reporting to the Director: Education and Skills you will lead the required changes to SEND funding processes, ensuring systems are robust, accurate and efficient, whilst overseeing the negotiation and funding arrangements for new SEND places

• Analysis and development of the approach to funding specialist provision to ensure it is streamlined, accurately forecast, and well communicated to schools and the service.
• Identification of financial efficiency opportunities to target funding in areas of need.
• Lead the development of joint commissioning opportunities working with commissioners and the SEND finance team.
• Ensure payment systems are fit for purpose - to include use of Controc and timely payment of invoices.
• Ensure financial information is relevant and balanced and is received by decision makers at the appropriate level and in the appropriate form.
• Proactively identify areas of weak financial management, risks and pressures and to work with the relevant service to improve them.
• Lead, manage and motivate staff through excellent communication, professional guidance, support and development in accordance with the council's policies and procedures.
• Ensure student placements in new provision are high quality, effective and efficient.
• Client Relationship Management - Build and maintain strong relationships with a range of clients, including schools/MATs, local councillors, health, parents/carers, and Bristol City Council colleagues.
• Project Management - lead education client-side projects, ensuring timely delivery of non-capital aspects of school place delivery, and ensure adherence to quality standards. Coordinate with an internal multi-disciplinary team to align the requirements of schools/MATs with the delivery of capital build projects.
• Technical guidance - provide clients with support and guidance on the technical requirements to deliver inclusive and high-quality education places in mainstream provision.
• Feedback - gather client, including parent/carer feedback to ensure satisfaction - work closely with our capital projects delivery team to ensure client feedback is built into our future developments.
• Data analysis - Oversee the development and delivery of a robust SEND sufficiency plan to ensure identified spaces meet current and future demand.
• Compliance - ensure the delivery of new places meet the relevant regulations and standards for inclusion education.

• Review of end-to-end SEND financial processes
• Delivery of changes to and formalisation of new funding models
• Review of financial governance arrangements and implementation of improvements
• Implementation of standard operating procedures and job roles to ensure data accuracy and financial compliance
• Other appropriate deliverables to be determined following outcome of reviews
• Development of SEND sufficiency plan
• High quality SEND placements in line with agreed plan

• Proven work experience in leading changes to SEND financial systems.
• Good knowledge of SEND and related statutory responsibilities of Local Authorities including a strong understanding of SEND school place allocation and sufficiency planning for SEND placements.
• Possess a strong understanding of capital delivery in educational settings and a successful track record of managing a significant capital programme with a complex stakeholder landscape
• Experience of working with schools to negotiate and deliver school places. Experience of school sufficiency planning is also essential.
• Senior leadership experience within a local authority setting and/or experience of leading multi-disciplinary teams to deliver client needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of the financial pressures faced by education settings and local authorities.
• Excellent analytical skills including creating detailed reports. Ability to think strategically, problem solve and provide innovative solutions at pace.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills, with proven ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences both horizontally and vertically, financial and non-financial, throughout the organisation. Ability to quickly build rapport and trust with clients and colleagues.
• Project/programme management qualification is desirable.

If you are interested in this role please send your updated CV in the first instance.