Description Organisation : London Borough of Waltham Forest Salary: PO10 - PO12 £66,651 - £83,019 (subject to outcome of evaluation) Contract Type: Full Time Permanent Application Deadline: 13/02/2025 Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC About Us: Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment. The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitmentwalthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method. Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice. About the role: We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Service Manager for Commissioning (SEND) to lead, plan, develop, and deliver expert professional services within our SEND commissioning team. This role is pivotal in ensuring that our services meet the highest standards of quality, efficiency, and value for money. >> Click here to download the Role Profile Key Responsibilities: Lead the commissioning of placements for children and young people with SEND, ensuring high standards and value for money. Ensure there is a sufficiency of SEND places in the borough. Manage the short breaks service, providing high-quality, accessible, and inclusive opportunities for children and young people with SEND and their families. Support families in accessing travel assistance and personal budgets, ensuring efficient and effective service delivery. Foster excellent partnerships and co-production across the system and with residents. Maintain a comprehensive Contracts Register and ensure robust contract management and quality assurance. Qualifications and Requirements: Educated to degree standard or equivalent Relevant professional qualification In-depth understanding of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and best practices in SEND services. Proven experience in managing contracts, performance monitoring, and quality assurance. Strong background in planning and overseeing service delivery within complex and diverse service areas. Excellent communication and IT skills, including proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and various management systems. Ability to think creatively and take a systemic, trauma-informed, and EDI approach to practice, processes, and policies. Commitment to continuous improvement and driving service enhancements. Terms and conditions: Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks; Satisfactory declaration of interest; This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults; Satisfactory DBS check; Continued professional body registration; This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990. As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English. How to Apply: Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. Equal Opportunity Employer: Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview. For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us. Contact Information: If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Kashif Nawaz at Kashif.Nawazwalthamforest.gov.uk If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitmentwalthamforest.gov.uk .