Strategic Lead Officer – Commissioning of Places and Capital Investment Strategy

Job Category : Interims
Location : Badminton Road Council Offices, South Gloucestershire Council
Hours Per Week : 37.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £31.36

PLEASE READ BELOW BEFORE SUBMITTING: MUST HAVE EXP IN CHILDRENS ADULT SERVICES
The Lead Officer will ensure a sufficient supply of local and childcare places to meet current and projected demand and that capital investment improves the level of access to high quality learning environments and contributes to improving educational outcomes. This will include ensuring that limited capital resources have used efficiently and effectively for greatest positive impact.
They will liaise with the Department for Education to negotiate the commissioning of new school provision, provide expert advice and guidance to the Head of Service, Chief Officers, and Members, and build effective operational and strategic relationships with teams and stakeholders both within and outside of the Council.
This is a Leadership role within the Education, Learning & Skills Division of the Department for Children, Adults & Health, supporting the Head of Education, Learning & Skills in respect of the statutory duties for education and childcare arrangements for children and young people in South Gloucestershire.
DUTIES:

• Undertake an annual review of the Commissioning of School Places Strategy and ensure timely member approval and publication of a strategy which reflects the latest position on the supply of places and how this needs to change in the medium and longer-term because of demographic changes and the requirements of the latest Council Core Strategy.
• Coordinate the work of multiple teams internal and external to the Council to plan and commission new schools. This involves strategic planning of new schools including the lead responsibility for managing the free schools presumption process.
• Take the lead role on school organisational changes including (i) liaison with Multi Academy Trusts operating in the local area that contribute to provision of education for South Gloucestershire residents; and (ii) in the coordination and delivery of the statutory processes necessary for organisational changes within the local authority-maintained sector.
• Work with the local development and planning teams and legal teams within the school to maximise the potential for financial contributions toward new education and childcare provision.
• Undertake an annual review of the Childcare Sufficiency statement including timely member approval and publication of the statement each year to highlight the latest position on the availability of childcare places in the local area.
• Work with Property Services, Valuation, Legal and Finance colleagues across the Council to enable timely conversion of local authority-maintained schools to academy status, including taking the lead role on behalf of the Director of Children’s, Adults and Health for the process.
• Lead on the development of an effective capital investment strategy in support of the Councils statutory duties for education including sufficiency and accessibility of schools places. Additionally for monitoring expenditure on all council investment priority projects in schools to ensure risks to cost and time are highlighted and appropriate mitigation identified.
• Bring forward recommendations, in response to opportunities for capital investment in schools, projects which will address poor quality condition; suitability and sufficiency.
• Effectively manage a small team of officers responsible for: annual statutory returns to the Department for Education in relation to school capacity and pupil place planning; monitoring and reporting on the education/childcare capital investment programme; delivery of the duties identified within the CAH “Client function” for school capital project delivery; liaison with council teams in relation to new and agreed financial contributions to capital projects and access to school places; liaison with all stakeholders to ensure effective and timely communication on all aspects of service delivery.
• Be the responsible manager for budget management of all revenue budgets associated with the service.
  Day – day line management of 5 FTE