Chief Education Officer

Education Authority; Belfast; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reports to: Chief Executive

Strategic Leadership

As a member of the Corporate Leadership Team, Chief Officers are responsible for working flexibly and collaboratively with the Chief Executive and other members to provide strategic leadership to the Education Authority (EA), particularly in regard to progressing EA’s improvement journey and ensuring strategic alignment across the organisation.

In this context, the roles have responsibility for the following:

• Collectively as part of the Corporate Leadership Team, optimising business structures, harnessing strengths and making EA a great place to work.
• Leading a functional review of each Directorate to ensure clarity and focus on the statutory responsibilities and strategic priorities EA is responsible for delivering.
• Working collectively with other Chief Officers to align and agree functions under the new leadership structure.
• Considering the resourcing profile and organisational changes required to deliver the optimum structure for EA.
• Focusing on strategic leadership duties, offering overarching leadership that empowers individuals managing services to focus more on operational excellence.
• Leading detailed reviews of EA’s core functions and current challenges to inform a more balanced structure.
• Working towards EA’s long-term, improvement ambitions, ensuring that the future structure is aligned with its vision, purpose, and strategic goals.
• Ensuring focus on the core purpose of the organisation to ensure clarity of mission and objectives.
• Leading prioritisation of EA activities to determine which are essential and which may need to be discontinued.
• Aligning functions under a new structure, as well as consideration of the resourcing profile and organisation changes required in support of any future change agenda.
• Ensuring that EA lives within its annual Budget allocation from the Department of Education.
• Working in partnership with staff and stakeholders including partners across the education sector, governing bodies, school leaders, trade unions, elected representatives, other related agencies, the media and the public.
• Maximising opportunities for improvements while promoting innovation and ambition.
• Providing strategic leadership for all programmes and projects relating to improvements to service delivery models while ensuring that EA adheres to relevant legislation and standards.
• Ensuring that service delivery is shaped by service user input.
• Advising the Department of Education on policy issues and contribute to policy reviews.

Key Areas of Focus

The Chief Education Officer is responsible for overseeing the education and support services to ensure high-quality and equitable access across Northern Ireland, and the key point of contact to engage with stakeholder groups regarding education services and overseeing strategic focus areas such as inclusion.

Budget: £343 million

Staff: 1,911

This Chief Education Officer role includes the delivery of the following three high-level responsibilities along with providing overall leadership to the directorate, fostering a culture of improvement and engagement.

Strategic Leadership and Planning: Formulate and execute strategic plans for education services, ensuring a joined-up approach across regions and education stages, and targeting key areas such as early intervention, inclusion and transition.

Championing Educational Excellence and Innovation: Drive initiatives for continuous improvement in teaching and learning, promote inclusivity and address the needs of diverse populations. Work to improve education outcomes for all.

Stakeholder Engagement and Public Relations: Engage with key stakeholder groups on education-related matters, and act as a spokesperson for these services.

• Developing and articulating a clear vision for the role of EA in the future of education in Northern Ireland.
• Provide leadership on the development and implementation of strategies which drive improvements to educational outcomes, support for leadership teams and performance reviews in controlled schools.
• Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation EA’s EdIS Programme (Educational Digital, Information and Communications Technology including hardware, curriculum applications and schools’ management software with associated security, access etc. to ensure effective support for management and teaching and learning in schools).
• Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of all aspects of sustainable schools, community planning and school governance.
• Responsible for the delivery of early years, pupil wellbeing and children protection services.
• Responsible for relationship-building with schools and parents.

Other

• Any other duties related to the role which may be required from time-to-time by the Chief Executive and the Board.
• In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), be expected to promote Good Relations, Equality of Opportunity and pay due regard for Equality Legislation at all times.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. The Corporate Leadership Team is currently reviewing its structure. It is likely that other roles and responsibilities will be assigned as a result of the review.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Candidates must demonstrate on their application form that they meet the following essential criteria.

FactorEssential CriteriaMethod of AssessmentQualification

A minimum of a level 6 or equivalent or higher qualification.

Application Form

Pre-Employment Checks

Experience

A minimum of three years’ experience of providing strategic leadership within a large and complex environment, to develop and deliver a vision and plan to deliver the best possible outcomes for its service users.

‘Large and complex environment’ is defined as an organisation with a budget over £100m and with a multi-disciplinary workforce.

Experience of working collectively across a senior leadership team to deliver strategic alignment of purpose, vision and goals, and optimise use of the organisation’s resources to deliver maximum value for the public/customers.

Experience of providing over-arching leadership with evidence of empowering, championing excellence and establishing momentum for continuous improvement that has delivered improved outcomes for the public/customers.

The successful candidate should also be a strong communicator with proven skills to engage across a wide range of stakeholders, demonstrating successful impact.

Demonstrates an understanding of the potential along with the challenges of delivering education and support services to ensure high-quality and equitable access for schools.

Application Form

Presentation

Interview

Other

Have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable you to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner;

OR

Provide sufficient information to satisfy the employer that you have access to an appropriate alternative form of transport that will enable you to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner.

Application Form

Our Values

Through the selection process we will also seek evidence that the personal values of candidates align with those of the EA. This will include evidence of commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery. These reflect our aim which is to meet the needs of all our children and young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.

DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’.

In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background.Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage.

Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.

APPLICANT GUIDANCE NOTES

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here .

For more information, the candidate information pack can be viewed here.

To learn about the many great benefits of joining the Education Authority, click here.

The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.