SEND Funding & Specialist Places Client Lead

We are working with a local authority who are seeking a SEND Funding and Specialist Places Client Lead.

The successful candidate will internally review and improve the Local Authority’s approach to funding specialist provision to deliver new Specialist places in mainstream settings to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.

Location: Southwest based Authority 

Set-up: 2 days on-site/week

Rate: £550/day, Inside IR35

Duration: Initial 12-month contract

Hours: Full time

Responsibilities include:

• Working 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
• Analysis and development of the approach to funding specialist provision to ensure it is streamlined and accurately forecast
• Lead the development of joint commissioning opportunities working with commissioners and the SEND finance team
• Proactively identify areas of weak financial management, risks and pressures and to work with the relevant service to improve them
• Client Relationship Management - Build and maintain strong relationships with a range of clients
• Project Management – lead education client-side projects, ensuring timely delivery of non-capital aspects of school place delivery, and ensure adherence to quality standards
• Providing technical guidance to clients, ensuring feedback is built into future developments, overseeing data analysis and ensuring delivery of compliance is met

Key deliverables:

• 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, ensuring data accuracy and financial compliance
• Development of SEND sufficiency plan

Qualifications and Education:

• Local Government experience required for initial shortlisting, thereafter at the clients discretion
• 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
• 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
• Project/programme management qualification is desirable

At Venn Group, we endeavour to respond to all applications. However due to the volume of applications we receive, if you have not heard from us within 48 hours, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.