Job Introduction
Sufficiency and Capital Strategy Manager (Education)
The priorities of the School Sufficiency and Capital Strategy Team include:
- ensuring a sufficient number of school places to meet statutory requirements.
- pursuing opportunities to bid for capital funding.
- leading the educational capital programme to deliver a range of schemes and projects, and
- managing academy transfers in line with the agreed programme of academy conversions
The post of Sufficiency and Capital Strategy Manager will be based in the Sufficiency and Resources Service and will work closely with colleagues across the Directorate, the Council, and with schools and Academy Trusts.
The Role:
The post holder is the lead and senior adviser for sufficiency (school places) and prioritising capital investment into education provision.
Key tasks and responsibilities include:
Sufficiency
Ensure that services provided are delivered in an effective and efficient manner to enable the local authority to meet its statutory obligations for school place planning.
Monitor and report on the provision of school places to the Service Head (Sufficiency and Resources).
Formulate recommendations for the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education for commissioning additional and/or the reduction of pupil places.
Capital Strategy
To lead and oversee the council's overall education capital programme making recommendations for capital investment in line with the strategic priorities of the Directorate.
To lead, manage and submit Education's annual capital bid to Members working closely with officers from across the Directorate.
To lead, manage and submit applications for Education capital investment into the city.
Work with the Head of Inclusion to ensure that there are sufficient high quality places for pupils with SEND in mainstream schools, in inclusion centres attached to mainstream schools, and in specialist provision. Commission projects in line with the SEND and AP Accommodation Strategy.
School organisation
To lead on any structural changes and ensure all statutory processes are followed where changes are being prescribed e.g. school amalgamations, school federations, changes in designation, changes to the Planned Admission Number, etc.
To continue to keep school catchment areas under review and make changes as and when necessary.
To be the strategic lead for school academy transfers and ensure all transfers are completed in a timely fashion.
The ideal candidate
You will need to have/be
- Extensive knowledge and experience of pupil place planning, school organisation and education capital strategy at a senior level.
- Extensive experience of preparing and writing strategic plans, consultation documents, capital bids, etc.
- Highly developed communication and influencing skills – able to work effectively across a large and complex organisation and in a multi-agency setting; able to hold high level meetings with senior leaders from across the city including Headteachers, CEOs of Multi Academy Trusts, Chairs of Governing Boards and Trusts, DfE and ESFA officials, Office for the Schools Adjudicator, etc.
- The ability to manage a large workload and effectively prioritise and organise own workload and that of others across a competing agendas and stakeholders.
- The ability to work with limited assistance and supervision. Possess a high level of energy and drive. The ability to objectively analyse problems, reach logical conclusions and investigate wider impact outside own work area.
- A clear understanding and application of pupil forecasting data.
- The ability to deliver presentations to service colleagues, headteachers, school staff and internal colleagues
- Extensive knowledge of pupil place planning, school organisation and education capital both at a local and national level.
Please see the Job profile for the full details of this role
Please ensure that you read the job profile for full details on the post. We offer hybrid working with the expectation to attend the office 2 days a week (pro rata for part time) depending on the role and business needs
For an informal discussion about this role , please contact alison.critchley@portsmouthcc.gov.uk after 22nd April 2025
Interview date: Proposed dates are 16th May & 23rd May 2025
Application process
We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.
As part of your application we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard.
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. It is also committed to promoting quality childcare across the city that works to improve outcomes for children.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800
