Head of Achievement

Overview

Are you passionate about creating the conditions for every child and young person to succeed? Buckinghamshire Council is seeking an experienced and inspiring Head of Achievement to shape and lead high‑performing education services across the county. This is a senior strategic role with real influence, offering the opportunity to drive improvement, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that children and young people can achieve their full potential.

Salary £83,220 per annum.

About the role

As our Head of Achievement, you will provide clear, ambitious leadership across key areas such as school improvement and Early Years. You will take responsibility for developing effective, future‑focused services, translating national policy into practical local solutions, and helping to shape the Council’s Education Strategy.

You will work closely with schools, early years providers, regulators, partner agencies, and community organisations—building strong and influential partnerships that support improved outcomes for all learners, particularly those who are vulnerable or at risk of underachievement. Your role will involve leading a large and diverse team, promoting a collaborative and high‑performance culture, and ensuring that services meet statutory requirements and deliver value for money.

You will also play a key part in the wider leadership of Children’s Services, contributing to strategic planning and championing a unified ‘One Children’s Services’ approach. At times, you will deputise for the Service Director for Education, offering decisive and informed leadership on key issues.

About you

You will bring significant experience of managing education services or related functions within a large public‑sector organisation, along with a deep understanding of education policy, legislation, and the wider landscape. Your background will include leading major programmes of change, developing strategy, and managing complex budgets.

As a leader, you are confident, collaborative, and influential—able to build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, communicate with clarity, and inspire trust at all levels. You thrive in environments where partnership, innovation, and solution‑focused thinking are essential. Most importantly, you are driven by a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

You will hold a degree‑level qualification (or equivalent), alongside relevant professional qualifications in education. A postgraduate qualification is desirable.

Please see the job description attached for more information.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Cate Duffy at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 12th March

Interview date: Thursday 19th March

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/