Senior SEND Development Officer
Location: Aylesbury
Overview
This is an exciting opportunity to join our Education Improvement and Transformation Service as a SEND Senior Development Officer, helping to shape and improve outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Working across education, health and social care partners, you will lead strategic improvement activity, manage key projects and programmes, and support the delivery of our SEND priorities.
You will play a central role in ensuring services are effective, inclusive
and responsive to the needs of children, young people and their families, while maintaining a strong focus on partnership working, co-production and continuous improvement
This is a fixed term position with an end date of 31st March 2028.
About us
Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.
Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.
We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.
About the role
As a SEND Senior Development Officer, you will lead and coordinate strategic projects that support the delivery of the SEND Strategic Delivery Plan. You will work across a range of priority areas, including Early Support, High Support Needs, Education Provision and Preparation for Adulthood.
You will build strong relationships with senior leaders, service managers and partner
organisations, providing both support and challenge to drive improvement. The role also includes maintaining key project and performance documentation, identifying and
managing risks, producing reports for senior boards and leading elements of SEND
inspection readiness activity, including the local area's Self-Evaluation Framework and
evidence base.
Alongside this, you will support the development of colleagues, contribute to quality
assurance activities and deliver training that helps improve practice across the SEND
partnership.
Any-Desk:
As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements
About you
We are looking for someone who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and who can bring a combination of strategic thinking, partnership working and project delivery expertise.
- Significant experience working within SEND, education, children's services or a
related field. - A strong understanding of SEND legislation, the SEND Code of Practice and the SEND Ofsted/CQC Inspection Framework
- Experience of leading and managing complex projects and service improvement programmes.
- A proven ability to build positive and productive relationships across a range of partner organisations and stakeholder groups.
- Experience of working collaboratively in multi-agency environments to achieve shared goals and drive improvement.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks, challenges and opportunities and develop effective solutions.
- Excellent communication, presentation and report-writing skills, with the confidence to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Experience of quality assurance, training delivery and supporting the development of colleagues and partners.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office applications and specialist systems.
Most importantly, you will be proactive, collaborative and solution-focused, with a genuine commitment to delivering positive change for children, young people and their families
We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.
Other information
If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Dionne Martin at [email protected]
Closing date: Midnight on Monday 20th July 2026.
Interview date: TBC
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.
Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.
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’).
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.
About the Business Unit
Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people - so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.
Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.
We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.
We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.
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/
