Head of Service

Job Title: Head of Service - Specialist SEND Services

Location: Cambridge

Rate: £500 per day

Contract Length: Initial 3 months (interim)

About the Role

Cambridge City Council is seeking an experienced Interim Head of Service to provide leadership cover across Specialist SEND Services and Alternative Provision/ EHCP Statutory Assessment Services.

This is a hands on operational leadership role and would suit an established SEND professional with recent local authority experience who is confident managing complex statutory services while supporting service improvement activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide interim cover for the Head of Service for Specialist SEND Services and AP / EHCP Statutory Assessment
• Managing workload pressures and balancing operational delivery with service improvement priorities
• Provide professional supervision of District Managers, overseeing specialist teachers and practitioners supporting SEN Support and PEX prevention
• Provide professional supervision of Deputy SAT EHCP Managers
• Hold direct operational oversight of Formal complaints, Local Government, Ombudsman cases and Legal challenges relating to EHCPs and Section 19 duties
• Draft formal responses and provide legal instructions as required

About You

• Significant senior leadership experience within SEND, AP, and EHCP statutory services
• Strong understanding of statutory responsibilities and local authority processes
• Confident managing complex operational pressures alongside improvement work
• Able to work at pace and provide stability during a critical period

If you are an experienced SEND leader available for an interim assignment and would like to contribute to maintaining high quality statutory services during this period, we would be keen to hear from you.