The Role

Does the sound of driving the development of an effective and efficient Governance service appeal to you?

Do you want to help ensure that Wandsworth is the best place to grow up for our children and young people?

Can you lead a team to deliver excellent clerking and advice to school governing bodies?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you

We have an exciting opportunity for a Governor Services Manager to lead and support the Local Authority’s role in developing school governing bodies to promote high standards in all schools and to represent the communities they serve. Come and join us and make a difference!

Our vision

Children and young people are at the heart of everything the Council does, and our vision is to ensure that Wandsworth is the best place to grow up. We have a strong record of educational success, and we highly value our teachers and school staff.

About the Role

As Head of School Governor Services, you will be responsible for driving the development of an effective and efficient Governance service that supports Chairs of Governors and Governing Bodies to ensure they meet their statutory duties. You will also provide effective challenge to Heads/Principals of Schools and educational providers in line with the ‘Competency framework for governance’ and OfSTED criteria.

Key to this role is the ability to develop positive, co-productive relationships with Governing Bodies and expand the support provided to increase the capacity and effectiveness of peer-to-peer support networks. You will ensure that clerking to the Governors is of high quality and offers good value for money and continues to develop as a fully traded service. You will also line manage a team of clerks and will support their performance management and development.

About you

We are looking for someone who has significant understanding and experience of School Governance, including:

• Educated to degree or equivalent graduate qualification (essential)
• A good understanding of the role that clerking plays in effective school governance and a drive to develop this.
• Experience of working successfully with senior staff and governors in schools.
• An understanding of School governance and the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework.
• Experience of managing a budget.
• Experience of successfully leading a team who deliver clerking and advice to school governing bodies.

This role could be an interesting opportunity for a School Business Manager or those with school senior leadership experience. In addition, we are looking for exceptional interpersonal, organisational and planning skills and problem-solving, solutions focused mind-set. You will be an outgoing individual who excels at building relationships and who is looking to work within a team setting in a large organisation.

At Wandsworth, we particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented both within our teams and on governing bodies, including black and ethnic minority communities. We understand the value that a diverse workforce brings to our local authority and therefore we strongly encourage candidates from these backgrounds to apply to this position.

Contact details

For more information or for an informal conversation, please contact Andrew Hough at Andrew.Hough@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Benefits

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including working from home and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Advert close date: 11:59pm on Sunday 11th September 2022
• Shortlisting date: week commencing 12th September 2022
• Interview date/s: week commencing 22th September 2022

Useful Information: The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible. Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

How to apply

To be considered for interview your CV and supporting statement must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in attached Job Profile located at the bottom of the advert.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils