Assistant Director – Education Improvement and Partnerships

Help shape great education for every Derbyshire child.

We’re seeking an accomplished senior education leader to provide strategic leadership across our Education services—covering the Education Improvement Service (including Early Years), the Virtual School, and Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service (DACES). You’ll lead our response to national reforms, strengthen partnerships with maintained schools and multi‑academy trusts, and deliver a school improvement offer that raises standards for all children and young people.

What you’ll do

• Set strategy and drive performance across Education services, with robust QA and evaluation.
• Lead senior advisers (incl. Early Years), the Head of DACES and the Virtual School Headteacher.
• Oversee performance data, benchmarking and inspection readiness (e.g., Ofsted).
• Build strong partnerships across schools, health and wider agencies; advise senior officers and Elected Members.
• Shape traded and maintained‑school improvement offers and secure best value through contracts.

About you

• Substantial senior leadership experience in schools and a local authority/complex, politically‑led setting, including intervention in schools causing concern.
• Proven budget management, strategic analysis and partnership building across maintained/MAT landscapes.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills, with the ability to lead through change.

Enjoy being a part of our team with benefits such as:

• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexi time, allowing up to an additional 2 days of leave per month
• Derbyshire Rewards - Discounts from high street retailers and more
• Generous annual leave and flexi time scheme
• Travel expenses
• Discounts on leisure centre memberships
• Free car parking at most sites
• In-house counselling service
• Occupational Health service
• Access to sessions with a trained physiotherapist
• Cycle to work scheme
• Various Employee Networks championing inclusivity across the council

Provisional Interview Date: 22 January 2026

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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We are accepting CVs for this position so it’s easier than ever to apply! Just click on “Apply for this job”, register and upload your CV.

We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.