SENDIASS Deputy Manager

Job Title: SENDIASS Deputy Manager
Starting Salary: £48,226 progressing to £53,460 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week
Base Location: Stevenage*
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

• Minimum 2 days per week office presence.
• Ability to travel across and outside county.

Join us at Hertfordshire SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Information, Advice and Support Service), where you’ll be part of a dedicated, passionate team committed to ensuring families receive clear, unbiased information, advice and support and empowering them to navigate the landscape of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with confidence.

In this role, you’ll contribute to an impartial, confidential, and high‑quality service that genuinely transforms lives. You’ll work in a collaborative and supportive environment, where your ideas are valued and your leadership potential can grow. As Deputy Manager, you’ll not only help shape service improvements and drive positive change, you’ll also gain valuable experience and transferable skills to support your future career ambitions.

About the team

We provide impartial and confidential information, advice, and support to children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers. We’re here to help families navigate the world of SEND with confidence, understand their rights, make informed choices, and feel empowered when making decisions about education, health, and social care.

We work closely with families, schools, the local authority, and other agencies to strengthen engagement, encourage positive communication, and promote collaboration.

Above all, we’re committed to making our service accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our local community, championing independence, equality, and the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

About the role

We’re looking for a dynamic and experienced Deputy Manager to join our SENDIASS team in Hertfordshire. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in shaping and delivering a high-quality, impartial, and confidential service that empowers families and supports positive outcomes.

As SENDIASS Deputy Manager, you’ll provide expert leadership and operational oversight to ensure the service meets its statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014, the SEND Code of Practice (2015), and National Minimum Standards for SENDIAS Services (2018).

Working closely with the Service Manager, you’ll contribute to strategic planning, policy development, and continuous service improvement. You’ll also help build strong partnerships with schools, local authorities, and voluntary organisations to ensure the service remains accessible, impartial, and responsive to the needs of children, young people, and their families.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and supervise the operational team, ensuring high-quality, impartial advice and support is provided.
• Act as Deputy to the Service Manager, providing leadership in their absence.
• Work with the Manager to drive service development and improvement, including policy updates and resource creation.
• Represent SENDIASS at strategic meetings and multi-agency forums.
• Oversee the design and delivery of training for families and professionals.
• Monitor and evaluate service trends and data to inform local SEND improvement work.
• Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion.

About you

Essential:

• Educated to degree-level and/or equivalent SEND professional experience.
• Experience in managing or supervising teams, driving performance, and supporting staff development within SEND services or a related field
• Experience in service development, strategic planning, and effective stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Ability to analyse data, oversee the development of high‑quality reports, and manage competing priorities under pressure.
• Ability to travel independently

Desirable:

• Strong understanding of SEND legislation, statutory guidance.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development in SEND or related fields (e.g., leadership, management, business improvement).
• Experience in business improvement or service transformation initiatives.
• Familiarity with digital platforms and tools for service delivery and engagement.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Community Services, level COM12 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Community services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Karen Edwards (karen.edwards@hertssendiass.org.uk) for an informal discussion about the role

Interview Date: 25th Feb - Face to Face; Stevenage office.

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.