Jobs

Enabling People, Empowering Communities, Enhancing Places

Sandwell’s story is one of potential and striving to realise the ambitions of our borough, our residents and communities. We have been through a period of significant challenge including government intervention, but through determination and our drive for excellence, we look to the future with pride and a sense of purpose. While we have come so far, there is more to do; breaking down silos, embedding our values across the organisation, and ensuring that we continue to transform to deliver the best services for residents. Created 50 years ago from six proud towns, each unique but united by a shared identity and rich culture, Sandwell is a place built on making things happen, and where children, young people and families have the best opportunity to thrive.

Following a restructure that has led to the creation of three new Service Director posts, we are taking a new approach to supporting children and young who need our support, and seeking to appoint an exceptional Service Director - SEND and Inclusion to lead our local area approach to inclusion, SEND services and statutory delivery. You will shape and deliver provision responding to the evolving policy landscape, including the recently released White Paper, ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’, strengthening multi-agency partnerships, and driving improvements across education, health and care pathways. You will develop strong relationships with schools, creating a holistic inclusive model where we view the whole life journey of the child and support individuals to remain in mainstream provision. You will oversee a wide portfolio including SEND statutory services, educational psychology, specialist teaching teams, sensory services, inclusion support, fair access and exclusions, alternative provision, SEND transport and inclusion strategy. You will lead quality assurance, inspection readiness and continuous improvement across the local area, ensuring high quality EHC planning, early identification, timely intervention and strong transitions to adulthood.

Working closely with schools, academies, early years settings, post‑16 providers, health partners, social care and the voluntary sector, you will build collaborative, evidence‑led approaches that reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. You will also jointly lead specialist place planning across the education system.

We are looking for a confident, credible senior leader with significant experience in complex organisations, a deep understanding of SEND provision and inclusion practice, and a strong track record of driving change, managing performance and shaping system wide improvement.

If you’re passionate about inclusive practice and improving life chances for children and young people with SEND, we’d love to hear from you.

For further information speak to our executive search partners GatenbySanderson:  Becky Downs (07831 116 336).

Closing date: 10 April 2026

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.