About the job

Job summary

We encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates   

At DfE, we are proud of the commitment we make to diversity and inclusion and of the progress we have made. We have active & vibrant staff networks,  special leave policies and workplace adjustments put in place for those who need them. We are continuing to build a diverse DfE, in an inclusive environment which nurtures and realises potential in all, at all levels.  

Equality and Diversity - Department for Education 

The Regional Director for the South West, one of 9 Regional Directors across the country, will be at the heart of the Department’s work within their region. They will work to improve outcomes for children, families and learners, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable, within their region through:​

• Being place-shapers and influencers.​

• Delivering across a number of key programmes which sit at the heart of major policy priorities which focus on Schools, Care, and SEND. ​

• Regulating and stewarding to deliver system improvement.​

The Regional Director will lead their team to deliver locally across Children’s Social Care, SEND, Schools and area-based programmes and work closely to support the post-16 regional work being developed in the wider department. They will also take on a leadership responsibility across the Group through leading on one of our cross cutting National Programmes which range from School Stewardship to the interface on funding; as well as playing an essential role in helping shape policy across DfE to reflect local needs.​

Job description

Within their region, the Regional Director will lead the South West team to deliver on the vision set out in Government policy, aligned to Regions Group strategic priorities and informed by local context:​

• Intervening in failing schools and academies judged inadequate, generating rapid solutions via strong sponsors, and brokering immediate support​
• Leading interventions in failing children’s social care functions in local authorities, generating solutions to deliver rapid improvement​
• Leading follow up to area wide SEN inspections, ensuring effective challenge and support to enable areas of weakness to be remedied quickly ​
• Taking decisions to support the growth of multi-academy trust capacity in the region, specifically advising on decisions related to sponsor capacity, the creation of academy trusts, academy transfer, academy conversion applications, and significant changes to academies and free schools. Taking action to improve poorly performing trusts, including non financial compliance with Academies Handbook, shaping system provision and generating new proposals from high performing providers​
• Taking action to improve poorly performing trusts, shaping system provision and generating new proposals from high performing providers​
• Deciding on proposals for new free schools, openings, deferrals and cancellations to ensure effective market entry​
• Ensuring every local area has sufficient places for pupils, via working closely with LAs​
• Delivering on all place based programmes commitments​
• Taking the lead on Safeguarding cases in the region​
• Working effectively with Ministers: providing advice, briefing and support
• Leadership of a strong inclusive and effective culture of delivery, effective line management and people development and wellbeing across a diverse team based across Bristol and London.

Person specification

It is important that, through your CV and Statement of Suitability, you provide evidence and examples of proven experience for each of the essential criteria below:

• Excellent leadership skills gained within the education sector, local or national government; able to take a leading role in initiating action, making decisions, managing performance and promoting inclusive team working in a large-scale operation, and being part of collective leadership success.
• An exceptional understanding of and ability to build key stakeholder relationships that can demonstrate impact, enabling delivery of improvement to take place through others at regional level.
• Highly developed analytical skills, able to identify issues and make evidence-based decisions to manage change and respond promptly to critical events, and monitor success.
• Effective communication skills to be an advocate of delivery and policy development with senior colleagues and external stakeholders, ensuring that delivery impact and user need are at the core of our policy-making. As part of this, an ability to understand and absorb the implications of policy for delivery challenges.
• Experience of leading through change, including experience of delivering system improvement and transformation with good analytical skills, using performance and financial data and other intelligence to reach decisions about where to target support and initiate programmes of activity, and monitor impact.

Benefits

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK, with an average employer contribution of 27%

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King's Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.  This role is available full time, part time (0.9) and job share (0.9).

This vacancy is open on a secondment basis (for up to 2 years) to candidates from outside the Civil Service. External secondees’ ‘home’ employer, may, if 
they choose to do so, supplement the Civil Service salary for the successful secondee. Prior approval from the Civil Service Commission is required if this 
results in the salary being 20% above the maximum salary advertised.

Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role. 

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered. 

As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths and Experience.

Application

To apply for this role, you need to complete an online application via the Civil Service Jobs portal.  Applications will be accepted until 23:55 on 13 February 2024. You will be asked to provide:

1. A CV (no longer than 4 sides) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years
2. A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 2 sides or 1,000 words) detailing ‘why should we consider you for this role’ (up to 500 words) and why you have chosen the Department for Education (up to 500 words). You can choose to outline any further information you believe is relevant or further demonstrates your suitability for the role.

Applicants will be assessed against the essential criteria listed above. If applicant numbers are significant, preliminary sifting will be done using only the first criteria.

Please note that for all SCS recruitment you are not required to remove any information that personally identifies you.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. 

If you are unable to apply online please contact scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk in the first instance.

Please note the following:

• we cannot accept applications submitted after the closing date;
• applications will be assessed solely on the documentation provided;
• please refer to the advert and checklist above to ensure you have provided everything requested;
• applications will be acknowledged upon receipt;
• feedback will only be given to candidates unsuccessful following interview

Candidates from outside the Civil Service who may be unfamiliar with the expectations of a Statement of Suitability (or, if shortlisted, a Staff Engagement Panel) are advised to review the following information  How to Apply , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)  or to contact scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk

Shortlisted applicants

Applications will be sifted and short-listed candidates will be invited to:

1. a partnership engagement conversation with John Edwards and a small number of stakeholders, including a Director of Children's Services and an Academy Trust Leader, in the week commencing 4 March 2024.
2. take part in a Staff Engagement Panel (which typically takes up to 1 hour to complete), to be held week commencing 11 March 2024
3. a formal panel interview on either 21 or 22 March 2024 in the DfE Bristol office.  Candidates will be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview (further information will be shared with shortlisted candidates) and they will be asked questions to further assess their Experience and Strengths using the Civil Service Strengths Dictionary. 

As part of the recruitment process we may request references. 

Please note that at interview stage we may ask if you have any conflicts of interest to declare.

Other Information 

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated. 

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. 

Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs 

Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum. 

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual. 

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information. 

Reasonable adjustment 

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

• Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 
• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.