Senior School Place Planning Officer (Internal applicants only)

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS ONLY OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall Glenfield LE3 8RA

Salary: 55443 - 61116 per annum (pro rata for part-time) (Pay Award Pending)

Working Hours:37 per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 26 May 2026

Interview Date(s): TBC

About the Role

We are looking for an exceptional individual to fulfil this new role which will be pivotal in helping Leicestershire deliver our statutory responsibilities in ensuring all children can access a good quality school place within their community. This is a varied role and the successful candidate will carry out a range of functions relating to school organisation capital projects and pupil place planning.

Leicestershire is in a period of significantgrowth with thousands of new homes being built which will yield the need for approximately 25000 additional pupil places across all phases of education and a significant increase in SEND places for children with additional needs. This will mean the successful delivery of 40 new schools with expansion of some existing schools to meet the needs of both mainstream and SEND.

As Senior School Place Planning Officer you will be responsible for the line management of School Place Planning Officers to ensure the County Councils statutory duty is met to ensure that sufficient good quality school places are delivered in the right place and at the right time. As a Senior School Place Planning Officer you will be part of the School Organisation Teams Leadership Team and be responsible for leading and driving forward key areas of the teams work.

This role would suit someone looking to develop their career working at a more senior level with both internal and external partners on the delivery of key strategies. You will be actively involved in the shaping the strategic direction of school sufficiency across the County Council during a period of change for Leicestershire schools children and their families.

About You

To apply for this post you must be able to demonstrate the following:

• Qualified to degree level in related subject or other equivalent qualification and Project Management qualificationOR significant experience of successfully planning managing and delivering complex projects and/or programmes of work within specific timescales on budget and be able to demonstrate experience of delivering in an educational setting.
• The ability to lead and work with a team of highly motivated individuals that are collectively responsible for delivering successful change for Leicestershires schools children and families and experience leading in dedicated project workstreams.
• Experience of working with housing developers and planning authorities to ensure Section 106 procedures are followed to ensure developer contributions are secured and experience of working with housing developers and contractors to develop new schools particularly in relation to SEND pupils.
• Leadership qualities that ensure colleagues are supported and empowered to deliver successful outcomes and experience of Prince2 of similar project management techniques.
• Working within multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders across the public sector including schools Government departments County Council teams and elected members. Influencing the actions and decisions of others through effective advice guidance and negotiation to deliver successful outcomes and change.
• Knowledge of factors influencing the provision of school places such as demographic planning and evidence-based research to ensure successful project delivery.
• Developing establishing and maintaining electronic knowledge and information tracking systems particularly in relation to school places including those for children with SEND and operation of systems and procedures for quality assurance.

In addition we also expect you to shareour commitment to our valuesandto delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working which may include part time working job sharing term-time working flexible start and finish times and hybrid working depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussionplease contact:

Ian Sharpe - Service Manager

Telephone: 0

Email:

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council were looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are wherever youre from and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation not just whats on your CV. Thats why weve designed a recruitment process thats fair accessible and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire wed love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the About You section above. Without this information we wont be able to assess your suitability for the role and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement see the How to Applysection on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore if you are interested please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning0(select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: applying for this post you agree to ourTerms and Conditions.