Job Overview
North Yorkshire is England’s largest county and a beautiful, vibrant place to live and work. It is an exciting time for me personally as I join North Yorkshire Council as the new Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Service in January 2026. Even at this early stage, I feel welcomed and inspired by talented, ambitious colleagues with a strong track record and a shared commitment to excellence.
Location and Salary
Salary: £100,545 to £111,533 plus relocation support
Location: Northallerton / Hybrid
About North Yorkshire Council
North Yorkshire Council has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services. Our Children’s Services are nationally recognised for excellence and routinely share best practice across the sector. Our teams are proud of what has been achieved and are committed to continuous improvement, ensuring services deliver real impact for children, young people and families while making effective use of public money.
While many residents enjoy a high quality of life, North Yorkshire is diverse. Some communities experience significant deprivation, and the county’s rural geography presents challenges around access and sufficiency. These realities make strong partnership working and strategic leadership essential.
The Council is approaching its three-year anniversary following local government reorganisation in April 2023, bringing together eight councils into the new North Yorkshire Council. This unification creates new opportunities to strengthen local delivery, improve system working and secure greater investment through devolution.
The York and North Yorkshire devolution deal could unlock around £2.4bn of investment over 30 years, focused on economic prosperity and long-term opportunity. This provides a powerful platform for the new Assistant Director to shape innovative, sustainable approaches across the whole children’s system.
Role Summary
We are now seeking a professional, influential Assistant Director to lead strategic sufficiency, commissioning and partnership infrastructure that underpins children’s services across the system. As Assistant Director Children’s Partnerships and Sufficiency, you will play a central, system-wide leadership role, connecting across the full breadth of services to children and young people. You will jointly lead delivery of the Council’s ambition for children, with accountability for strategic sufficiency, commissioning and partnership infrastructure that underpins education, care, early years and SEND services.
Core Responsibilities
* Providing clear, innovative leadership across strategy, commissioning and operational delivery
* Shared responsibility for the overall performance and improvement of Children and Young People’s Services
* Lead statutory responsibilities for school and childcare sufficiency, partnership coordination, transport and admissions, alongside cross-system governance for safeguarding, SEND and early years
* Oversee commissioning, evaluation and market development, ensuring value for money and sustainability
* Work closely with fellow Assistant Directors, Corporate Directors, elected members and senior leaders across partner organisations, exercising significant autonomy and influence
Portfolio Includes
* CYPS commissioning and contract management
* Partnerships and safeguarding
* Transport, admissions and appeals
* Early years sufficiency
* School place planning, including capital and PFI
Senior Leadership Activities
* Be a core member of the Children and Young People’s Leadership Team
* Lead collaboratively across the directorate to ensure strong practice and outcomes
* Sponsor cross-cutting transformation activity in response to local need and national reforms
* Lead prevention, commissioning and targeted services
* Manage delegated budgets and provide assurance on performance and savings
* Lead on resilience, risk and business continuity planning
* Provide outstanding strategic leadership, promote inclusion and model the Council’s values and behaviours
Political Restrictions and DBS
This is a politically restricted post and subject to DBS clearance.
Close Date
Close Date: 25 January 2026
Apply
Want to learn more? I would encourage you to speak to our executive recruitment partners to further explore your interest further. More information regarding the role is available, please click apply for job description and details of how to apply.
El Mayhew
Corporate Director, Children and Young People’s Service
North Yorkshire Council
We are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers.
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