PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS ONLY OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS
Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA
Salary: £55,443 - £61,116 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 significant growth with thousands of new homes being built which will yield the need for approximately 25,000 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 Council’s 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 Team’s Leadership Team and be responsible for leading and driving forward key areas of the team’s 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:
1. Qualified to degree level in related subject or other equivalent qualification and Project Management qualification, OR 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.
2. The ability to lead and work with a team of highly motivated individuals that are collectively responsible for delivering successful change for Leicestershire’s schools, children and families, and experience leading in dedicated project workstreams.
3. 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.
4. Leadership qualities that ensure colleagues are supported and empowered to deliver successful outcomes, and experience of Prince2 of similar project management techniques.
5. 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.
6. Knowledge of factors influencing the provision of school places such as demographic planning and evidence-based research to ensure successful project delivery.
7. 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 share and to 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 disability. We are a .
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 discussion, please contact:
Ian Sharpe - Service Manager
Telephone: 0116 305 9836
Email:
section 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 telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal:.
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