Planning and Applications Team Leader (Home to School Transport)

What will you be doing?

Home to School transport is a high-profile statutory service for the Council. You will be leading a small but diverse team within the wider operational team. Your focus will be approving applications, and planning and arranging home to school and social care transport in a timely manner, whilst ensuring that we are compliant with the terms of the legislation, guidance, and Council policy. You will be expected to monitor and report on trends in demand and costs, flagging concerns to senior managers at an early stage. 

At the heart of our service are children and young people, many of whom have additional needs requiring extra, and sometimes specialist, support. Understanding the challenges that these young people face will help you and your team make the correct decisions and identify appropriate transport solutions. You will work closely with your colleagues and other stakeholders, both internal and external to the Council, to improve processes and workflow so that the service user experience is efficient and consistent, and that the service we deliver is cost effective and represents the best value for all. 

About you

You are likely to be an experienced leader and manager, with an approachable and open style. Experience of working within a Local Authority is not necessary, but an understanding of how a Local Authority operates and is funded would be a considerable advantage.   You will need to understand procurement rules, especially as they apply to Local Authorities, and you will need to be able to take these into account when proposing service solutions. 

Whatever your previous experience, you will have a track record of delivering sensible and practical solutions to problems. A background in logistics would be helpful here. Your communication skills will be key to your success in this role, and you will be able to tailor your style to your audience to ensure that the message is delivered accurately and effectively – even if the message is not one that the audience wants to hear.  You will have the confidence to make decisions and recommendations, but the experience and wisdom to know when to ask for assistance.  As a member of the Management Team for the Home to School Service you will work collaboratively with colleagues to make best use of resources across the entire team, supporting staff to adapt to changes and challenges that they encounter along the way.   

Our benefits

We offer:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• agile and flexible working arrangements to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

About us

We are a new unitary council, established in April 2021; we are one of the largest unitary councils in the country. Our vision for North Northants is to be 'A place where everyone has the best opportunities and quality of life'.

Our priorities are:

• helping people live active fulfilled lives
• caring for our young people, providing them with high quality education and opportunities
• enabling a thriving and successful economy
• leading on a green and sustainable environment
• ensuring our communities are connected so they can shape their lives and where they live
• providing modern public services

Our values, as chosen by our staff, are - Customer-focused, Respectful, Efficient, Supportive and Trustworthy.

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