SEND Operational Lead

Job Description

Job Title: SEND Operational Lead
Salary: £45,624 - £52,038 per annum
Grade: F
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Hours: 37 hours per week

About the Department

Thurrock SEND plays a vital role in supporting children and young people with special educational needs (EHCPs). The team are central to ensuring that statutory processes are delivered to a high standard, within legal timeframes, and with a strong focus on quality, consistency and positive outcomes for families.

The SEND Operational Lead will lead and manage the operational delivery of the team, the SEND statutory functions, including EHCP processes and associated pathways.

About the Role

As a SEND Operational Lead you will be responsible for ensuring compliance with SEND legislation, statutory timescales, and the SEND Code of Practice. In addition to:

• Line management and supporting Senior EHCP Coordinators and coordinators, promoting consistent high quality practice.
• Overseeing workload management, performance monitoring, and quality assuring outcomes.
• Acting as an escalation point for complex cases and complaints.
• Supporting service improvement through data analysis, audit activity and action planning.
• Contributing to inspection readiness and respond to audit, QA or review findings.
• Promoting a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and child-focused decision-making.

This role makes a real difference by ensuring SEND services run effectively and families receive timely, high quality support. Through strong operational leadership, the post holder helps reduce delay, improve consistency, and support better outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

What we are looking for

We’re looking for someone who can evidence impact, support improvement, and ensure services are robust, responsive and compliant.

Essential qualifications:

• Experience of working within a SEND statutory service, with a strong understanding of EHCP processes and statutory duties.

• Experience of operational leadership or management including supporting staff and managing competing priorities.

• Experience of driving improvement and embedding consistent practice.

Benefits of Working with Us

At Thurrock Council, we value our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
• Staff discounts and local offers
• A supportive and inclusive working environment

Important Dates

Closing Date (Redeployment Only): 12th March 2026

Closing Date (Internal & External): 22nd March 2026

Interview Date: To Be Confirmed

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification, please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

About us

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.

For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council