Job Description

Zone Manager – SEND & Inclusion Support Model (15 positions available) | 11403 | Permanent Contract | 37 hours per week | £51,821 to £56,068 per annum | Grade L | Norfolk, with hybrid working arrangements

Help shape the next chapter of SEND and Inclusion in Norfolk

Join us at a pivotal time for education in Norfolk. Guided by Norfolk’s FLOURISH ambition, we are building a more inclusive, responsive and locally delivered system through our SEND and Inclusion transformation programmes. By bringing education settings, local authority services and wider partners together, we are strengthening early intervention, inclusive practice and coordinated support so more children and young people receive the right help at the right time and can flourish in their local communities.

Norfolk’s innovative SEND and Inclusion Support Model (SISM) is central to delivering FLOURISH. Working through school and community zones, SISM brings education settings, local authority services and wider partners together around local need. We are seeking 21 talented Zone Managers to build on this foundation, shape the model’s next stage and embed this distinctive approach across Norfolk.

The opportunity

As a Zone Manager, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for an allocated geographical zone or phase area, including early years or post-16 education. Working with a high degree of autonomy, you will use local intelligence to establish priorities, coordinate activity and secure effective collaboration between professionals and partner organisations.

The role carries significant responsibility for local delivery and for shaping the operation of multidisciplinary support. Through professional influence rather than direct line management, you will negotiate resources, establish shared accountability and secure coordinated action across organisational and professional boundaries. This is an opportunity to contribute to the continued development of an established countywide model and to improve support for education settings, children, young people and families.

What you will do

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the effective delivery and continued development of SISM activity across your zone or phase area, ensuring engagement, intervention planning, follow-up and improvement activity are coordinated, timely and aligned with wider SEND and Inclusion priorities.
• Take ownership of delivery within your zone or phase area, working with a high degree of autonomy to set local priorities, coordinate activity and make timely decisions within the agreed strategic framework. You will have the freedom to shape how partners work together locally and will be accountable for maintaining momentum and securing progress.
• Bring partners together around shared priorities, convening professionals from education, health, social care, attendance, specialist services and other organisations so that responsibilities, delivery expectations, escalation routes and accountability for agreed actions are clear.
• Plan, negotiate and influence the deployment of resources, using evidence about local need, demand, capacity and risk to support equitable and effective use of people, expertise and support, and to inform senior-level planning and commissioning discussions.
• Coordinate requests for support and multi-disciplinary responses, ensuring activity is prioritised appropriately, complex issues are directed to the right professionals and open actions remain visible and actively progressed.
• Chair and coordinate key zone or phase meetings, securing ownership of decisions and actions, managing constructive challenge and ensuring unresolved barriers are addressed or escalated.
• Use zone intelligence, data and performance information to identify themes, inequalities, pressure points, risks and opportunities, translating these into clear reports, improvement priorities and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Provide quality assurance and drive improvement, strengthening the consistency, timeliness and impact of support and sharing learning across settings, services and partners.
• Safeguard children and young people and manage risk, ensuring safeguarding, statutory compliance, delivery and system-performance concerns are identified, communicated and escalated promptly through the appropriate routes.

Who we are looking for

We welcome applications from educational professionals and from people working in related roles who bring strong, relevant education experience. You may have developed your career in a school, academy trust, early years or post-16 setting, local authority, health service, wider Children’s Services, or another organisation supporting education, SEND or inclusion. A teaching background is not essential.

You will bring:

• significant experience in education, SEND, inclusion, Children’s Services or a closely related partnership environment;
• a strong understanding of how education settings support children and young people with additional needs;
• the ability to provide confident system leadership without relying on direct line management authority, building credibility with senior stakeholders, negotiating shared resources and securing outcomes through others;
• the confidence and sound judgement to work autonomously, take ownership of local delivery and make effective decisions in the context of complexity, competing priorities, ambiguity and risk;
• confidence in analysing data and service intelligence and translating it into clear priorities and action;
• experience of coordinating work across teams or organisations and contributing to service improvement or operational change; and
• excellent communication, meeting leadership and relationship-building skills.

Interview approach

Interviews will take place between Wednesday 21st Oct and Thursday 29th Oct 2026.

This is an opportunity to lead locally, strengthen multi-agency working and help build a more joined-up SEND and inclusion system for Norfolk. If you can combine strategic vision with operational grip and bring partners together around shared priorities, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Before you apply, we recommend reading the full Job Description and Person Specification to help you demonstrate you meet the criteria.

If you have any questions or would like further information please contact, Alison Toombs, Assistant Director – High Needs SEND Operations, via alison.toombs2@norfolk.gov.uk

These are some benefits you can enjoy by working for Norfolk County Council:

• Competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service
• Flexible working opportunities including flexi-time, part time, remote and hybrid working – dependant on your job role and business need.
• Financial benefits such as:
• ‘Norfolk Rewards’ our employee discounts programme which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.
• A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers
• Relocation expenses (where applicable)
• An advance of your expenses if you travel for work
• Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions.
• Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension and new bikes
• Access to our tax efficient car lease scheme for greener travel enabling you to lease a brand new, ultra-low emission vehicle (subject to eligibility)
• A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job

You can also find information on our Terms and Conditions here.

Already a Norfolk County Council employee? See and apply for internal and external vacancies in myOracle using your @norfolk.gov.uk or @nccal.ac.uk email.

We would like to make you aware that priority consideration for this post may be given to current employees who are at risk due to restructure within the organisation or are in a redeployment position.

Redeployment closing date: 7 October 2026 at 23:55

All other applicants closing date: 14 October 2026 at 23:55