SEND Principal Officer

Job Introduction

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team in Staffordshire are working hard to improve services for children, young people and families.  We have a number of exciting projects planned and are looking for an additional Principal Officer for SEND to join us to continue our improvement journey.

This is a fixed term role for up to 12 months.

The Central SEND teams provide specialist SEND expertise and support, working closely with the 8 District Teams to enable them to fulfil their statutory duties (Children and Families Act 2014).

Main Responsibility

You will:

• provide strategic support to the 8 District SEND Teams in order to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the Local Authorities statutory duties.
• supporting the District Teams, Principal Officers also take a lead on strategic SEND improvement projects for the Local Authority.
• support the development and maintenance of SEND practice standards & systems, assist with training and development for the district based SEND offer.
• be required to lead task and finish projects and work with diverse groups of professionals.

The Ideal Candidate

You will have:

• knowledge of all SEND related law and code of practice.
• project management skills will be essential as will a restorative and relational disposition to working with groups.
• A good knowledge of systems, processes and digital in order to drive service improvements
• Be confident with data and reporting mechanisms to demonstrate impact on lived experience for families
• knowledge of the Staffordshire pre-statutory SEND & Inclusion model and associated pathways

You will share our passion for improving SEND services in Staffordshire and ensuring that every child or young people with SEND have access to excellent services that ensure they achieve their best.

Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferable skills, experiences, and qualifications so consider applying anyway or for an informal chat about the role please contact Nadine Young nadine.young[@staffordshire.gov.uk](mailto:[contact hidden])

Interviews will be held week commencing 27th April 2026 at Staffordshire Place 1.

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.