Director of School Improvement

Director of Children’s Integrated Services School Improvement

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3NG

Worker Type: Hybrid role

Salary: £95,925 (Soulbury 42) rising to 102,605 (Soulbury 47) per annum

Inspire a city. Shape the future of education.

At Nottingham City Council, we're proud of our ambition—to make Nottingham a world-class city where every child and young person can thrive. We're now looking for an exceptional leader to join us as Director of School Improvement, responsible for raising educational standards across the city, strengthening our relationships with schools, and driving forward a culture of excellence.

As Director, you’ll provide strategic leadership to the Children’s Education Division, acting as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders and playing a key role in delivering our Education Strategy. You’ll also serve as the CEO of the Nottingham Schools Trust (NST), working in partnership with the Board to foster innovation, inclusion, and high performance in schools across the city.

What you'll be doing:

• Leading the development and delivery of an ambitious city-wide school improvement strategy

• Acting as CEO for NST—supporting member schools, driving improvement, and championing success

• Building effective partnerships with education providers, academy trusts, DfE, Ofsted and others to promote educational excellence

• Advising on school leadership appointments, statutory interventions, and strategic educational planning

• Creating a high-performing and inclusive culture across the division and NST, empowering school leaders to succeed

• Ensuring strong governance, performance monitoring, and readiness for external inspection

• Representing the Council and NST in public forums, fostering transparency, trust, and collaboration

• Promoting sustainable service delivery and contributing to the city’s carbon reduction goals

What we're looking for:

We’re seeking a bold, strategic leader with a proven track record in complex educational settings—someone who can see the bigger picture and take decisive action to drive improvement.

You’ll bring senior leadership experience from large, multi-disciplinary organisations, with significant responsibility and budget oversight. Your background includes leading transformational change and delivering sustained school improvement.

You have substantial experience as a Head Teacher or senior leader in a good or outstanding school, and you know how to support and challenge leadership teams to raise performance and outcomes.

You’re skilled at building trust and credibility across the education landscape, forming strong partnerships with stakeholders. You understand how to plan for future workforce needs, manage risk, and deliver results within the constraints of public sector finance.

With a solid grasp of both local and national education policy, you’re well-versed in the challenges and opportunities facing schools and local government in Nottingham. You’re also deeply committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, with experience developing services that meet the diverse needs of children and young people.

You will need:

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and evidence of continued professional development in education leadership

• A leadership or management qualification (e.g. NPQH, ILM Level 7) or willingness to work towards it

• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills

• Strong analytical skills and a creative, solution-focused approach to complex challenges

Why Nottingham?

You’ll be joining a city committed to children, learning, and opportunity. We’re transforming how we work with schools—bringing services closer to communities, supporting collaboration, and tackling inequality.

If you’re a values-led leader with the passion and determination to improve outcomes for children and young people, we want to hear from you.

To Apply:

Visit our website at Children's and Education Services Directors Recruitment - Nottingham City Council

Please submit your CV and a covering letter setting out how you meet the requirements for appointment to: [email protected]

• The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 6th July 2025
• Interviews are tentatively scheduled for July 25th, July 30th, and August 1st, 2025, with specific dates varying by role