Deputy Regional Director

2 Rivergate, Bristol

23 Stephenson Street, Birmingham

10 South Colonnade, London

Piccadilly Gate, Manchester

Loxley House, Nottingham

Foss House, York

Job Summary Join Ofsted at a pivotal moment of transformation and help shape the future of inspection and regulation across England. As we accelerate a wide-ranging programme of reform, we are seeking an exceptional leader to take on the role of Deputy Regional Director an opportunity to influence how we raise standards and improve the life chances of children, young people and learners.

Ofsted plays a vital role in society, providing independent, impartial inspection and regulation of education, skills, and care services. Our work ensures that those who rely on these services, especially the most vulnerable, receive the high quality support they deserve. Guided by our core values of professionalism, empathy, courtesy and respect, we are committed to making a meaningful difference through everything we do.

This is an exciting time to join us. With the rollout of a revised inspection and grading model for education providers and further reforms planned across early years and social care, our work is evolving at pace. As Deputy Regional Director, you will be at the forefront of this change supporting delivery across two regions, leading high-performing teams of senior inspectors, and helping to embed a culture of continuous improvement.

If you are a strategic, values driven leader with a passion for public service and a commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children and learners, this role offers a unique opportunity to have a national impact through regional leadership.

Job Description Please refer to the job specification for further information.

Please refer to the job specification for further information.

Person specification

Please refer to the job specification for further information.

Qualifications Degree level qualification or equivalent experience in the remit you work in, e.g. professional qualification in teaching or social work.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Alongside your salary of £108,574, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills contributes £31,453 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Full details of the benefits available can be found in our Ofsted Offer brochure.

Ofsted is devoted to equality, diversity and inclusion. Within our Ofsted Strategy 2023-2027 we have stated that we will improve the representation of under-represented groups across the organisation and publish our progress on this annually. We are always looking to expand on our diverse workforce by recruiting candidates from varied backgrounds and differing experiences. We are proud to be a Disability Confident – Leader, we continually engage with our 5 staff networks for protected characteristics, and highlight the work of our Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group. We ensure all candidates are treated with fair and open competition, with all appointments being made on merit and we use our Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) to provide assurance to all candidates of this.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

The selection panel will assess your application against the essential criteria and, where applicable, the desirable criteria outlined in the person specification.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide a supporting statement (maximum 1,000 words). We recommend that you make full use of the 1,000-word limit and provide specific examples that demonstrate your achievements and the impact of your actions.

Your Supporting Statement Must Address The Following Essential Criterion Experience of direct management and development of senior professional staff including dealing robustly managing under performance and safeguarding concerns. A track record of successful human and financial management.

• Demonstrable evidence of planning, implementing and monitoring the delivery of challenging performance targets, identifying innovative ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources.
• Ability to develop and implement strategies and performance management systems that support high quality delivery.
• Highly developed analytical skills, able to identify issues and create effective plans, systems and procedures to manage change, respond promptly to critical events and monitor success.

You should also use your supporting statement to demonstrate, where applicable, the following desirable criteria:

• Evidence of working across more than one provider, setting, establishment or authority.
• Evidence of delivery and/or transformation in your role.
• Evidence of leading teams through complex change.

You will be asked to provide details of your employment history, similar to a CV, outlining your career experience. In particular, you should demonstrate a minimum of five years' senior leadership experience within Children's Social Care, Early Years, Schools or Further Education, with clear evidence of delivering significant and measurable improvements in services and outcomes.

Stage 1: Initial Interview Following shortlist, successful candidates will be invited to a Stage 1 Initial Interview with panel members. This interview will focus on the information provided within the application and assess the essential and desirable criteria contained within the person specification. Candidates who are successful at this stage will progress to a final panel assessment and interview.

Stage 2: Assessment Centre Candidates who are successful at the Stage 1 Interview will be invited to participate in a Stage 2 Assessment. The assessment will be designed to evaluate candidates' knowledge, skills and abilities in relation to the requirements of the role and the criteria outlined within the person specification.

Stage 3: Final Interview Candidates who successfully complete the Stage 2 Assessment will be invited to attend a Final Interview with the selection panel. The interview will explore candidates' experience, achievements and suitability for the role in greater depth and will assess performance against the essential and desirable criteria set out in the person specification.

The location and date(s) will be confirmed closer to the time.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of beha