Head of Education Secondary Schools and Curriculum - Waverley Court

Head of Education (Secondary Schools and Curriculum) - Fixed term until 15/10/2028
Waverley Court

Salary: £94,901 - £106,811 
Hours: 36 per week

Edinburgh is not only Scotland's capital city, but also its festival, business and cultural capital too. The city is home to the Scottish Parliament and some of the most recognisable landmarks in Europe, from the medieval Old Town to the elegant Georgian New Town.

Here at The City of Edinburgh Council we're at the heart of that city. With nearly four million domestic and overseas visitors and almost half a million people calling Edinburgh home, it has never been more important for us to make sure our city is a great place to live, learn, and work.

We are determined, therefore, that our learners develop to their full potential, building skills for learning, life and work within a culture of equity and excellence. We are committed to Getting it Right for Every Child, embracing early intervention and prevention, in full partnership with allied services and partners.

We are looking for an exceptional education leader with demonstrable experience delivering in the strategic remit of Secondary Schools, Curriculum and Quality Improvement. You will have a track record of setting vision and strategy, leading change, and transformation, developing a high-performance culture and successful partnership working. You will be passionate about improving outcomes for all learners, able to give strategic direction to schools and early years centres and to lead a team of equally dedicated professionals who support and challenge. You will also be able to demonstrate that your budget is fully committed on things that really make a difference to learners, including quality professional learning and support, fully embedding collaboration and empowerment at all levels of the system.

If you would like to discuss this exciting role please contact jackie.reid2@edinburgh.gov.uk Service Director of Education and Skills and Chief Education Officer, who will be very happy to have an informal discussion and meet with you in Waverley Court.

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.  Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

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THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.

About our schools

As a successful growing city, our school population is increasing and we're investing in our schools to meet our future needs. These range from modern new builds to older Victorian classic buildings. We currently have 23 secondary, 88 primary and 12 special schools.

Lead the way in learning

Making sure our children and young people experience the highest quality of learning and teaching in Edinburgh is one of our highest priorities.

We firmly believe that all teachers in our schools are leaders of learning and we offer a huge range of professional learning opportunities to help you do this - whether you're brand new to the profession, developing your career or looking for further leadership experience.

Opportunities don't just stop at the classroom door. As a teacher in Edinburgh, you will also be involved in the exciting and creative work city schools are undertaking to raise attainment and close the gap.

Turn your passions into experiences

You will be encouraged to contribute to the wider life and work of the school so why not turn that love you have of skiing or creative writing into an activity that young people can take part in beyond the classroom? You will be encouraged to be the best you can because we want our learners to be the best they can.

Benefits in and out of work

As an employee of the City of Edinburgh Council, benefits on offer include support with working flexibly, savings on the high street and at home (childcare vouchers, premium benefits card) and travel savings (bike to work, season ticket loan).