Sufficiency and Capital Strategy Manager (Education)

Posting date:	27 June 2025
Salary:	£59,017 to £66,085 per year
Additional salary information:	Competitive
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	26 July 2025
Location:	Portsmouth Civic Offices with opportunity for hybrid working, PO12AL
Company:	Portsmouth City Council
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	pcc/TP/659/674

Summary

The post of Sufficiency and Capital Strategy Manager will be based in the Sufficiency and Resources Service and will work closely with colleagues across the Directorate, the Council, and with schools and Academy Trusts.

The Role

The post holder is the lead and senior adviser for sufficiency (school places) and prioritising capital investment into education provision.

Portsmouth has seen a rapid increase in the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and in the complexity of these needs. The key challenge for the post-holder will be ensure that Portsmouth is able to meet this demand by increasing the number of high quality places available for children and young people with SEND and those needing Alternative Provision in Portsmouth's mainstream schools, inclusion centres, and special schools. This will include delivering an agreed £7.5m project to create new specialist provision at the Omega Centre, and a £1.6m expansion project to deliver additional places at Cliffdale.

They will need to work with the Head of Sufficiency and Resources to continue to make the case to elected Members and to DFE for making additional financial investment in this area and ensure that the resources available are used to bring maximum benefit in line with our inclusion strategy.

Alongside this they will also need to manage the "business as usual" work of pupil place planning, school reorganisation and capital strategy, including:

• ensuring a sufficient number of school places to meet statutory requirements.
• pursuing opportunities to bid for capital funding.
• leading the educational capital programme to deliver a range of schemes and projects.
• managing academy transfers in line with the agreed programme of academy conversions; and
• taking lead responsibility within the education department for property and building issues as they arise.

Key tasks and responsibilities include :

• Sufficiency
• Capital Strategy
• School organisation

Please ensure you read the Job profile for the full details and expectations of this role.

The ideal candidate

The post holder could come from a range of backgrounds - they may already be working in a local authority, or they may be a senior leader in a mainstream or special school or a multi academy trust. Irrespective of professional background, we are looking for someone who:

• Understands about the challenges and opportunities associated with supporting children with SEND in different settings including in alternative provision that means they will have credibility with Head Teachers and other senior stakeholders in bringing forward proposals for increased provision.
• Has excellent communication and influencing skills, and the ability to build effective relationships and partnerships with senior colleagues within and outside the council, including Headteachers, CEOs of Multi Academy Trusts, Chairs of Governing Boards and Trusts, DfE and ESFA officials, Office for the Schools Adjudicator, etc
• Has experience of successful project management, ideally in the management of capital projects, but which could be related to another area.
• Understands and can apply pupil forecasting data.

You will need to have/be

• Educated to degree level / NVQ Level 4 equivalent.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of pupil place planning, school organisation and education capital strategy at a senior level.
• Extensive experience of preparing and writing strategic plans, consultation documents, capital bids, etc.
• Highly developed communication and influencing skills – able to work effectively across a large and complex organisation and in a multi-agency setting; able to hold high level meetings with senior leaders from across the city including Headteachers, CEOs of Multi Academy Trusts, Chairs of Governing Boards and Trusts, DfE and ESFA officials, Office for the Schools Adjudicator, etc.
• The ability to manage a large workload and effectively prioritise and organise own workload and that of others across a competing agendas and stakeholders.
• The ability to work with limited assistance and supervision. Possess a high level of energy and drive. The ability to objectively analyse problems, reach logical conclusions and investigate wider impact outside own work area.
• A clear understanding and application of pupil forecasting data.
• The ability to deliver presentations to service colleagues, headteachers, school staff and internal colleagues
• Extensive knowledge of pupil place planning, school organisation and education capital both at a local and national level.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with supporting children with SEND in different settings including in alternative provision

We offer hybrid working with the expectation to attend the office 1-2 days a week (pro rata for part time) depending on the role and business needs

Interview date:28th July 2025 (please state in your 'Personal statement' on your application, if you are unavailable on this date).

Application process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.

About Portsmouth City Council

What we can offer you:

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our careers portal homepage: Careers Portal - Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership safer recruitment procedures.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616800