Service Lead – Transport and School Operations
| Posting date: | 16 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 18 March 2026 |
| Location: | Wigan, WN1 1NJ |
| Company: | inploi |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 75786703 |
Summary
Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance
Wigan Life Centre South
Salary: Grade 16, £74,122 per annum.
37 hours per week
We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.
We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!
Your role:
Are you ready to lead services that make a real difference to 1000’s of children and families every single day?
We are looking for an enthusiastic, energetic and dynamic leader to continue to drive innovation and excellence across a wide range of operational services.
As the Service Lead, you will be responsible for the Home to School Transport provision for more than 1300 children with SEND, the management and development of the Local Kitchen school meals service, and School Crossing Patrols.
You’ll harness the power of market shaping through commissioning and procurement tools to shape futureready services that thousands of families rely on.
You’ll lead with purpose, champion our Progress with Unity missions, and inspire teams to deliver their best. If you’re a dynamic, strategic leader who thrives on impact and ambition, join Team Wigan and help shape our borough’s future.
About you:
You will be an enthusiastic individual with excellent leadership skills, who motivates and inspires others to want to deliver outstanding services that impact positively on our families and communities.
You’ll bring extensive seniorlevel leadership experience, strong commercial awareness, and the ability to manage complex, demanding services with confidence.
You’ll excel at partnership working, influencing across political environments, and leading service redesign, innovation and digital transformation.
Datadriven, peoplefocused and resilient, you’ll inspire high performance, build engaged teams, and use commissioning and procurement to deliver value and social impact.
If you’re passionate about shaping inclusive, responsive and excellent services and championing positive change, this is your opportunity to lead with purpose.
About us:
Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.
The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.
This is a fast-paced, dynamic service area that is committed to continuous improvement.
Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.
To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Prove your right to work to an employer
If you want to know more about the role, please contact Julie Middlehurst on 07388 850738 or Andrea Yates on 07710 755954.
Provisional Interview dates: 24th & 25th March 2026
To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below:
Supporting Documents
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