Primary Location : Antrim-Belfast-Belfast Office
Other Locations :Down-Dundonald-Dundonald Office, Armagh-Armagh-Armagh Office, Antrim-Ballymena-Ballee Centre, Tyrone-Omagh-Omagh Office
Contract Type : Permanent
Duration of Contract/Contract End Date : NA
Status : Full-Time
Hours per Week : The normal hours of work are 36 per week.
Working Pattern : Monday- Friday The post-holder will be required to work flexibly in order to successfully carry out the duties of the role.
Grade/Scale : Assistant Director | £82,998 - £91,575 per annum. Progression through the salary scale will be dependent upon satisfactory performance and linked to a performance management framework for Directors and Assistant Directors.
Additional Allowance(s) : Not Applicable
Anticipated Interview Date(s) : 26 August 2026
Additional Information: Base location to be discussed and agreed with the Chief Education Officer. Agile working is available by agreement. Senior officers are expected to be ‘together’ in person with colleagues (i..e at their base, alternative EA office, meetings, conferences) on at least 3 days per week. As the role carries regional responsibility, travel across Northern Ireland (and on occasion further afield) will be required in order to attend meetings and fulfill the full range of duties and responsibilities. The successful candidate can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Reports to: Chief Education Officer
Directors are responsible for working flexibly and collaboratively with the Chief Executive and Chief Officers to provide corporate leadership to the Education Authority (EA), particularly in relation to progressing EA’s improvement journey and ensuring corporate alignment across the organisation.
These are challenging roles requiring proven skills in leading and working collaboratively with others to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people.
CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
Directors are responsible for working flexibly and collaboratively with the Chief Executive and Chief Officers to provide corporate leadership to EA, particularly in regard to progressing EA’s improvement journey and ensuring corporate alignment across the organisation.
In this context, the roles have responsibility for the following:
- Collectively as part of the Senior Leadership Team, optimising business structures, harnessing strengths and making EA a great place to work.
- Leading a portfolio of services to enable the delivery of high-quality services to schools and other stakeholders and/or deliver projects and programmes in line with EA's priorities and business plan.
- Working collectively with other Directors to align, agree and progress corporate priorities.
- Supporting the Chief Officers in considering the resourcing profile and organisational changes required to deliver the optimum structure for EA.
- Focusing on corporate leadership duties, offering leadership that empowers individuals managing services to focus more on operational excellence.
- Supporting the Chief Officers in leading detailed reviews of EA’s core functions and current challenges to inform a more balanced structure.
- Working towards EA’s long-term, improvement ambitions, ensuring that the future structure is aligned with its vision, purpose and strategic goals.
- Providing support to Chief Executive and Chief Officers in prioritisation of EA’s activities to determine which are essential and which may need to be discontinued, paused or reconfigured.
- Ensuring that EA lives within its annual budget allocation from the Department of Education.
- Working in partnership with staff and stakeholders including partners across the education sector, governing bodies, school leaders, trade unions, elected representatives, other related agencies, the media and the public.
- Maximising opportunities for improvements while promoting innovation and ambition.
- Providing corporate leadership for all programmes and projects relating to improvements to service delivery models while ensuring that EA adheres to relevant legislation and standards.
- Ensuring that service delivery is shaped by service user input.
- Advising the Department of Education on policy issues and contribute to policy reviews.
The above responsibilities apply to all Directors. Whilst Directors are initially appointed to a specific post there may be opportunities to move to another Director position in any directorate, providing personal development opportunities for a wide-ranging and varied career and supporting the organisation in the most effective use of strategic leadership experience at this tier.
Key Areas of Focus
It is intended that this postholder will initially have responsibility for the new portfolio, provisionally entitled ‘Enhanced & Alternative Learning’. The scope of the portfolio remains subject to ongoing review, and as noted the role may be transferrable.
The Director is responsible for ensuring excellent and efficient service delivery that is focused on meeting the needs of children and young people. The Director will provide leadership for transformational change and implementation of new structures, strategy and processes for these services. This may include measures to achieve greater efficiency and/or savings.
As noted, the Directorate is currently being reshaped. This may impact on the titles and scope of comprising services. At present they include:
Enhanced & Alternative Learning Portfolio:
- Alternative Education Provision:
- Post Primary, Full-time ‘Education Other than at School’ (EOTAS)
- Exceptional Teaching Arrangements (ETA)
- Enhanced / Enriched Learning Services:
- PeacePlus ASPIRE Programme
- Music Service
- Education Library Service
- Community and Schools Service
- Magilligan Outdoor Learning Service
- AmmA Centre
- Creative Schools & Creative Connections Programmes
- Area Planning
This Director also holds the following high-level responsibilities, along with overall leadership for the division, fostering a culture of improvement and engagement.
Corporate Leadership and Planning:
Providing leadership, fostering a culture of improvement, collaboration and engagement.
Contribute to the development of a clear vision for the role of EA in the future of education in Northern Ireland.
Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation for Alternative Education Provision, Enhanced/Enriched Learning Services and Area Planning Service.
Enabling Educational Excellence and Innovation:
Drive initiatives for continuous improvement in teaching and learning, promote inclusivity, addressing the needs of Children and Young people to improve education outcomes for all.
Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of improvement strategies, delivering enhanced educational outcomes and strengthening support for leadership teams.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Develop, build and maintain professional relationships with key stakeholders to enable effective engagement on education-related matters acting as a spokesperson for these services.
Influence policy development and strategic direction through effective stakeholder engagement, ensuring services are responsive to emerging educational priorities and needs.
Other:
Any other duties related to the role which may be required from time-to-time by the Chief Executive and the Board.
In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), be expected to promote Good Relations, Equality of Opportunity and pay due regard for Equality Legislation at all times.
This job description will be subject to review considering changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Candidates must demonstrate on their application form that they meet the following essential criteria:
Factor
Essential Criteria
Method of Assessment
Experience
A minimum of three years’ experience in a senior management role* successfully leading services across several areas and having an impact on multiple people.
Experience of working collectively across a senior team to align goals, resources, policies and processes to optimise use of the organisation’s resources to deliver maximum value for the public/customers.
Experience of leading, empowering, championing excellence and establishing momentum for continuous improvement that has delivered improved outcomes for the public/customers.
Strong communicator with proven skills to engage across a range of stakeholders, demonstrating successful impact.
Proven ability to achieve targets and objectives within a demanding and pressurised environment against significant challenging** deadlines and through the engagement of teams.
- Senior management role includes providing advice or being party to decisions affecting strategic issues concerning the organisation in which the individual is working.
**Significant and challenging is defined as cross-cutting across a number of business area, stakeholders or organisations and having an impact on multiple people.
Application Form
Presentation
Interview
Other
The successful candidate will be required:
to have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion;
OR
be able to provide sufficient information on the application form that will satisfy the employer that he/she has access to an appropriate alternative form of transport that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion.
Factor
Desirable Criteria
Method of Assessment
Knoweldge
Demonstrates an understanding of the potential along with the challenges of delivering education and support services to ensure high-quality and equitable access for schools.
Application Form
Our Values
Through the selection process we will also seek evidence that the personal values of candidates align with those of the EA. This will include evidence of commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery. These reflect our aim which is to meet the needs of all our children and young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.
DISCLOSURE OF CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’.
In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage.
Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.
