Alternative Provision Taskforce Manager

Alternative Provision Taskforce Manager
Education Services
Fixed term until March 2029
Full Time 37hpw
Location: Alternative Provision settings, Bunny Hill and outreach across Sunderlan d
Salary: £53460 - £57927 per annum
Grade: 10

Advert closing date : 03/09/2026
Shortlisting : 07/09/2026
Interviews : 21/09/2026

Join our Team

Together for Children Sunderland is on a transformative journey to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people in Sunderland. We are an outstanding Ofsted-rated Children’s service, if you’re committed to helping children, families, and our community thrive and have the skills to support our mission, we would love to hear from you. You can learn more about us here: Together for Children.

About the role

Together for Children Sunderland is looking for an experienced and confident leader to manage our Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce.

This is a key role within Sunderland’s inclusion system, leading a multi-disciplinary team to provide coordinated, child-centred support for children and young people with complex needs. The Taskforce brings together specialist input across education, health, social care and youth justice, with a shared focus on improving attendance, engagement, reintegration and wellbeing.

We are looking for someone who can work confidently across a complex partnership landscape, supporting schools, families, Alternative Provision settings and partner agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

You will lead the operational delivery of the Taskforce, making sure support is well planned, timely and focused on impact. This will include overseeing referral, triage and case management arrangements, chairing multi-agency meetings, coordinating specialist contributions and ensuring clear accountability for plans and outcomes.

The role will also involve providing advice and guidance to senior leaders, schools and partners on Alternative Provision, inclusion and complex pupil needs. You will help shape ways of working, contribute to wider service development and use data and evidence to monitor performance, demonstrate impact and support continuous improvement.

We are particularly interested in candidates who bring strong leadership skills, experience of working with vulnerable children and young people with complex needs, and a good understanding of Alternative Provision, inclusion, SEND, safeguarding and multi-agency working.

You will need to be able to build trusted relationships, influence across services and work calmly in sensitive and challenging situations. You will also need to be organised, analytical and confident producing clear reports and briefings for a range of audiences.

In return, you will be joining an organisation committed to improving services across social care, early help and education, and to giving children and young people in Sunderland the best possible opportunity to thrive.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.We will also carry out an online internet search for information that is publicly available online that might suggest that you are not fit to work with children or young people

If you are passionate about inclusion, confident working across systems, and committed to improving outcomes for children and young people with complex needs, we would welcome your application.
Candidates are encouraged to attend one of three informal information sessions to find out more about the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce:

Thursday 20 August 2026 at 10.00 am — Teams
Tuesday 1 September 2026 at 4.00 pm — Teams
Monday 7 September 2026 at 3.00 pm — Teams

As we expect a high level of interest, we are unable to offer individual calls or meetings

Register here:  Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce information session registration form

We want you to apply if you:

• Hold a degree or equivalent
• Hold a relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience in education, social care or related field
• Hold a leadership / management qualification or willingness to work towards

Why work with us?

· Make a difference: Our work matters. The work we do is incredibly rewarding. Join us and make a difference in the lives of our children, families, and community.

· Inclusion: Thrive in our diverse and inclusive culture and be part of our employee networks, including Accessibility, LGBTQ+, Racial Equality, Armed Forces and Menopause.

· Work-Life Balance: We offer a hybrid model of working with agile and flexible working arrangements, including part-time opportunities, flexible hours, and the possibility of remote work arrangements.

· Professional Development: Advance your career with our comprehensive induction, supervision, peer support, and supportive environment.

· Be part of a happier, healthier workforce: Benefit from our wide range of wellbeing activities and employee assistance programmes.

· Attractive Salary, Benefits and Rewards: for additional information please follow this link Together for Children Benefits and rewards · What our team think: About Us

We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to various ages, disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, beliefs, races, and ethnicities. We aim for our team to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

We are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. Please reach out to our EDI Lead View email address on northeastjobs.org.uk or View email address on northeastjobs.org.uk so we can discuss any adjustments or support we can provide during the recruitment process or within the workplace.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked-after young person, are care experienced, or are a veteran.

Are you ready to make a difference?