Job Description

Salary - Grade
GBP 63,816 to 64,938 63816 - PO8
Contract Type
Permanent
Contracted Hours
Full Time - 36 hours per week
DBS Required
No
Department
Children & Education
Service
Hackney Education
Closing date
07/09/2025

Are you a proactive, results-focused individual with a passion for supporting education and driving business growth? Hackney's Children and Education Directorate is committed to providing the best outcomes for all children and families in our community, and we are looking for a talented Business Development & Services Lead to join our team.

About the Role

Hackney Council's Children and Education Directorate is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join our team as the Business Development & Services Lead. This pivotal role will provide strategic management to the "Business Implementation portfolio," which includes our Strategy & Governance and Services for Schools teams. You will be responsible for creating strategic plans, developing service offers, and ensuring the successful delivery of key objectives.



This position is a dual-focused leadership role. You will directly manage the Services for Schools team where a key part of your role will be to lead on commercial strategy, exploring how Hackney Education can better deliver a successful traded/commercial offer and leading the implementation of recommendations to deliver improvements. You will also manage the Strategy & Governance team, overseeing the team's business planning and standards of service provided to Children & Education teams.



The post-holder will be a central point of escalation for team managers on operational issues, ensuring that the service area's delivery plans are aligned with wider directorate and corporate goals and that our digital presence is strong and fit for purpose.

Key Responsibilities:

- Strategic Leadership: Lead the development and delivery of a commercial strategy and delivery plan, translating strategic priorities into measurable goals and ensuring alignment with broader organisational objectives.



- Commercial Development: Identify and lead projects to explore how Hackney Education can enhance its traded and commercial offerings, providing recommendations to senior leaders and driving their implementation.



- Service and Performance Management: Implement a robust system to measure performance against strategic plans, identify opportunities for service improvement, and report progress to senior leaders.



- Governance and Compliance: Champion high standards of records management and ensure compliance with all relevant Council policies, financial regulations, and a general awareness of and commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.



- Stakeholder Relations: Act as a champion for the teams, developing strong relationships across teams and with partners to ensure a shared understanding and support for strategic goals.

About You

We are looking for a candidate with proven experience in developing and delivering traded or commercial services and successfully embedding measurable improvement changes. You will have experience of writing and presenting reports to a variety of stakeholders, including senior leaders.



The ideal candidate will have:



- Strategic Acumen: Experience in developing service-wide strategies with a careful consideration of risks, issues, and resource management.



- Commercial Knowledge: A strong understanding of general commercial sales and business processes, including sales forecasts and financial management.



- Leadership Skills: Experience leading and developing a team, with the ability to communicate complex information in a clear and compelling way to non-specialists.



- Commitment to Our Values: A commitment to continuous service development, ongoing personal development, and a general awareness of and commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.



This role is for someone who is not only a capable manager but also a strategic thinker committed to driving service quality and performance in line with Hackney Education's leadership qualities, including a strong sense of direction, resilience, and self-awareness.



If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Kathryn Lloyd, Head of Education Operations at kathryn.lloyd@hackney.gov.uk.

Our Commitment

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.



Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn't stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.



Hackney is committed to being an anti-racist organization, and we expect all staff to commit to professional development and practice aligned with our systemic, trauma-informed and anti-racist (STAR) practice approach. You will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to equality of opportunity, challenge discrimination, and actively cultivate an inclusive environment.


We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and operate stringent safer recruitment procedures. All offers will be subject to satisfactory pre-appointment checks.

How to Apply

If you are a dynamic individual ready to contribute to a service that makes a real difference to the lives of children and families, we encourage you to apply.



As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.


If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV's.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications

:

07 September 2025 (22:59)

Interview date

:

W/c 22 September

2025

You will be expected to complete a task prior to interview if shortlisted. This will be provided via email and your submission should be received by us prior to your interview time.



We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.



Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.



The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk



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