Education Funding Team Leader

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

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Are you highly organised, detail-oriented, and passionate about supporting education funding processes? We have an exciting opportunity for an Education Funding Team Leader to join our Education Payments Team. This pivotal role supports the monthly Education payments cycle, ensuring smooth panel operations, accurate documentation, and timely payments. You'll be central to maintaining financial compliance and supporting education providers with funding queries and processes.

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• Operational Leadership and Accountability Assume overall responsibility for ensuring efficient, accurate, and timely end-to-end payment processes are established, maintained, and consistently applied to guarantee the effective and compliant delivery of supplier payments.
• Team and Service Support Deliver high-quality operational support within the Education Funding Team, working closely with the Team Manager to provide updates on staff performance, process efficiency, and system functionality. Take ownership of identifying, resolving, or escalating issues and recommending solutions to enhance service delivery.
• Performance and Resource Management Lead the delivery of operational priorities and ensure key performance indicators (KPIs) are achieved through effective resource planning and workflow management. Ensure compliance with customer service and audit requirements across all activities.
• People Management and Development Provide day-to-day line management, supervision, and guidance to team members in accordance with the Council's performance management framework. Foster a culture of accountability, professional growth, and continuous improvement.
• Service Improvement and Advisory Role Advise the Payments Team Manager on opportunities for service enhancement, efficiency gains, and process innovation. Lead or contribute to implementing agreed improvements within operational practices.
• Complex Issue Resolution Respond to and resolve complex service requests and queries within agreed service standards. Monitor outputs, identify areas for improvement, and implement corrective actions where required to maintain service excellence.
• Customer Service Excellence Champion a culture of customer service excellence by designing and embedding customer-focused processes and demonstrating exemplary behaviours that reflect the Council's values and the VIP (Values, Integrity, People) principles.
• Collaborative Project Work Work collaboratively on cross-service projects to support strategic developments and continuous improvement within the Commissioning and Finance Service. Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to enable successful implementation of new initiatives.
• Information and Systems Management Optimise productivity and reduce operational risk through the effective use of Office 365 and internal IT systems. Ensure data accuracy, minimise duplication, and uphold information security standards at all times.
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Actively promote and uphold equality, diversity, and inclusion by challenging discriminatory practices or behaviours and fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace culture.
• Health, Safety and Wellbeing Demonstrate a proactive commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing by maintaining awareness of others' needs and ensuring all duties are performed with due regard for personal and collective welfare.

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• Proven capability to engage, influence, and build strong communication channels with managers, suppliers, and customers to secure understanding and commitment to operational changes and strategic priorities.
• Proven ability to build and maintain productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive the effective delivery of Education Funding objectives aligned with the annual service plan.
• Demonstrated capability to analyse and implement national legislation, policies, and guidance, ensuring all processes remain fully compliant and aligned with statutory obligations.
• Skilled in analysing and interpreting financial and operational data to inform management reporting, support decision-making, and drive the achievement of Education Funding service objectives.
• Able to effectively utilise Office 365 tools (e.g., Teams, OneDrive) to support collaborative working and service delivery, with a commitment to undertake training as required during probation.
• Possesses knowledge of statutory payment processes and ensures compliance in operational practices.
• Proven ability to lead the handling of complaints and complex enquiries, ensuring timely, professional, and customer-focused resolution.
• Proven ability to lead, coach, and mentor team members, fostering professional growth and ensuring the delivery of individual and team objectives.
• Proven ability to develop clear and comprehensive training documentation and user guides to ensure consistent understanding and application of payments processes.
• Proven ability to independently plan, prioritise, and organise workloads for self and team members to ensure timely delivery of service requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in delivering exceptional customer service while effectively resolving conflicts and employing negotiation and diplomatic skills to achieve positive outcomes.
• Proven track record in evaluating current processes, implementing improvements, and leading change initiatives to enhance service delivery.