Interim Senior Tribunal Officer

Interim Senior Tribunal Officer

Temporary (3 months), Full Time

£330 per day umbrella

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 29th September 2026

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda – one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We’re immensely proud of our flexible working options.

Essex County Council has embarked upon a programme of change for provision and services with the ambition to profoundly improve the outcomes and life experience of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our vision is for a SEND system which identifies and assesses need at an earlier stage and which provides appropriate and impactful support without such high dependence on Essex County Council’s statutory services. We have a responsibility to deliver effective services and support in the most cost effective and impactful way.

The Senior Tribunal Officer represents the Council in SEND appeals and makes recommendations in other legal issues to reduce the numbers of SEND appeals. The post holder will undertake complex casework and provide high level advice to SEN managers and other colleagues in relation to complex statutory issues.

Extensive knowledge of SEN legislation, the Code of Practice and case law is required.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for representing the Council at SEN Tribunal hearings, preparing the case response (statement), negotiating and liaising with parents, schools and legal representatives and advising the Council regarding the possible outcomes for the case.
• Support the SEN managers with complex casework including parental appeals to the Tribunal, Ombudsman cases and judicial reviews.
• Provide high quality advice, support and training to Council teams involved with SEND hearings, to enable effective resolution over school and governing body responsibilities.
• Support links with other services and agencies to ensure a coordinated response on operational issues relating to areas of shared responsibility within the SEN framework.
• Maintain current knowledge on changes to SEN statutory requirements, collaborating with senior staff to highlight implications for practice and support the effective implementation of the Council’s Policies and the SEN Action Plan.
• Responsible for production and maintenance of guidance notes for SEN staff to deliver governor training programmes, training on statutory requirements and on SEND appeal procedures, within the SEN framework.
• Contribute to quality control mechanisms within SEN teams to support quality assurance processes.
• Work collaboratively across the Council, to contribute to monitoring the costs of non-county provision and taking action as appropriate.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A level) or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area with recent relevant training in SEN issues and education legislation.
• Experience of conducting SEN tribunal appeals and representing parties at tribunals.
• Extensive knowledge of SEN legislation, the Code of Practice and case law.
• Experience of providing quality advice to other senior managers in a complex organisation.
• Experience of responding to ombudsman complaints and judicial reviews.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written with the ability to communicate in a range of mediums to a wide audience.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

Please note that Essex County Council has determined that the off-payroll working rules will apply to this assignment and where a worker elects to provide their services through an intermediary (such as a personal services company) then income tax and primary national insurance contributions will be deducted at source from any payments made to the intermediary.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community. 

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email courtney.jode@Essex.gov.uk