Professional Officer

Shorefields; Brentwood; On-site; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job description

Position Start Date: 13/04/2026 Contract Type: Part-time Contract Term: Permanent

Application Close: 25/02/2026 4pm Date of Interviews: Friday 6th March 2026

Purpose: To help drive, shape & maintain the vision of ESSET

Salary/Grade: £375 to £450 per day, dependent upon experience

Hours/weeks: Approximately 80 days per year (some term‑time flexibility will be available)

Responsible to: Chair of ESSET

The ESSET Professional Officer is appointed by the Executive Committee. They are not required to be a serving headteacher and this is a paid position.

Responsibilities

• Attend meetings with LA and other groups to represent ESSET, as required by the Executive Committee, and to provide notes and a termly report of the matters arising from the meetings attended.
• Follow up action and tasks of those meetings.
• Research, write and deliver briefings each term for groups of headteachers across the county, to ensure that they are kept up to date with local and national issues.
• Liaise with and support the Chair of ESSET and other members of the Executive Committee, and special school headteachers in Essex.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with the Professional Officers of ASHE and EPHA.
• Attend a termly management meeting with the ESSET Chair and Vice‑Chair.
• Organise and manage on behalf of ESSET the annual Headteachers' Conference, the annual Deputy/Assistant Headteachers' Conference and other conferences as determined by the Executive Committee.
• Assist the ESSET Chair in their role.
• Oversee the ESSET website.
• Distribute information to ESSET headteachers.
• Develop & update the ESSET Welcome Pack and send out to new headteachers.
• Write and distribute the half‑termly ESSET newsletter (in collaboration with the Chair).
• Seek headteachers to represent ESSET on various committees and working groups.
• Maintain an email database of ESSET headteachers and Deputies.
• Communicate information about ESSET to interested parties and represent ESSET when required by the Executive Committee.
• Undertake any other duties as determined by and agreed with the ESSET Executive Committee.

The duties above are neither exclusive or exhaustive and the postholder may be required by ESSET to carry out appropriate duties within the context of the job, skills and grade.

To apply for this vacancy, please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter to [e-mail].

Information about the School

Essex Special Schools Education Trust (ESSET) is established as a private company limited by guarantee, comprising of the nineteen Essex Special Schools.

Directors of the company are the Headteachers of the nineteen schools. The company was established with the aim of leading Special Educational Needs Innovation in Essex providing a vehicle for sharing expertise to ensure all ESSET Schools were supported to provide outstanding outcomes for the young people of Essex.

ESSET has developed its offer to provide SEND support and training to mainstream schools to ensure excellence in SEND across Essex.

All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances.

Contact details:
Helen Wilson
c/o Unit 12 Park Lane Business Centre
Park Lane, Langham
Essex, CO4 5WR
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]