Senior Speech & Language Therapist

Grade: PO8/9 subject to evaluation - £61,476 - £69,807 Full-time/Permanent Closing Date: 02/11/2026 Directorate: Children’s Services Organisation : London Borough of Waltham Forest Salary: PO8/9 subject to evaluation - £61,476 - £69,807 Contract Type: Full-time/Permanent Working hours per week: 36 hours per week Application Deadline: 02/11/2026 Proposed Interview Date(s): w/c 9 th November 2026 Reference: 2386 About Us: Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment. The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method. About the role: We are seeking an exceptional Senior Speech and Language Therapist to lead and develop the speech, language and communication offer within Waltham Forest’s new Experts at Hand team. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in delivering SEND reform, improving outcomes for children and young people and embedding communication-inclusive practice across education settings and children's services. Working at both strategic and operational levels, you will be the Council's senior specialist adviser on speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), responsible for implementing Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC), leading service development, workforce growth and evidence-based practice across the local area. Why join us? This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a growing service at a time of significant SEND transformation. Through Experts at Hand, you will have the opportunity to: Influence local policy and practice. Develop sustainable support models for schools and families. Lead a skilled and expanding workforce. Build capacity across education and children's services. Make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people with SEND. >> Click here to download the Role Profile << Key Responsibilities: We are looking for a highly experienced Speech and Language Therapist who is passionate about inclusion, early intervention and system-wide improvement. As Senior Speech and Language Therapist, you will: Lead the speech, language and communication element of the Experts at Hand service. Provide professional and clinical leadership across the service. Drive the development of speech, language and communication pathways as part of our SEND transformation programme. Undertake highly specialist assessments and contribute to multidisciplinary assessment and diagnostic processes. Design and oversee early intervention support pathways. Lead the implementation of Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) principles. Develop and quality assure training and workforce development programmes. Supervise and develop Speech and Language Therapists and a team of Language Assistants. Work collaboratively with schools, families, health partners, educational psychologists and social care colleagues. Use data, outcomes and evidence to drive continuous service improvement and innovation. Qualifications and Requirements: You will bring: Extensive post-qualification experience supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. Advanced knowledge of ass