Senior Assisted Travel Officer

Senior Assisted Travel & Eligibility Officer – £36,167.68 - £38,282.98pa – Wallington, Surrey. (Hybrid)

The Role

Do you have experience in managing home-to-school transport, ensuring smooth operational delivery? Are you flexible and adaptable, able to prioritize tasks and adjust to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you.

Cognus is about education – we exist to support schools, families, and children/young people to access, enjoy and thrive in educational settings in school and in the community. Cognus is commissioned by London Borough of Sutton to provide education services to mainstream schools and specialist education providers in Sutton. We deliver a wide range of 27 services – from Admissions and Music, to SEND and Therapies – to pursue excellence in education settings and improve the lives of children, young people, and families.

This role will overseeAssisted Travel Entitlement on behalf of the London Borough of Sutton, ensuring that all Assisted Travel applications are assessed in line with Sutton’s Home to School Travel Assistance policy and that all associated correspondence and customer care is provided. It will also be critical in operational delivery of the service, with proactive problem-solving and excellent customer care at the heart of what the team delivers on a daily basis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead in administering Assisted Travel applications, assessing them against policies and liaising with stakeholders.
• Manage correspondence and appeals efficiently, ensuring compliance with GDPR.
• Conduct needs assessments for entitled SEND pupils and maintain positive relationships with schools and parents.
• Deputise for the Assisted Travel Manager when necessary and ensure cost-effective provision of travel assistance.
• Undertake transport area reviews and tender transport contracts in compliance with policies.

The Company:

Cognus is commissioned, and wholly owned, by London Borough of Sutton, to provide education services to mainstream schools and specialist education providers in Sutton. We deliver a wide range of 27 services – from Admissions and Music, to SEND and Therapies - to pursue excellence in education settings and improve the lives of children, young people, and families. We are committed to promoting equal access to education and maximise learning for every child, young person, parent/carer and professional.

Across our services, we deliver a comprehensive range of vital educational support through our team of education specialists – teachers, psychologists and other practitioners – with a deep knowledge and experience of all aspects of education. To deliver this, we work in partnership with schools and settings across all phases.

Many of our services focus on supporting children and young people with SEND/additional learning needs. Some services are universal, and which support most children and young people. Other services are targeted at providing services to enable schools and settings to support children themselves. We also provide information and services that work directly to support young people and families.

We employ over 300 people, based at offices in Wallington.

The Benefits:

• Workplace pension scheme 4% to 8% matched contributions.
• Flexibly and hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave pro rata (plus Bank Holidays).
• Staff benefits package, currently including Employee Assistance Programme, Perkbox and (upon completion of probation) Sovereign Healthcare Cashback plans.
• Staff Council, Staff EDI group and Mental Health First Aiders to support wellbeing and inclusion.
• Cognus Coaching Programmes.

The Person:

• Literacy and numeracy skills up to GCSE level.
• Qualification related to SEND, physical, and/or mental health needs.
• Experience in home-to-school transport, both in entitlement and operational delivery is desired.
• Working knowledge of home-to-school transport legislation.
• Experience managing contracts and tendering is a plus.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Empathetic and sensitive approach to customer communications.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Flexibility and ability to work well within a team.
• Driving Licence is desired.

If you are keen on joining this exciting, forward-thinking company and taking the next step in your career, then please click the apply now button to find out more.