Early Learning & Childcare Sufficiency Senior Officer - Internal

THIS ROLE IS INTERNALLY RESTRICTED

To apply for this job, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be an employee of Kirklees Council.
• Be employed by Kirklees for the duration of the recruitment process – up to and including the start date.
• Have successfully completed your probationary period.

(Please note that if you work for an Academy, you are not an employee of the Council.)

Your employment status will be checked, if you do not meet the above requirements your application will be rejected. 

The Team

The Childcare Sufficiency Team works closely with the Early Years Outcomes Team to ensure that there are sufficient, high quality Early Learning and childcare places across Kirklees. These statutory duties contribute to the Councils shared outcomes; Best Start in Life, Aspire and Achieve and Sustainable Economy.

The Childcare Sufficiency Team commission childcare providers to deliver Early Learning and childcare for eligible children under the age of five. Over 400 providers are registered to deliver Early Learning and childcare. Central government provide £50 million to fund the early years and childcare entitlements in Kirklees.

The government are funding an expansion of the early years and childcare entitlements which is being rolled out over three phases between April 2024 and September 2025. In addition to this, the government are also funding expansion of wraparound childcare for primary school-aged children.

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic person to join the Childcare Sufficiency section of our team, we currently have two Early Learning and Childcare Sufficiency Senior Officers and are looking to appoint another two.

You will support the Childcare Sufficiency function by providing specialised business advice to providers of Early Learning and childcare to ensure there is sufficient high quality, sustainable childcare provision in Kirklees.

You will also be substantially involved in supporting the service to successfully implement the childcare expansion programmes.

The Role

You will need to be creative and self-motivated.

You will have great communication skills to build relationships, trust and rapport with childcare settings to provide business advice and support.

You will need the aptitude, knowledge and skills to be able to recognise business sustainability risks, be solution focused and provide recommendations to childcare business owners and managers.

You will need to be flexible in your working hours as you may be required to work outside usual office hours on occasions.

Travel is an essential part of this job, therefore you must hold a full and valid driving licence, it is expected that you will either use a council vehicle or your own car. (Exceptions may be made for disabled applicants). 

This role is mainly working from home, with some occasional office work and site visits.