Early Years And Childcare Team Manager

About Us

Do you thrive on leading others and working in partnership with a range of customers?

Do you have experience of researching, analysing, and interpreting information?

Do you enjoy adapting to changing situations and can work in a flexible manner?

We have a new and unique opportunity to join us an Early Years and Childcare Team Manager to support the sector with the recruitment and retention of a high-quality workforce. The focus of the role is to enable settings to deliver on the government's ambition to expand the number of funded places for children under 5 by September 2025 and to expand the number of wraparound childcare places by September 2026. To achieve this there needs to be a significant increase in the number of people working in the Early Years and Childcare sector.

If you have experience of strategic working, business planning and/or project management, we would love to hear from you.

The Opportunity

Salary: NJC Grade 11£41,418 to £44,428 per annum

Contract Type: Fixed Term/Secondment until 31 March 2026

Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week

Location: County Hall, Chichester, or County Hall North, Horsham

Please note: Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your line manager before applying for this position.

Closing date: 01 May 2024

Interview date: 08 and/or 10 May 2024

This is a holistic role, working within the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate which groups our Services such as Early Help, Children's Social Care and Education and Skills.

As a Team Manager for Early Years and Childcare, you will provide leadership and support to improve the quality of Early Years and Childcare education across West Sussex.

In this role, you will use your knowledge and skills to ensure inclusive practice in childcare and education, providing high quality family support for children and young people aged 0-19 years.

This is an interesting opportunity where you will support the government's plans to introduce or expand Childcare provision by 2026, for primary school-aged children to access term time childcare from 8am to 6pm. This initiative will support families accessing employment to support the improvement of the labour market.

Key responsibilities in this role include:

• Mapping the current staffing supply and demand across West Sussex.
• Using market research and analysis skills to advise others on successful recruitment and retention strategies.
• Providing guidance on best practice.
• Following safeguarding procedures, confidentiality, and promoting safe practice.
• Developing training, tools, and resources to support the recruitment and retention of the Early Years and Childcare workforce.
• Providing advice and support to providers, and collaboratively working with agencies, partners, colleagues, and other local authorities.

About You

We are looking for a leader who has a passion for inspiring others with the ability to influence and challenge where required.

You will need experience of managing a team, and developing and maintaining datasets, with an understanding of current legislation, national policies and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05107.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Hiring Manager - Helen Gillespie (Senior Education Adviser) at .

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, five years referencing and an occupational health check.

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.